Ocd In The Movie As Good As It Gets

OCD: Character Comparison
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a psychological disease where the mind forces an individual to perform rituals. In the movie As Good as it Gets, Melvin Udall was an elderly man living in urban New York with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Melvin lived alone in an apartment, where many of his neighbors avoided him. The book Kissing Doorknobs showed another perspective on OCD, the main character, Tara was a teenage girl suffering from OCD. Tara lived in suburban Chicago with her mom, dad, and younger sister. Similarities in the symptoms of the two characters show how related many OCD cases are but also how broad the disease can be.
Part of Melvin’s OCD is being germaphobic. Melvin always wore gloves and avoided contact with other people or animals. When he washed his hands, Melvin used a brand new bar of soap for each time he lathered his hands. Melvin would also lock the door five times every time he came home to make sure it was locked. Everyday

Melvin would go to the same restaurant, sit at the same booth, order the same meal, and insist on having Carol wait on him. The final symptoms of Melvin’s OCD was stepping over sidewalk cracks.
Tara had the same problem with sidewalk cracks as Melvin did. Tara heard the rhyme, “step on a crack, break your mother’s back”, and it changed her life forever. Not only would Tara not step on the cracks, but she had to count them on the way to school and back to make sure she hadn’t missed one. Tara, who was Catholic, also had a problem with people cussing, when someone cussed Tara felt the urge to pray for them and asked God to repeal the sin. She was also scared of her parents dying, when Tara’s parents were not home she would call them every so often for reassurance that they were still alive. Tara got to the point where she had to kiss her doorknob thirty-three times before she could leave her house. The problems of both of these characters caused stress on their friends and family.
Melvin struggled with having friends the film. His OCD took away from who he really was. Melvin’s OCD caused him to be hateful to everyone around him. It was not until Melvin was forced to take Simon’s dog, Verdell, while Simon was in the hospital that Melvin realized Verdell could help him with his OCD. Tara’s Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder caused a different set of problems with her family and friends. Tara’s mom had the biggest problem with her disease. Her mom would hit her, trying to use Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning, to get Tara to stop. Tara also tried to remove herself from her friends, Keesha, Kristin, and Anna so she could focus on counting cracks. Both of the characters, however had friends that helped them in defeating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Melvin took in Verdell after Simon was sent to the hospital.

Melvin stopped worrying about all of his rituals. He would forget the gloves or sit at a different table in the restaurant. Simon in the end stayed with Melvin, and Melvin forgot completely to lock his door. Melvin also mentioned at the end of the movie that Carol was the reason he takes his medicine. Tara talked to her therapist about taking medicine, but she never took it. Tara was treated with the help of Sam, who also struggled with OCD. Sam told her about his struggles and that she was not alone. Tara also used behavioral therapy to try and curve the rituals. She thought of circumstances that would set off her rituals and tried not to perform them.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can come in many different forms. It can control how people live their everyday lives, and it is extremely difficult to get rid of it. It can take months to years of behavioral therapy to stop it. Even then it is not gone for

good.