In honor of World Mental Health Day, TAG24 is highlighting some of the best representations of mental health issues in movies and television.

Mental health conditions remain largely underrepresented in media. Far too often, the little representation they get is either inaccurate or insensitive.

Thankfully, recent trends are going in the right direction with more shows and movies tackling these important issues with empathy and input from experts.

Representation within the mainstream media is the key to destigmatizing discussions about mental health and to promote awareness of particular conditions.

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Recent television and film projects have taken crucial steps forward as they prove that accurately portraying mental health conditions is vital to telling the authentic and impactful stories of those affected by them.

Hulu's miniseries adaptation of John Green's debut novel follows a mischievous group of friends at an Alabama boarding school in a seemingly classic coming-of-age tale. As the show progresses, its tone grows darker as it deftly tackles the dangerous impact of depression in adolescence.

Looking for Alaska corrects the mistakes of its teen TV predecessors like 13 Reasons Why with a nuanced portrayal of mental health as well as the inclusion of trigger warnings and mental health resources attached to each episode.

The 2018 film Eighth Grade, written and directed by Bo Burnham, is a deeply realistic portrayal of how anxiety impacts young people. The protagonist, Kayla, suffers from a panic attack when she attends a pool party hosted by a popular classmate.

In the movie, Kayla's anxiety and panic attacks are not the all-encompassing facets of her identity.

Instead, the film normalizes these experiences by brilliantly blending them within a well fleshed-out character arc.

Even as a superhero show, Marvel's Jessica Jones struck an impressive balance, as it captured the nuanced pain of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while still exploring the classic question of what it means to be a hero.

The show's first season follows the protagonist Jessica Jones as she attempts to take down the villainous Kilgrave, who can telepathically force others to do his bidding. Jessica is haunted by debilitating flashbacks of being under Kilgrave's control, which is a common symptom of PTSD.

The show also includes important portrayals of coping mechanisms, such as Jessica repeating street names in order to ground herself in moments of panic.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the 1999 novel of the same name, follows a high school freshman named Charlie who was recently discharged from a mental health facility after struggling with depression.

As the film progresses, Charlie's experience with PTSD becomes clear to the viewers as his mental state progressively deteriorates.

The story expertly highlights the vast nuances and complexities of trauma, depression, and coming of age with a careful touch that makes it stand out from the rest.

Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves star in Netflix's To the Bone, which follows Collins' character, Ellen. In the film, Ellen suffers from anorexia nervosa, and it shows her journey as she experiences an in-patient treatment program.

The portrayal of eating disorders on television and in movies is a slippery slope, as any inclusion can potentially trigger those suffering from eating disorders.

However, To the Bone is a valuable example of representation that evokes empathy and spreads awareness of the devastating impact of eating disorders.

While the experiences of mental health conditions are distinct to every individual, these films and series promote understanding for those who are unfamiliar with such experiences, while providing comfort to those who know them all too well.