edit 10/10/16: Monday the 10th of October is World Mental Health Day and the fortnight from the 10th to the 23rd is, here at least, Mental Health Awareness Weeks. as a result I intended to resurrect this thread a few weeks ago with some new giveaways in preparation but life has been very busy and finances very unstable (many sarcastic thanks to the Department of Works & Pensions who offer employment opportunities exclusively for the incompetent, the lazy and the sadistic) so this is a tad late
I will however be launching a short train of bundled games soon which I'll tie into this somehow

InstruMental Health will be performing in a few Nottinghamshire locations, if anyone happens to be in the area and interested then the events open to the public are at Middle Street Resource Centre's Open Day on Friday the 14th in Beeston and at Renew 37 in West Bridgford on Monday the 17th

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the 16th to 22nd of May is Mental Health Awareness Week in UK (there's also an International one in October) and, with my current batch of giveaways, public this time so no thread for them, ending on friday the 13th (how could I resist?) I'm thinking about trying to do some special giveaways on the theme for that week

any suggestions of games with a strong connection (or even a vague one if you feel it's noteworthy) to mental health would be appreciated, both as giveaway ideas as well as for my own curiosity. my finances are limited so I can't promise a lot, but still feel free to suggest games of any price range anyway for completions sake

if it doesn't mean spoiling the game, please try to give some details on the issues addressed in the games as well. I'll be editing suggestions into this post as time (and internet connection) permit

I'll also be doing a performance as part of the band InstruMental Health on the Monday and plan to 'officially' open our youtube channel that day as well with some of our pieces so I'll throw a link to that around too :P

edit 20/5/16: it took a little longer to get the youtube channel up and running but it's done now :D

edit June 2016: I plan to add more giveaways in October for the World Mental Health Awareness Weeks. In the meantime don't be afraid to add more suggestions for the list or even some giveaways of your own.

mental health related games list thusfar

Game Mental Health Issues addressed Giveaway?
Actual Sunlight depression maybe later?
Alice: Madness Returns ? maybe later?
Always Remember Me ? maybe later?
Anna - Extended Edition ? maybe later?
Anxiety Attacks anxiety FREE
The Archetype schizophrenia maybe later?
Asphyxia ? ENDED
The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne social anxiety FREE
The Beginner's Guide anxiety, depression maybe later?
Cahors Sunset ? ENDED
The Cat Lady suicide maybe later?
The Consuming Shadow hallucination, suicidal impulse maybe later?
Cry of Fear depression FREE
The Darkness II depression-ish maybe later?
The Deed ? ENDED
Depression Quest depression FREE
Disorder ? maybe later?
Downfall ? maybe later?
Dream ? maybe later?
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2 depression maybe later?
Dreamfall Chapters depression maybe later?
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout schizophrenia, depression ENDED
Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes schizophrenia, delusion ENDED
Elude depression FREE
Enola ? maybe later?
Ether One ? maybe later?
Euclidean ? maybe later?
Face It - A game to fight inner demons ? ENDED
Forgotten, Not Lost - A Kinetic Novel ? ENDED
Fran Bow psychosis, hallucination maybe later?
Gone In November suicidal depression maybe later?
Hatred sociopathy, misanthropy maybe later?
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice hallucination, psychosis not yet released
Her Story ? maybe later?
Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi ? maybe later?
Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.2 Watanagashi ? maybe later?
The House in Fata Morgana ? maybe later?
Hypnosis ? maybe later?
I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, suicidal depression, amnesia maybe later?
Inner Vision suicidal depression, addiction FREE
Insane Decay of Mind ? maybe later?
Kairo ? maybe later?
Knock-Knock insomnia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder maybe later?
The Lady ? maybe later?
Life Is Strange suicidal depression maybe later?
Limbo ? maybe later?
Locked-in syndrome locked-in syndrome maybe later?
Masochisia psychopathy maybe later?
Max Payne suicide, depression, paranoia, addiction maybe later?
Max Payne 2 The Fall Of Max Payne suicide, depression, paranoia, addiction maybe later?
Moirai ? FREE
Neverending: Nightmares depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder maybe later?
Nevermind ? maybe later?
Papo & Yo ? maybe later?
The Park ? maybe later?
Pneuma ? maybe later?
Princess Remedy in a World of Hurt wide variety maybe later?
Psychonauts ? maybe later?
Remember Me amnesia maybe later?
The Rivers of Alice - Extended Version ? maybe later?
Sanitarium amnesia maybe later?
Selfie : Sisters of the Amniotic Lens ? maybe later?
Shrouded in Sanity ? maybe later?
Sickness ? maybe later?
Silence Of The Sleep ? maybe later?
Silent Hill Homecoming ? maybe later?
The Static Speaks My Name depression FREE
Soul Gambler ? maybe later?
Sym ? maybe later?
That Dragon, Cancer depression maybe later?
To The Moon autism or asperger's ENDED
The Town Of Light ? maybe later?
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Malkavian clan covers a wide variety maybe later?
Winged Sakura: Mindy's Arc amnesia maybe later?

