Director David O. Russell's new film starring Bradley Cooper as a man with bipolar disorder hits close to home because his son also has the condition.

The Fighter filmmaker's upcoming romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of former teacher Pat Solitano, who moves back in with his parents after a stint in a treatment centre.

Russell reveals he felt compelled to portray the medical condition in the most authentic way possible because his 18-year-old son Matthew has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

He tells The Hollywood Reporter, "It's very personal to me. My son, I've been through this with my son and his friend, and that's why I did the movie. So when it's personal, you know that you're coming from the right place. You're not coming from a reckless place. You're coming from a very careful place. I'm 18 years deep with this kid, so I'm very invested in him and his friends."

Scriptwriter Matthew Quick hopes audiences will be more accepting about mental health issues after watching the movie, adding: "I think when people are leaving this film and coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, my son has bipolar disorder, what I'm seeing up there reflects our experience, and I can go home and have a more positive outlook or re-frame it or it gave me a little bit of hope or we can laugh for two hours,' I think we're doing our job."