Depressed Characters in Movies and Novels (7+list)

In the movies and novels, we come across these characters that are depressed and low. In this article, we will list depressed characters that you might have seen in movies or read about in novels.

Depression refers to a persistent feeling of sadness and despair that is felt by a person who interferes with their day to day functioning. It includes feelings of anger, irritability, low self-esteem, guilt and shame, an emptiness inside, and pessimism. Individuals describe it as living in a black secluded hole where you feel numb and lifeless. 

Some of the symptoms of depression include feeling hopeless, helpless, and worthless, loss of interest in activities that earlier bought pleasure, changes in appetite and sleep patterns. Increased anger and quickly getting irritated, fatigue and loss of energy reported. 

Depressed Characters in Movies and Novels

Movies and novels are a representation of real-life people, making it obvious that it would include and depict the state of individuals who are depressed. 

Here is a list of depressed characters in movies, tv-series and novels:

• Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh
• Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter
• Dr. Gregory House from House
• Spinelli from Recess
• Chandler Bing from Friends
• Beatrice “Tris” Prior from Divergent
• Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad
• Squidward from SpongeBob Square Pants
• Bella Swan from New Moon
• Harry Potter from Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban
• Clay Jenson from 13 Reasons Why
• Rose from Titanic
• Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy
• Elsa from Frozen
• The Hulk from Avengers
• Frankenstein’s monster by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Charlie from Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower 

Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh

We have grown up seeing the sad donkey from Winnie the Pooh. But not many of us might have noticed that Eeyore was a depressed character. Eeyore was not just sad, he was also pessimistic, hopeless, and seemed helpless most of the time. He was gloomy and always felt that something bad was gonna happen. He used to have low energy and was persistently sad, all symptoms of depression. 

Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter

Luna Lovegood was this carefree happy-go-lucky type of girl that was seen in Harry Potter. But if you look closely you can see that she was a depressed character. She was lonely at Hogwarts and faced a lot of bullying from her classmates. It is obvious that she stayed alone and can be seen as being sad and in pain. 

Dr. Gregory House from House

Despite all the sarcastic humor that Dr. Gregory House uses in the show it is all a cover for his depressed character. He is someone who is depressed as it can be seen in the show how his mood is towards the sad side, he feels lonely and has low self-esteem. He has a pessimistic view of the world where he does not see a positive outcome for himself or the people around him. He is easily irritable and angry as seen in the episodes. 

Spinelli from Recess

We all grew up seeing the tough girl Spinelli in Recess who took no bulgar from anyone. But what we missed seeing was that there were a lot of depressed character symptoms beneath the anger she held. She was easily irritated and got angry at the drop of a hat. She might not have seemed sad all the time but there were underlying symptoms of depression in her. 

Chandler Bing from Friends

Chandler Bing is seen as the funny sarcastic friend character who makes jokes about people. But like it was mentioned by one of the characters playing a psychologist in the show, Chandler uses his humor to cover up his feelings of depression. Chandler is a depressed character who had a tough childhood. His parents split up when he was a child and never felt loved by anyone. He feels lonely and has low self-esteem, he is pessimistic most of the time. 

Beatrice “Tris” Prior from Divergent

Beatrice or Tris from divergent is shown as a strong female lead who despite adversities still carries on. But that is on the surface, underneath all that hard shell, Tris is struggling with depression. Having to leave her home and seeing her parents killed in front of her can be a lot for a person. She is sad and pessimistic about the future. She might not admit it herself but they are the signs of a depressed character. 

Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn is the whimsical character in the DC universe who turned from good to bad. Being a psychologist herself she fell for Joker and that leads her to become a criminal. In the comic Harley reports feelings of sadness and life being pointless. Even though she is with Joker she reports feeling lonely and alone. 

Squidward from SpongeBob Square Pants

Throughout the show Squidward is a character that is persistently sad and low on energy. Nothing makes him happy or interested. He keeps to himself and does not like interacting with others. He is seen to be a sad pessimistic character who is hopeless and helpless, who does not believe that anything good can happen in his or anyone’s life. 

Bella Swan from New Moon

After Edward leaves Bella Swan she is seen to be depressed and is persistently sad the whole time. She does not leave her room and is seen with no energy, she does not engage in any activities that provided her pleasure. She feels lonely and spends all her time alone. She has socially withdrawn herself from her family and friends. Nothing brings her happiness anymore. 

Harry Potter from Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban

After getting to know about his parent’s death and how they died, Harry’s reaction to the deathly hallows is a clear indication of his depressed state. He is persistently sad and depressed throughout the movie. He is hardly seen smiling and is torn between doing what is right. 

Clay Jenson from 13 Reasons Why

After the death of his friend from suicide Clay Jenson shows symptoms of depression. He is seen to be a sad character that is unable to concentrate or pay attention in class. His thoughts keep going to how his friend ended up killing herself. 

Rose from Titanic

Rose though belonging to the upper rich class is seen to be unhappy and unimpressed by her surroundings. The only time she is seen to be happy and joyous is when she is with Jack. After Jack’s death she reports her feeling as being shocked and distraught by his death. 

Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy

Meredith had a difficult childhood where her father had left them and her mother was never around. She felt that her mother was not able to give her any love and because of that Meredith is a depressed character. She may not be sad all the time but she does show being low and pessimistic about the world. 

Elsa from Frozen

Elsa had been told to stay hidden since childhood and the loss of her parents only added to her being depressed. Despite having powers she was scared of them and that led her to shut herself out from the whole world. She is socially withdrawn, anxious, on the edge, frightened and nervous at the starting of the movie. She is sad and feels worthless about the use of her powers. 

The Hulk from Avengers

In the movie Avengers, Hulk admits to having tried to shoot himself only to be unsuccessful in it. A suicide attempt is a serious depression symptom that is seen in Hulk. He is seen to be sad and has feelings of helplessness. He had socially withdrawn himself and tried to stay away from anything that could trigger his mood. 

Frankenstein’s monster from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 

After Frankenstein has created the monster he abandons him and calls him ugly. Despite it being his own creation, Frankenstein disowns it and calls it a monster. The monster later expresses his feeling of sadness and how he is depressed because of Frankenstein’s attitude and behavior towards him. Frankenstein’s monster feels worthless, hopeless and helpless about his situation. 

Charlie from Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Charlie is seen as a quiet and reserved charter who does not interact with many people after the death of his best friend. Losing his aunt and dealing with the problems of his new friends push Charlie over the edge. To the point where he tries to kill himself but rather than that admits himself into a psychiatric hospital. Charlie is clearly a depressed character who is going through a lot. 

In the movies and novels, we come across these characters that are depressed and low. In this article, we listed depressed characters that you might have seen in movies or read about in novels.

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FAQs: Depressed Characters in Movies and Novels

References 

https://themighty.com/2017/07/depression-fictional-characters-relatable/

https://www.talkspace.com/blog/14-movies-about-depression-that-perfectly-capture-the-experience/

https://slulibrary.saintleo.edu/c.php?g=1052042&p=7670017