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Understanding Mental Illness Through Film Mental health and its disorders are an intricate part of the individual and society. Mental health incorporates our emotional, psychological and social well-being. Understanding human behavior and the social environment in conjunction with biological, social and cultural factors helps in diagnosing and treating individuals accurately. Film can be used to understand and visualize how mental disorders may affect one’s life. This paper examines the film “Primal Fear” and explores the character Aaron Stampler and his mental illness, reviews literature on the diagnosis given and critically analyzes the film’s portrayal of the disorder. Identifying Character and DSM-5 Diagnosis Aaron Stampler was an Alter …show more content…
Given the information of Stampler’s character, a provisional diagnosis of 301.7 Antisocial Personality Disorder can be specified. According to the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), antisocial personality disorder is defined as “A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since the age of 15 years” (P. 659). For criterion A, Stampler portrays criterion A1 of continuing to perform unlawful acts. Stampler commits the murder of the archbishop, kills his girlfriend Linda, physically assaults his lawyer, and also grabs the attorney around her neck in court and threatens to kill her. Criterion A2, displaying deceitfulness, is present and is the twist on the movie. Stampler knowingly continues to lie about having two personalities separated by a lost in time and amnesia. He states that he often blacks out and does not remember anything that others witness during the arrival of the Roy character. Stampler alludes that there was a third person at the crime scene of which he does not remember. He also cons his lawyer and makes him believe that he did not commit murder, is innocent and does not remember any of …show more content…
The term was introduced in attempt to operationalize psychopathy which was used in the 19th century. According to the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, British Psychological Society, and Royal College of Psychiatrists (2010), Emil Kraepelin a German psychiatrist created the classification for personality disorders in 1905. In 1923, Kurt Schneider classified psychopathy as a personality disorder. In these times individuals with psychopathic personalities were those who had abnormalities and suffered from them (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health et al., 2010). It wasn’t until 1939 that the foundation of the term antisocial personality disorder was defined by David Henderson a Scottish psychiatrist. National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health et al (2010) states that he defined it as “individuals with ‘psychopathic states’ as those who conform to a certain intellectual standard but who throughout their lives exhibit disorders of conduct of an antisocial or a social nature” (P. 15). The DSM-I classified this disorder as sociopathy but was then termed antisocial personality disorder in the DSM- II from 1968 and
During the mid-1900`s, mental illnesses were rarely discussed in mainstream media due to negative stigma surrounding mental illnesses. As a result, characters in film rarely had mental disorders because of the directors` worries of audiences` reactions to how the illnesses were portrayed. Director, Edward Dmytryk, however, attempted to diminish the stigma through his film Raintree County (1957) with Susanna Drake Shawnessy`s mental instability. Elizabeth Taylor`s portrayal of Susanna, however, heightened the stigma surrounding mental illness as Susanna constantly acted immature and childlike.
Are psychopaths like Alice, “mad or bad?” (page 21). The question whether psychopaths are mentally ill or just a bad seed has caused much debate. Dr. Hare explains that the problem is not only labeling them mad or bad, but who deals with them. “Does the treatment or control of the psychopath rightly fall to mental health professionals or to the correctional system?” (page 21). Not only are professionals confused on how to classify psychopaths, but the media also creates confusion. Psychopath means mental illness and the media uses the word to classify someone as, “insane or crazy”, (page 22). Dr. Hare explains that even though psychopaths, “cannot be understood in terms of traditional views of mental illness”, they, “are not disoriented or out of touch with reality, nor do they experience the delusions, hallucinations, or intense subjective distress that characterize most other mental disorders…psychopaths are rational and aware of what they are doing and why.” (page 22). Most professionals use the term psychopath and sociopath as one in the same. Since DSM-III, antisocial personality disorder has been used in place of psychopath and sociopath. Philippe Pinel was the first psychiatrist describe a psychopath and Harvey Cleckley was one of the first successful publish a book describing a psychopath to the general public . Pinel used the term, “insanity without delirium”, (page 25). Cleckley wrote The Mask of Sanity, which influenced researchers in North America. Dr. Robert Hare explained that WWII was the first time clinicians felt a need to diagnosis people with psychopathy. Due to the draft, there was a need to weed out the people could disrupt or harm the military structure. Dr. Robert Hare realized how hard it was to identify a true psychopaths from rule breakers and developed the Psychopathy Checklist. This checklist is used world wide to help clinicians identify true
...usion, we find that from this essay we have a better understanding of why Stephen King believes all of us are mentally ill in some way, just maybe not to as high a degree as “Jack the ripper”. That we all enjoy the hunt either on the big screen or in a field, it’s part of our primal instincts. We see that humans crave things they are not supposed to and that’s ok as long as you are letting those emotions out in a healthy way. Stephen King has done a brilliant job of carrying out his thesis in this essay proving his theory that we are all mentally ill. We all need some way to release the dark feelings within us, we have all known this for many years, and movies seem to be the most current form of treatment. So treat yourself to a horror movie if you dare its great therapy.
