K-Drama Trend: Mental and Cognitive Disorders

K-dramas have started to go from cancer and disabilities, to fantastical and mystical plots, to a new trend of rare but real mental and cognitive disorders. It allows for exciting plot lines, dramatic love scenes, and themes of healing and overcoming hardships. While the portrayal of these disorders is a whole separate discussion altogether (i.e. raising awareness of the disorder vs. false representation of the disorder), K-dramas are utilizing these rare yet real disorders for viewership and entertainment.

Good Doctor; Kill Me, Heal Me + The Girl Who Sees Smells

Kill Me, Heal Me

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously called multiple personality disorder) is an extremely rare but legitimately documented mental disorder. Many aspects of this disorder are still uncertain and mysterious, but the basics of the disorder are as the name describes. One person adapts more than one distinct personalities in his or her body. The specifics of these symptoms vary incredibly.

Ji Sung portrays the disorder - with a whole seven personalities, and splendidly too - in Kill Me, Heal Me. Ji Sung's character is an instance of forming new personalities as a defense mechanism to a traumatic event, which is an existing and popular theory of the cause of dissociative identity disorder.

Ahn Yo Na, Perry Park, Cha Do Hyun, Shin Se Gi + Ahn Yo Sub

The Girl Who Sees Smells

Synesthesia + Congenital Analgesia

Synesthesia is a rare cognitive disorder that essentially mixes the different senses together in some combination. The title of the drama directly describes one possible way synesthesia is displayed in people. Shin Se Kyung plays a girl who gains the ability to see scents because of a traumatic childhood experience. The eye colour change is a dramatic twist, but there are people in real life who sees those colours and shapes from each specific smell.

Oh Cho Rim

The main male character, portrayed by Park Yoo Chun, also gains a rare disorder from the traumatic death of his younger sister. Congenital Analgesia is the inability to feel physical pain. Park Yoo Chun's character also seems to be dull to emotional pain - a direct result of the cause of his disorder.

Choi Moo Gak

Article from Soompi.