What People With Mental Illnesses Can Learn From 'Finding Dory'

Editor’s note: This piece contains some spoilers.

So I’ve just seen the new movie “Finding Dory,” the sequel to the hit Disney movie “Finding Nemo.” For those who have seen the first movie, you would know Dory is the adorable little blue fish with a lovable personality and a sense of adventure. But, she also suffers from short-term memory loss.

However, that never stops this lovable little fish (played by Ellen DeGeneres) from doing things that may seem impossible to others. In our previous tale, Dory crossed the entire ocean with the clown fish Marlin to find his son, Nemo. On this big adventure Dory may have annoyed Marlin a bit, but she helped him gain a lot of confidence. The both of them had to dodge sharks, jelly fish and fishermen’s nets. Heck, Dory even talked to a whale when they were trapped inside of its belly!

Dory was a big part of “Finding Nemo.” In the sequel, Dory is trying to find her parents. She’s been looking for almost her whole life but due to her short-term memory loss, she keeps forgetting to find them. But with Dory’s “can do” attitude, the help from Marlin, Nemo, a not-so-friendly and anxious octopus and two whales, Dory goes on the second biggest adventure of a lifetime and finally finds what she was looking for.

It was because of her bravery and supportive friends, Dory does what may seem impossible to others. While watching this movie I laughed, cried, but most importantly I learned. The support Dory had from her friends was amazing. While Dory is quite amazing herself, dealing with something as big as short-term memory loss can require help.

Just like help can be required with other mental disorders.

Imagine if there were more support instead of stigma for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, etc.? Now, Dory was already a strong and determined little fish on her own — but love and friendship made her even stronger. Imagine how better off people with mental illnesses would be with just a little help from friends and family. Imagine how much more they could conquer with a little support? As Ellen says at the end of her talk show, “Be kind to one another.”

Kindness can go a long way. Not only can kindness show love to someone suffering from mental illness, but it can also help someone do what others may deem impossible. From ‘Finding Dory,’ you can definitely take away two valuable lessons:

1. Those who have mental illnesses are just as capable of living a full life, just like anyone else.

2. Support and love is important. Together we can all make things happen.