The Impact of Accurate Mental Health Representation The phrase “turtles all the way down” refers to how one explanation always leads to another, a cycle that infinitely continues. Aza, the protagonist of the famed novel by John Green that takes its name from this phrase, uses this common expression to explain the endless thought spirals caused by her obsessive compulsive disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health defines obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as, “An anxiety disorder in which the brain gets ‘stuck’ on a particular thought or urge and cannot let go, leading to obsessive thinking or beliefs” (Turkington). OCD is a common condition among teenagers in the United States, with 1 in every 200 experiencing it (Turkington). However, …show more content…
She is showing that OCD isn't just comedic relief, but rather that it's very real and very scary for those who suffer with it. A journalist from Seventeen who struggles with OCD writes, “That is what is missing from other fictional characters with OCD: bad thoughts that dovetail into more bad thoughts and infinitum” (Grant). Grant's claims affirm that for those who struggle with OCD, this is an accurate portrayal that is often missing in most media. Further, Aza’s journey with her mental health goes through many ups and downs, establishing that not every experience sees linear growth, but rather devious. Particularly when Aza struggles to take her medication that helps her OCD and she begins relapsing, she is sent to her therapist where she explains to the audience, “I wanted to tell her that I was getting better, because that was supposed to be the narrative of illness: it was a hurdle you jumped over, or a battle you won. Illness is a story told in the past tense” (Green 85). Green wants readers to understand that mental health is just like every other part of life, constantly changing and not always for the …show more content…
Through doing this, he breaks away from the stigma around mental health and is able to help those who have had or are having unconventional mental health journeys feel less alone. John Green’s depiction of Aza is true to what suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is actually like and in that way he is able to generate more understanding around mental illness. Subsequently, through this accurate representation Green generates understanding around OCD and is able to help people navigate relationships involving obsessive compulsive disorder. An individual with OCD reports, “The powerlessness and hopelessness are real, everyday feelings for people suffering with OCD and those who are lucky enough to not have it finally have an example of what we through daily” (Grant). Grant introduces this idea that those who do not live with obsessive compulsive disorder, now have a good example of what it is like, which results in empathy. This empathy can help those without OCD better support those with OCD because they have more understanding of the plight they carry. The relationship between Aza and her best friend Daisy is one way for people to support those with
Just Checking by Emily Colas showcases what it’s like to live with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Written in a journal-like format the reader sees what her day-to-day life is like from her perspective. One of the most significant hindrances to her disease is the affect it has on her relationship with her husband. Certain aspects of her disease make it difficult for her and her husband to maintain a healthy and normal marriage.
The viewpoint of mental illness portrays that mental illness is a common mechanism when dealing with stress or drastic changes. Many people are not as exposed with people who have mental disorders. This movie brings in two extremely different people, but they find themselves falling for each other despite their extra baggage. Tiffany has a heavy baggage she is carrying around. She could not accept the fact that Tommy left her suddenly. Although Tiffany’s character seems odd and dysfunctional, this movie portrays Tiffany, as a woman and a person, trying to move on. This film accurately portrays this disorder. There are some Hollywood viewpoints of mental illness, but this movie accurately portrays Tiffany as someone with borderline personality disorder. She shows many signs of borderline personality disorder symptoms. Many viewers can sense that areas in her life are dysfunctional and not
Flannery O’ Connor was educated at the Georgia State Women’s College, and she also attended Iowa State. O’Connor wrote her first piece of literature when she was twenty-seven years old, and she expresses her personal convictions and views in her writings. O’Connor often has characters in her literature that are disabled in some way, and most of the time, she portrays sympathy for these characters. O’Connor died from an uncommon disease called lupus, and she lived with this disease most of her life (“Flannery” 1050). “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” is a story about a traveler, Mr. Shiftlet, who marries a mentally challenged girl to get an automobile and money from the mother of the girl. In the end, Mr. Shiftlet ends up abandoning the girl. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” O’Connor uses duality to show that people and things can have two sides.
The narrator makes comments and observations that demonstrate her will to overcome the oppression of the male dominant society. The conflict between her views and those of the society can be seen in the way she interacts physically, mentally, and emotionally with the three most prominent aspects of her life: her husband, John, the yellow wallpaper in her room, and her illness, "temporary nervous depression. " In the end, her illness becomes a method of coping with the injustices forced upon her as a woman. As the reader delves into the narrative, a progression can be seen from the normality the narrator displays early in the passage, to the insanity she demonstrates near the conclusion.
Even though her husband treats her with what seem at first as love, it becomes clear she is nothing more to him than a piece of property. Every time he talks to her, he asks her to get better for his sake and the children's, and only after mentions hers interests. He doesn't think that she has any normal human feelings or worries and attributes her behavior to minor nervous depression. He doesn't see her true suffering since he believes "there is no reason to suffer" (574). He could never understand that a woman can be unsatisfied with the role imposed on her by society. Even though the heroine recognizes that her condition is caused by something other than John's theory, she is too scared to voice her opinion.