borderline or debatable entries

Game Mental Health Issues addressed Giveaway?
every single game with an inventory system ever kleptomania not bloody likely
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs ? maybe later?
Amnesia: The Dark Descent ? maybe later?
Beyond Eyes ? maybe later?
The Binding of Isaac ? maybe later?
Darkness Within 1: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder ? maybe later?
Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage ? maybe later?
Dead Space ? maybe later?
Dreaming Sarah ? maybe later?
The Eigengrau Menagerie ? maybe later?
Far Cry 3 ? maybe later?
Hotline Miami ? maybe later?
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ? maybe later?
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men ? maybe later?
Layers of Fear ? maybe later?
The Long Dark ? maybe later?
Mad Max ? maybe later?
Max Payne ? maybe later?
MIND: Path to Thalamus Enhanced Edition ? maybe later?
The Old City: Leviathan ? maybe later?
Our Darker Purpose ? maybe later?
The Path ? maybe later?
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds ? maybe later?
SOMA ? maybe later?
Spec Ops: The Line ? maybe later?
Stick it to The Man! ? maybe later?
Stray Cat Crossing ? maybe later?
The Swapper ? maybe later?
The Talos Principle ? maybe later?
This War Of Mine ? maybe later?
Trauma ? maybe later?
Yesterday ? maybe later?
7 years ago*

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Alice: Madness Returns << First game that popup to my mind
Papo & Yo << I still believe this game is more related to mental problems rather than domestic abuse
Fran Bow
Limbo
Kairo
The Cat lady
Dream
Beyond eyes (maybe??)
Far cry 3 (vaas is crazy??)

7 years ago
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Cat Lady and Fran Bow were the first games that came to my mind. Nice list

7 years ago
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vaas is *sexy
little correction
:3

7 years ago
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thanks, edited them into the main post

7 years ago
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The Park
(I guess) Layers of fear
To the moon (maybe)

7 years ago
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I'd say To the Moon fits perfectly.
To The Moon hit me just as hard as most, but it also inspired me to research Autism, which was life changing. I was diagnosed over a year ago now.

7 years ago*
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thanks

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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thanks, no idea how that happened as nobody seems to have suggested that. I probably copy/pasted the table code from another entry without thinking to change that column

7 years ago
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Cahors Sunset
Soul Gambler
Always Remember Me

Sorted by current price on steam. All have been bundled at some point.

7 years ago
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added to list, thanks

7 years ago
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Why Soul Gambler exactly?

7 years ago
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The game is loosely based on Goethe's Faust (I think you know that). In general, it is about the struggle of the main protagonist to find happiness/love in his life and for that he is willing to sell his soul to a witch. He has to choose between the easy hedonism and the more difficult, however more rewarding options. More and more it becomes clear to him, how much he is loosing by giving up his soul. Naturally, there are couple of scenarios throughout the game of the mental struggle. One of the last scenes is pretty literal about that.

7 years ago*
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The Town of Light

7 years ago
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Mad Max ;)

7 years ago
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Psychonauts ?

7 years ago
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The cat lady , the protagonist has a lot of mental issues plus the game is one of the best i have ever played

7 years ago
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Ah, a topic I have looked into a fair bit. Here's a few off the top of my head, I have some more somewhere which I'll dig out in a bit.

  • Sym
    A game that explores social anxiety disorder

  • That Dragon, Cancer
    Themes of depression, hope, faith (warning here it has some religious overtones)

  • Static Speaks My Name
    A free-to-play game that deals with depression and suicidal tendencies

  • The Cat Lady
    Topics that explore depression, suicide, homicide

  • Pneuma The Breath of Life
    Philosophical narration that explores ideas of self and existentialism

  • Selfie: Sisters of the Amniotic Lens
    Not so much a game as a social platform in which people express their inner thoughts. Terrible as a game, but some of the things that people have written are so brutally honest and it does seem to provide many with a way to anonymously verbalize their pain.

  • Masochisia
    Maybe too dark, but explores the trauma behind the depths of a violent psychopath

7 years ago
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After reading this review - http://steamcommunity.com/id/chudah/recommended/396310/ - I wishlisted Masochisia

7 years ago
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That's the review that got me interested in it too. On the surface I thought it was just another horror game, but it seems to really dig deep into human psychology and philosophical topics.

