Synopsis

Mike Muir wanders through Los Angeles streets and skate parks, addressing the camera with growing frustration as his family treats him like a problem to be contained. At home, his parents construct a padded room after deciding he needs professional help. Muir escapes with assistance from his bandmates, joins Suicidal Tendencies for a chaotic performance, and ultimately drives away with the group. The video turns the song's clash between personal reality and outside judgment into a manic, darkly comic mini-narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video premiered on MTV in 1984 and became one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial regular airplay on the network.

• Actor Jack Nance appears as Muir's father, while Mary Woronov plays his mother. Slayer vocalist Tom Araya also makes an appearance.

• Rocky George and R.J. Herrera perform in the video even though neither played on the original album recording of "Institutionalized." Herrera joined the band after the debut album had been recorded.

• The song was released on Suicidal Tendencies' self-titled debut album through Frontier Records in 1983. Its MTV exposure helped expand the band's audience well beyond the Southern California hardcore scene.

• "Institutionalized" later appeared in the 1984 cult film Repo Man, further connecting Suicidal Tendencies with the era's punk and alternative film culture.

• A separate video was made in 1993 for the re-recorded version on Still Cyco After All These Years. Mary Woronov returned for that version, which presents a different scenario from the original clip.