Melvin, the main character in this story, is a very blunt and controlling man. Those qualities are not usually considered the best traits in people, but with him, part of it has to deal with his disorder. We find out officially in the movie when Melvin bursts through his psychologists door demanding help, that he has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Melvin does not treat people very well. His blunt personality mixed with his OCD disorder can end up with him exploding about certain stuff. Therefore people do not like Melvin very much. At the beginning of the movie people really didn’t understand why he acted the way he did, therefore they thought he was strange and mean. As the movie progressed, Melvin’s compulsions began to decrease as well as his reactions, people seemed to warm up to him. People that hated him actually enjoyed being around him at the end of the movie. …show more content…
Melvin has several different compulsions and obsessions.
Such as, whenever Melvin walks anywhere he refuses to step on cracks in the sidewalk. For example, if he is walking through a door and on the other side there is little tiles put together to make a design, he will not walk over it. He will either have to jump over it or go around it. Some of his other disorders include eating at the same restaurant every day, using plastic silver wear when eating, sits at the same table, only allows the same waitress to serve him, washing his hands with a new bar of soap every time, wearing gloves, as well as locking and unlocking his door a certain number of times. Melvin, according to social norms is acting abnormal. Most “normal” people will not use a new bar of soap every time they was their hands, or avoid stepping on cracks because they feel panic if they step on one. Since the majority of people do not partake in these behaviors, this is probably what prompted him to see a psychologist in the first
place. Abnormal Psychology Sixth Edition references the DSM-5 and states, “Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress” when referring to the obsessions. When the book talks about compulsions, it states that they are, “repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the individual feels driven to preform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.” The viewer does not know the thoughts that go through Melvin’s head with out him stating them out loud, therefore the viewer does not know if he has the obsessions he tries to down play. The viewer does clearly see the compulsions though. They see how he washes his hands, walks on the sidewalk, how clean he is, and how he goes to the same café everyday at the same time. Even though these compulsions seem to be similar to real life issues people go though, Hollywood seems to have a bit of an influence. After Melvin started to take pills his compulsions seemed to drastically reduce very quickly. In real life though it seems as if it takes a long time for people to overcome their obsessions and compulsions. Other than this, the movie seems to portray the disease quite well. It shows how anxious and how it affects his mood when things do not go in his order. His reaction to this seemed to match the way one would consider someone to have OCD to respond.
When considering the 5 D’s of abnormality, he possesses characteristics of them all. For dysfunction, he experiences social dysfunction by being unable to create and maintain relationships. He also experiences emotional dysfunction by having a fear of being alone, bouts of crying, and feelings of low self-worth. Physiological symptoms such as insomnia,
The DSM-V was very useful in aiding to diagnose Howie Mandel with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The diagnostic criteria listed in the DSM-V for this disease states that obsessions and/or compulsions must be present. In the case of Mandel, both of these aspects are present as mentioned above. Mandel displayed obsessive thoughts concerning germs along with associated obsessions to refrain from contact with germs and compulsions such rechecking locked doors. Another criteria is that these obsessions/compulsions be time consuming which I also discussed above. The several symptoms that Mandel displayed did not seem to fit any other disease listed in the DSM-V.
...oom" (pg. 100). His life was changed so drastically during that one night that he could never forget it. Through the Hero's journey, Hawthorne shows the development of Young Goodman Brown as he discovers his true nature as evil. He comes to terms with the reality that humans are evil creatures, no matter how honorable or innocent they may seem.
...ther serves to excite and stimulate our senses as we travel into the deranged mind of a killer ? offering us a unique perspective through the first person point of view. Similarly, the ending of ?Young Goodman Brown? offers a moral, but leaves the main character in a state of discord and callousness towards his wife, and his religion. The story is didactic, because the main character is punished for his transgressions. Symbolism, evident especially in Hawthorne?s allegory, and the repetition of Poe?s suspenseful tale serve to further the goals of each writer. Ultimately, Hawthorne?s Goodman Brown becomes isolated from humanity, an issue of the head and the heart, and Poe?s narrator withdraws inside himself, an issue purely of the mind. Recognizing this discord from the self and humanity is essential to understanding the behavior of these troublesome characters.
