Analysis Of Silver Linings Playbook

In the opening scene of The Silver Linings Playbook (2012) the main character, Pat, was just being released from a court-ordered stay at a psychiatric hospital. After finding his wife cheating on him, with their wedding song playing in the background, Pat reacted by aggressively assaulting the other man. Unfortunately, because of this incident, Pat lost his job, his wife obtained a restraining order against him, and he was about to be sent to jail. However, rather going to jail, he took a plea bargain that sentenced him to eight months in a psychiatric hospital.

In the film Silver Linings Playbook (Russell, director, 2012), followed the character Pat Solatano after his release from a psychiatric hospital. Pat had, after he caught his wife with another man, beat that man severely. As part of a deal with the court, he was placed in a mental health facility for treatment and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After his release, he was not concerned with his condition and was more preoccupied with his ex-wife, Nicki. Pat initially continued to struggle with his condition after his release and would not take his medication. However, in his attempts to reconnect with his ex-wife, he met Tiffany. The pair make a deal: Tiffany will give a letter to Nicki if he will compete in a dance competition with her. With this new focus, Pat gained a better control on his life and became more receptive to his treatments. Overall, Pat proved a compelling character in search for a silver lining.

Patrick Solitano Jr., better known as Pat, is a white male of about 35 years of age who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is undergoing treatment. He was released from a mandatory hospitalization in a detention facility after eight months on the premise that he would continue taking medication, attend therapy, and comply with his restraining orders. He was also assigned a parole officer.

After analyzing Tiffany Maxwell’s character, I have come to the conclusion that she could be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Within the DSM-5 there are extensive lists that psychologists use when determining whether or not

Silver Linings Playbook is shot through Pat’s perspective in the present as he navigates his life after he is released from a psychiatric rehab facility. Russell is able to tell the story of how Pat arrived at the point he is at through flashbacks triggered by his wedding song and through visits with his court appointed psychiatrist. The storyline bounces around from different aspects of Pat’s life; problems at home with his parents, his running back to Nikki and away from his new life, and dancing with Tiffany. The audience is whirled around following it all, as if they too are a part of the obsessive craziness that is overwhelming and raw in some moments and relaxed and comical in others. In these ways, the mental illness aspect of the film that has completely shaken up Pat’s life, is woven through for the audience to understand, but is still not a glaring idea that is hard for people to grasp or relate to.

The film Silver Linings Playbook depicts borderline personality disorder through Tiffany Maxwell, a widow who tries to befriend and help Pat, whom just recently lost his wife and was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Although the film does not diagnose Tiffany with the disorder, it is clear she does suffer through borderline personality disorder. When we first meet Tiffany, she comes off as very blunt and emotionless, as she rarely showed any emotions, even to Pat’s rude remarks as they first meet.

Borderline personality disorder is defined in its most simplest sense as being a mental health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. [1] In sufferers it generates a wide range of symptoms typically characterised into three groups; Problems regulating emotions and thoughts; impulsive behaviour without thinking of the consequences of actions; and lastly unstable relationships. Evaluating the most effective treatment(s) for BPD remains a target for mental health services as the disorder is associated with self harm and suicide attempts, with suicide attempts recorded in 69-80% of patients. [2]

The film I chose to analyze is Silver Linings Playbook because I was interested in the story when I read the synopsis of the movie. I thought that this would be a simple movie where the main characters would help each other because they had something in common. Reading the synopsis, I also thought that Pat would be back together with his wife, but at the end he found another love. In the next paragraphs I will show my knowledge on what I have learned this semester. On my analysis of Silver Linings, I will give examples that has the concept of language, nonverbal communication, listening, emotions, conflict, and close relationships.

Other symptoms of borderline personality disorder include efforts to avoid abandonment, impulsive behavior, distorted sense of self, chronic feelings of emptiness, inappropriate and intense anger or problems controlling anger, stress related to paranoid thoughts, a pattern of unstable relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. Mood and emotion are often swinging from extreme dislike or rage andhaving feelings to harm themselves such as cutting themselve out of the world, observing themselves from outside the body and feeling vulnuarable, or losing touch with reality (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). The symptoms can be triggered by minor separations, such as vacations and sudden change of plans (Chapman and Gratz 2013). Chapman and Gratz also stated when an individual has borderline personality disorder they have unstable emotions, one minute the person can feel joyful and then suddenly they can have intense negative emotions. Emotions that are most common and are particularly tough for people with borderline personality disorder includes sadness, shame, loneliness, fear, and anger toward themselves. People with borderline personality disorder often fear rejection and abandonment, especially when it comes to

The main feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions. People with borderline personality disorder are also usually very impulsive.

In the movie Silver Linings Playbook, we follow Pat Solitano Jr., a man recently released from a mental institution (Cohen et al., 2012). He is a Caucasian male, likely in his early to mid-thirties and of Italian descent. He was a high school history teacher, living with his wife, Nikki, an English teacher. Upon finding his wife in the shower with another man, he nearly beats the man to death leading him to be sent to a psychiatric facility for eight months with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In this essay I will support the diagnosis of a Bipolar I disorder. A diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder, has specific criteria in the DSM-V that have to be met. I will be listing the criteria and through examples of Pat’s actions, thoughts and behaviours, he meets the criteria.

“Personality disorders have been documented in approximately 9 percent of the general U.S. population” (Angstman, Rasmussen, 2011). Emotional dysregulation disorder or its common name borderline personality disorder is a very serious and chronic disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) describes borderline personality disorder as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts” (Gardner, 2006). Within the last 20 years, psychologists and other mental health professionals have made tremendous strides in research on what exactly borderline personality disorder, some of its triggers and possible effective treatment options. Borderline personality disorder is defined as a disorder that generates severe emotional instability which can be a springboard that can lead to other stress induced mental and behavioral problems.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and complex mental disorder involving maladaptive behaviors and multiple symptoms. This disorder often occurs in the context of relationships and can have a chaotic effect not only on the individual with BPD but also on their loved ones. According to the NIMH, “borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by unstable moods, behavior, and relationship”.9 A primary character of BPD is behavioral and emotional dysregulation. These behaviors are difficult

Silver Linings Playbook is a story about two love birds who find each other. In psychological terms, Pat is suffering from bipolar, while Tiffany has been struggling with depression due to the death of her husband.The film, moreover,

The serious effects of mental illness in America have been captured brilliantly in numerous different modern day films. Silver Linings Playbook, a film directed by David Russell, follows a frustrated love story of two mentally unstable individuals. Pat Solitan, played by Bradley Cooper, is a middle aged white adult who is recovering from a failed marriage, and has just recently returned from an eight-month stay in a psychiatric hospital after attacking his ex-wife’s new lover. He returns home to his parent’s house in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he meets Tiffany Maxwell, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Tiffany is a young, widowed white woman who has recently lost her job and has moved back in with her parents who live in the same neighborhood as the Solitano’s. The two individuals meet one night at a dinner party, and automatically click over a lighthearted dialoged about the numerous anti-psychotics that they have been placed on. Both Pat and Tiffany display abnormal behavior throughout the film. Their journey of dealing with their mental abnormalities is at times heart-breaking, but they are able to use one another as a support system in order to get their mental conditions under control. The two individuals display unique behaviors and personality traits that can be analyzed to meet criteria in the DSM-5 for mental disorders. It can be interpreted from the film that Pat has Bipolar Disorder, and that Tiffany has