The protagonist in the film As Good As It Gets, Melvin Udall is a successful romantic novelist who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. From the onset of the film, Melvin displays ritualistic behavior that aligns with the diagnostic criteria for OCD, specifically the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. This paper focuses on Melvin’s particular psychopathology, analyzing the character’s current symptoms and diagnoses, the etiology of the disorder, and the key elements of his treatment.
Consequently, her mental state had begun to deteriorate and she lost all control in fighting her illness and became delusional. She honestly believes she has become the woman in the wallpaper who must be set free.
3.3% of Americans are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality disorder. It’s 70% more common in males than females and is seen greatly in Daisy only ate her father’s rotisserie chicken and would organize strips of chicken. When she was done she’d put the chicken bones under her bed. This shows she has OCD because she had taste aversions toward foods that were not her father’s chicken, and compulsively organized and kept the chicken. She also had anxiety as she was supposed to be taking valium which is for controlling anxiety.
She attempts to look better, for the sake of her husband, her conscious mind wants to be better to get out of that place. Her unconscious mind is beginning to connect the wallpaper with a mental trap. In the middle of the story the journal entry shows how the narrator sees herself like the house. Outside looks calm and beautiful inside there is chaos like the wallpaper in the dreaded room. Her thoughts are becoming more chaotic just like the wallpaper. There is no challenge in her live she is just supposed to rest and heal, but she spends the time contemplating the wallpaper. Looking at it day in and day out is unconsciously getting into her thoughts and bringing the chaos out into her consciousness. The narrator is confused because she believes that her husband loves her, but, he is controlling her in ways that she believes not to be helpful. She wants to do more with her life and thinks that the activity will help her feel better. There is a big discrepancy between what John believes and what the narrator believes. He wants her to rest, she wants to be active. He says it is all because he loves her but, she is not listened to and wants to make changes. . She is trying to follow the rules and be the person that her husband, John wants her to be. She consciously sees that she seems to give into the id more and more. The narrator wants her superego to be dominate so her actions don’t show her internal chaos. because she does not want to go to a doctor. The couple are still at odds when she admits to feeling worse and John insist she is doing better and belittles her. The doctor named in the text, Weir Mitchel, is a doctor that Gilman was treated by in real life. She has stated that she wanted to change the way he practiced medicine (Placeholder1). The story shows the chaos in the narrator’s
Bell is a famous and very successful radio star that has a big secret many people do not know about. From the outside, Bell looks like he has it all together, without any insecurity or doubts in the world, but deep down in his ashamed and insecure interior, lies the secret of his obsessions and compulsive activity. His OCD controls him, making everything he does obsessive and contradicting. As the title Rewind, Replay, Repeat declares, Bell’s case of OCD is repetitive and enormously mind controlling. Bell, 2007.
Her tense mind is then further pushed towards insanity by her husband, John. As one of the few characters in the story, John plays a pivotal role in the regression of the narrator’s mind. Again, the narrator uses the wallpaper to convey her emotions. Just as the shapes in the wallpaper become clearer to the narrator, in her mind, she is having the epiphany that John is in control of her.
It tells the story of a person, family and community in which individuals suffer from mental disorders much the same way as people do in the real world. Not only did I find this movie quite accurate concerning mental illness but I also established some important messages concerning mental illness in today’s society. The film takes into account that mental illness is a part of society and overall has a positive outlook on it. Their illnesses don 't define their identities nor are they even the main point of the story. In coming together, the characters find the mutual support that enables them to approach their struggles and redirect their lives in a more positive direction. To some degree, this film addresses stigma and the fact that persons with mental illness should be allowed to participate in society over being kept in a hospital, in other words, it gives
Hallucinations and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder were the two main these presented in the film, and were both displayed similarily to what I had learned in the educational instruments I used. The symptoms and characterists of both shined through the character, and made me feel as if I were living her reality with her. The directors of this film made the reality of these physhological disorders come to life for the viewers. This film would be a great piece for educational purposes, which gives the public a better understanding and virtual reality for those who are unfarmiliar with these disorders or who would like to better educate themselves on the topics. This film was a bit more serious, therefore the subject matter was not treated in a humorous way whatsoever. The characters played serious roles, where dedication and perseverance were their main focus. Several scenes in the film gave viewers raw emotion and behind the scenes reality of the life Nina lives, day to day, with her psychological issues. Towards the end of the film Nina begins to experience more hallucinations. She believes everyone is out to get her, including her own mother. There are scenes where she visions the black swan through the mirror, as well as viewing herself as this even person in her dressing room. These hallucinations drive Nina farther away from her reality, and begin to take a toll on her mental
Introduction Caretta caretta, otherwise known as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is an oceanic turtle that exist throughout the globe. They are circumtropical species (LeBlanc et al. 2014) meaning they are distributed throughout temperate and tropical ocean regions, but most abundant species are found in the United States coastal range. Loggerheads largest nesting aggregations in the Atlantic are found along the southeastern United States coastal range where about 80% of all nesting occurs and 90% of all hatchlings are produced (Abecassis et al. 2013).
She rolls her eyes, knowing he cannot see her face. ]” (Scene 6). This statement reflects her inability to adapt to her present circumstances and her retreat into an imagined past. Such behavior is her inability to cope with reality, which is a severe illness that a mental health hospital can