Despite the controversy circled with psychopathy within the courts, the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, or psychopathy is never successful. Instead it serves as a determining factor for the prison sentence since psychopathic offenders are more likely to offend again and not be deterred (Siegel &
Every few years there are disturbing, yet fascinating headlines: “BTK killer: Hiding in plain sight” or “Police discover at least 10 victims at Anthony Sowell's home”; but what would allow an individual to commit the crimes they did? In cases like these there is usually a common link: Antisocial Personality disorder. It is an unknown disorder to most of the population which is why there are so many questions to be answered, the main ones being what is antisocial personality disorder and how does it effect patient and society as a whole? To answer these questions one needs an accurate background picture of the disorder.
Antisocial Personality Disorder, also informally known as psychopathy/sociopathy, is a disorder where people elicit manipulative behaviors and lack morals. This includes disregard for rules, violence, superficial charm, promiscuity, a superiority complex, and difficulty forming attachments. This is said to be caused by genetics as well as modeling, or watching other people perform this kind of behavior. 3.3% of Americans are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality disorder. It’s 70% more common in males than females and is seen greatly in
There is an invisible epidemic. It is ever growing and yet remains hidden. Anxiety is an increasing problem in modern society and yet remains, most of the time, swept under the rug. There has been attempts to show what it means to have different anxieties and mental disorders in the film industry. While they may be made for money and for the public to enjoy, it still allows people to gather information and problems people must face every day. The Silver Linings Playbook captures the problem of a specific anxiety disorder (Russell, 2012). It follows the life of Pat Solitano, who was released from a mental institution in the opening scene. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a form of an anxiety disorder (Russell, 2012). This paper will analyze
“Was I ever crazy? Maybe. Or maybe life is… Crazy isn’t being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It’s you or me amplified.” Determining sanity wasn't always prominent; the studies of mental health and psychology have improved greatly since the late 1960’s, but some could argue that there are still many disorders we do not understand. This movie envelopes the problems and treatment of patients during this era. Not only in a time of economic and racial disturbance, but the stereotypes and inequality for women are exemplified during this motion picture.
Two Greek words: ‘psyche’ (soul or mind) and ‘pathy’ (suffering or disease), were combined in the 19th century by German Psychiatrists, to form a word that would describe the most dangerous and violent of all humans. Psychopathy, today, is called ‘mental disorder’, the study of which is still known as psychopathology. Other relating terms like 'constitutional (inborn) psychopaths' or 'psychopathic personalities' were used through the early 20th century to cover anyone socially undesirable in any way or those who violated legal laws and moral expectations.
“Primal Fear” (1996) is a masterfully crafted film based on the novel written by William Diehl. Aaron Stampler (the main character) was on trial for the murder of an archbishop. He cunningly convinces his psychiatrist as well as his defense attorney (Martin Vail) that he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Stampler then plead for insanity successfully and was transferred to a mental institution for “help”. In the end, the audience shockingly discovers that Stampler had been lying the entire time about his alter ego; he manipulated everyone and clawed his way to freedom. “Primal Fear” provides excellent insight into psychopathy and contains subconscious themes the writer projects through the actions of the main characters.
...ea. "Film and Mental Illness: Fetishisation, Romanticism or Misinterpretation?"Diorama. Diorama, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
As a result of observing this motion picture, I strongly feel that it expressed all of the factors involved within an abnormal psychological disorder. I myself have gained additional knowledge on just how complex is it and what an impact a mental illness can place onto ones life. It is a truly strenuous perceptual state.
Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a frightening film full of twists and turns that presents a highly dramatized depiction of mental health and psychiatric treatment. It fulfills a checklist of the classic elements of Hollywood’s psychological horror genre: foreboding asylums, psychiatric experimentation, dangerous mental afflictions, multiple personalities, intense hallucinations, and even lobotomy. The media’s portrayal of psychiatric disorders and treatment is an important contributor to the continued stigmatization of mental illness in our society. This paper will analyze which aspects of Shutter Island portray
Family history showed his neglected childhood and his father left his home at the age of six years old and his mother had a hidden relationship with their neighbor. This example shows the typical way people get diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Due to this occurrence at the beginning of S.B.
Death is a difficult subject for many people. The topic alone can cause a lot of anxiety because of all the things we don’t know. Most of us fear death for many reasons. Whether it’s your final day, or a final moment with a loved one, it’s a painfully scary process because of its uncertainty.