7 years ago
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thanks, some good additions

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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Probably because most of us are cheap bastards and are waiting for it to be bundled :(

But yes, Downfall should also be mentioned.

7 years ago*
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both in the list now :)

7 years ago
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'cause most people don't have a totally awesome friend who would gift them Downfall to play ;D

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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You can either see it as additional challenge or give up already :D My fellow countryman Konrads is on almost 1000 blacklists, I don't know what you could possibly do to beat it :D
But ok, I'll try not to tarnish your reputation here any more :D

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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You monster! :D

7 years ago
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Fran Bow
Edna & Harvey
Forgotten, Not Lost

Sort of:
The Old City: Leviathan
Downfall
Darkness Within
MIND Path to Thalamus
Stray Cat Crossing

7 years ago
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added them, thanks

7 years ago
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  • Actual Sunlight
    "Take a walk on the thin line between hope and despair in Actual Sunlight: A short interactive story about love, depression and the corporation."

  • Inner Vision Free flash game
    In this game you simulate talking people out of suicide

  • Elude Free flash game
    A game designed to help people cope with depression

  • Hellblade
    A game that is supposed to explore topics of hallucination, psychosis, and other mental illness

  • Depression Quest
    This interactive fiction game was at the center of quite a bit of controversy, but it's definitely topically appropriate

7 years ago
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thanks, edited these into the list

7 years ago
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Nobody has mentioned Spec Ops: The Line yet, I think it does have to do with mental health

7 years ago
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You stole mine!

7 years ago
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;-D

7 years ago
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my thoughts exactly

7 years ago
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Hotline Miami xD?

7 years ago
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A game called "Anxiety attack" immediately pop in my head. It is not yet a steam game. However it has passed greenlight.
I watched a let's play of it by jacksepticeye, it shocked me a lot. Personally I don't have anxiety issues, but have experienced similar feelings.
It's more of a recommendation for you to play then giveaway since you said your interested.
Here's the game page link: http://gamejolt.com/games/anxiety-attacks/95170

7 years ago
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Sounds similar to The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne which is a free game already on Steam

7 years ago
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Not quite. In Anxiety Attack all you do is walk in a woods and breathe. It's more of an experience then a game. But the feeling of anxiety attack really clings onto you and you can feel it. I really recommend playing it or watching a play through of it. :3

7 years ago
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I don't remember them all, but here are some of them: Neverending Nightmares, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Fran Bow, The Lady.

7 years ago
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The Archetype tries (and, from what I've seen, fails)(or at least handles poorly, considering it's a /game/) to tackle issues like schizophrenia (and abuse)

7 years ago
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batman :3
dead space
kane and lynch
mad max (already mentioned)
max payne 1-2-3
the binding of isaac

7 years ago
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Dota 2 boyssssssssssss. It's about mental health when playing with or against certain countries pools.

7 years ago
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I thought you were gonna say because the only people who play it are suffering from mental health

7 years ago
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this dragon cancer - it's about cancer. that's seriously depressing
Max Payne - the drug hallucination levels are insane
this war of mine - very depressing game about trying to survive living in a warzone

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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I can't think of anything for giveaways at the moment, but there is a free to play game on Steam that I think deserves mention. Maybe you could mention it in the main post?
The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne deals with social and general anxiety disorder and the extent to which it can affect peoples lives. I deal with severe anxiety myself and I have to say that while the content of the game may seem exaggerated or unbelievable to someone unaffected, it really is an accurate representation.

7 years ago*
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mentioning in the main post is an excellent idea. I'm just making a last check before I head to bed but I think I'll try to sort all of the suggestions into the main post tomorrow (or rather later today since it's 2.20am). thanks to all who've replied so far too, some great suggestions I'd never heard of and some that I'm ashamed to have forgotten!

7 years ago
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Thank you for sharing that, I hadn't seen it before and it looks very relatable to me. For all the numerous tags that Steam has, it is unfortunate that it is difficult to find a full listing of games on the service that are relevant to this topic.

7 years ago
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Honestly, I started playing it for the easy 100% before I realized what it was about. But as I played, it became obvious. I think it does a good job of showing how simple things that most people take for granted can be overwhelming. I'd recommend it for everyone.

7 years ago*
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Neverending Nightmares

7 years ago
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CHECK OUT DISORDER! And Our Darker Purpose. Annnnnnnnnnd the Binding of Issac (obviously), ummmm The Void? Anna?

7 years ago
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I'm currently working on a game all about that how ever it won't be ready in a week.

7 years ago
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The Static Speaks My Name

7 years ago
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Yep, I've thought of this one as well. :3
When I watch the play through of this I felt like a rock is on my heart. It's just so weird and depressing......

7 years ago
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