Cinema as a Tool for Teaching Psychiatry: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Various works of literature, plastic arts, music, and cinema portray common health problems. Cinema makes it possible to discuss psychiatric issues in an accessible and engaging way by dramatising complex human experiences. In cinema, the representation of protagonists with psychiatric illnesses, behavioural disorders, personality disorders, or substance abuse is common. The use of these productions for teaching psychiatry has been increasingly reported in the literature. However, the appropriate strategy for incorporating films into teaching practice and the assessment of the teaching-learning process is are bottleneck in the dissemination of this practice. Aims: The aim of this scoping review is to address the question: “What do we know about teaching strategies in psychiatry using film?”. Methods: This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.  The search was carried out in the MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, ERIC and SciELO databases for articles published up to March 16, 2025, which dealt with cinema/films, medical education and psychiatry. A total of 3,391 titles/abstracts were evaluated, followed by 123 full-text articles. Quantitative (number of students) and qualitative data (level of training, thematic, teaching methodology and materials used) were extracted. For the articles that described an intervention, an evaluation of the program's evaluation level was conducted using the Kirkpatrick framework. Results: A total of 37 articles were included in the review. The majority (N=23, 62.16%) described experience with the use of multiple films and only 17 (45.94%) described an experimental study with quantification of the groups of students. Of the studies describing the experiment, only 2 (11.76%) used a control group, but without randomisation, ten (58.82%) achieved a Kirkpatrick Level 1 designation, 6 (35.29%) achieved Level 2, and only one study achieved Level 3 (5.88%). Based on the findings, it is reasonable to suggest that future strategies for using cinema to teach psychiatry, methodological rigour, and assessing their impact at higher levels of Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model. Conclusion: This scoping review was able to compile information on experiences with the use of cinema as a strategy for teaching psychiatry. Although there have been descriptions of experiences with the use of film for medical education in psychiatry, there are still few trials with standardised interventions that demonstrate the impact on learning. While films have clear potential as teaching tools in psychiatry, further research is needed to develop more standardised and evidence-based approaches.