Mental illness is a common theme is Pink Floyd’s music, so I guess it depends on how much of the song needs to be specifically devoted to it, and just how obvious/overt the link must be, to consider the song to be “about” mental illness. A good portion of their catalogue might fit the bill.
For instance, “If” from Atom Heart Mother has the line “if I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain” and seems to deal more broadly with depression and loneliness. Honestly, I think it’s more “about” actual mental illness than “Brain Damage” is, titles not withstanding (not that I’m not saying “Brain Damage” isn’t also about mental illness). And then there’s The Wall and The Final Cut, which are whole albums dealing with, among other things, problems of the psyche—mental illness, if you will. And, bringing it around to your “from a familiar place” criteria, it’s generally understood that much of the content of those two albums (and most especially the last) was heavily influenced by his own personal feelings, if not always his own personal experiences (I mean, shit, it’s not like he ever went up against tiger tanks along the approaches to the Anzio beachhead or landed in the Falklands).
The best example I know is the album “On My Way to Where” by Dory Previn. She had a history of psychosis and depression, and had a breakdown that landed her in a mental hospital. Her therapist suggested to Previn that she write songs as part of her therapy, which eventually became this album.
Several of the tracks are available on Youtube. Here are some.
Esther’s First Communion - This describes the onset of her mental illness, and her mother’s reaction to it.
With My Daddy in the Attic - Previn’s father was also mentally ill, and at one point out of paranoia he locked himself in the attic. The lyrics come very close to saying that she had an incestuous relationship with her father.
Beware of Young Girls - Dory Previn’s husband Andre Previn had an affair with Mia Farrow, which Dory blamed for her breakdown. This song is an attack on Farrow.
Twenty Mile Zone - This song is based on a true incident where Previn was practicing primal scream therapy in her car and she was pulled over by a cop.
Mr. Whisper - This is about the voices in her head, the electroshock therapy that was used to treat her hallucinations, and the breakdown she had while a passenger on a commercial flight.
Oh, and how can we forget Angie Baby (“It’s so nice to be insane, no-one asks you to explain.”) Delta Dawn
or I suppose pretty much anything by Helen Reddy for that matter.
Oh, and how can we forget Angie Baby (“It’s so nice to be insane, no-one asks you to explain.”) Delta Dawn
or I suppose pretty much anything by Helen Reddy for that matter.
Sadly enough, the vast majority of Linkin Park’s songs always seemed to resonate with people (like myself) who struggled with substance abuse and depression.
After singer Chester Bennington’s suicide it became apparent why.