Although I have not watched the show the United States of Tara in three or more years, I still remember it vividly. It seems most often classified as a comedy, but that’s not the way I would describe it … dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) is a very real illness, not a joke.
With that being said, I binge-watched all three seasons after my housemate at the time recommended it to me. She was right – the show does have a quality that draws the watcher in and makes it very hard to turn off.
It is worth noting that the version of dissociative identity disorder presented in the show United States of Tara is highly dramatized, and would not necessarily appear in the same fashion in actuality. I say necessarily, because we are all different – even people who suffer with the same illness may not present in the same way.
Overall I really enjoyed this show, although I’m not sure I would watch it again, for reasons outlined below (no spoilers).
Word of Warning:
Although the first season or two is fairly light and simply Tara working through her dysfunctional family life and internal self, the end of the second season to the beginning of the third season gets quite dark. I had trouble finishing the series due to how dark and heavy it got, and had to have my husband watch with me. It became highly triggering as the show went on, and difficult to watch.
There are sexual scenes, foul language, and alcohol use. Suicide is touched upon in an episode. It is also noteworthy that Tara stops taking her medication (I believe early on in the show), which could be a problem for some.
Recommendation:
This show was fascinating to watch, and really develops the characters – especially Tara. I highly recommend it to those interested in mental illness – even though this show presents dissociative identity disorder in a highly dramatized way.
Looking for other mental illness movie or show recommendations? I got you. You’ve probably already watched A Beautiful Mind (love that movie) but have you seen Proof (based on the play by David Auburn) yet? Although not very well known, it’s a great mental illness movie about a young woman named Catherine who cared for her eccentric father up until his death.. but he left a mystery behind when he died.
P.S. This is an article I wrote awhile back that never saw the light of day, so I decided to publish it even though the “media” category has been archived. It might help someone else when trying to make a decision about whether or not to watch this show.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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