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.
Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected president of the United States in 1948. This man, Thomas E. Dewy, reached the pinnacle of success, displaying such qualities as rectitude, efficiency, precision, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work.
Asperger’s syndrome is one of the mental illnesses that manifests itself in Bateman the most. He displays a high functioning form of Asperger’s syndrome, yet there are still symptoms present in Bateman of which even the highest functioning people with Asperger’s syndrome cannot rid themselves. One of the key symptoms in Asperger’s syndrome is the need for strict routine. Routines are an essential part of an Asperger’s patient’s life. Individuals who suffer from Asperger’s follow strict routines that they cannot break. If these routines are interrupted, individuals with Asperger’s can get very upset to the point where a disruption in their daily routine can even ruin their entire day (Moreno).
Fletcher’s guidance. Originally thought to be of a physiological phenomenon, it turned out to be of a mental disorder Leonard Zelig developed over his childhood. In the film, it was described that he was bullied by anti-Semites. In addition to this, his parents never took young Leonard’s side and often locked him in a dark closet. This would explain Leonard’s tumultuous relationship with his living relatives. In their adult lives, his brother had a nervous breakdown and his sister became an alcoholic. Also, Leonard tells that he and his siblings were physically beaten by their mother and
The view from the biological approach, could be because Peter is enrolled in too many courses for the first time or he’s been taking it since college and it’s actually been more than he can handle. If he takes his treatment diagnosed by his counselor then maybe he could he track with his work, or if not he’d would have
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the main themes surrounds the idea of defining obsession and classic obsessive behaviors. Obsession itself is a force of devastation for one’s social, personal, mental, and physical life. At one point, obsession must be a passion, of which has amazing side effects. The synonym, passion, may resemble obsession in the beginning, though the main difference between the two is that obsession consumes the life that it holds. In the end, obsession ruins us.
They can also experience some auditory and sensory hallucinations just like when Brian claimed that he is receiving messages from Jesus Christ while watching television (Bucci, Startup, Wynn, Heathcote, Baker & Lewin, 2008, p. 326). Also, it was evidenced by his strange behaviours against his wife such as not trusting her, accusing his wife of cheating and poisoning his food. These behaviours may affect his interactions with the health professionals, as he may not believe that they are truly concern about him. Other than his wife, his family may also be affected by his inability to trust (Koivisto, Janhonen, & Vaisanen, 2003, pp. 225-227).
In most cases, however, FD is a long-term condition that can be very difficult to treat (Feldman, Hamilton &, Janata, 2009). Additionally, many people with FD deny they are faking symptoms and will not seek or follow treatment (Feldman et al.). Oscar’s condition may worsen, even with offered treatment, mainly due to his intellectual ability and his failure to fully cooperate with the medical staff. Over the years, Oscar has convinced himself that something is wrong with him to maintain his stay at a hospital, so to eradicate his way of thinking, for over a decade, will be tedious work, however, manageable. If Oscar agrees to cooperate with the treatment, he can be placed in the hospital with limited attention from medical staff. This will help reduce any reinforcing consequences from his FD symptoms. Furthermore, his mother might not participate in family therapy for Oscar’s recovery, so if Oscar does show signs of progression, interactions with his mother may act as a catalyst for Oscar’s FD to resurface. Overall, Oscar will most likely be impaired by his FD for the rest of his
According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is defined as recurrent obsessions or compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming or cause anxiety or impairment (APA, 2013). After watching Matchstick Men, it is clear that Roy has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He agrees with all the diagnostic criteria including the obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are continual thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate that produce anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that prevent or reduce the distress. If the individual attempts to resist a compulsion, they may have a sense of escalating anxiety or tension that is often
not only because of the horrible things he does to his cat and his wife, but
Popular films are replete with characters that possess symptoms indicating severe psychological disorders. In the film “The Machinist”, the main character displays many symptoms, indicating more than one disorder. This essay will discuss the character’s background, symptoms, and actions in order to attempt to provide an appropriate psychological diagnosis. It is important to remember that filmmakers do not strictly follow the criteria found within the DSM, but any diagnosis found within this essay will be as accurate as possible.