Nebraska: Mental Illness in Pop Culture

Mental Illness in Pop Culture

In this episode of Mental Illness in Pop Culture, we explore age-related cognitive impairment, alcoholism, rural midwestern culture, family dynamics, and the psychosocial development stage Ego Integrity vs. Despair in Nebraska, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Bruce Dern. Guest podcaster Ethan Conner joins his dad Scott and colleague Joe Flynn to discuss this father-son road-trip film. We frame our discussion with the Bruce Springsteen album Nebraska as we reflect on the film’s stark, black & white, and often plainspoken themes, concluding that “Reason to Believe” could just as well have been used as a subtitle. In this podcast series, we focus on pop culture portrayals of mental health issues and professional helping, believing that public perception is both reflected and influenced by popular media.