preview

As Good As It Gets: Movie Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document

In As Good as It Gets, the main character Mr. Melvin Eudoll is diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). During the course of this essay, Melvin’s symptoms will be explained, firstly in terms of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000), and then in terms of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). The DSM-IV-TR classified mental disorders according to five axes. OCD was categorized under Axis I, labeled Clinical Disorders. More specifically it was categorized as an Anxiety disorder. OCD was classified as an anxiety disorder because of the anxiety and distress that …show more content…

This can be determined by observing his environment such as his apartment. During the course of the movie, one can see that all his personal belongings are organized and in neatly stacked piles. There is one scene that shows his organization distinctively, and that is when we see that his jars of sweets are separated according to color (As Good as It Gets, 1997). As for control, Melvin has a strict daily routine and his bodily language shows that he becomes extremely uncomfortable and anxious when his routine has changed. For example, when he cannot sit at his usual table at the restaurant he becomes obnoxious and extremely anxious, and immediately calms down once he has sat at his usual table. Another portrayal of his obsession over control is shown when his usual waitress, known as Carol, is not at work one day, and he becomes aggressive with the new waitress. His obsession is so severe that he goes to Carol’s home, and demands to know why she wasn’t at work and is steadfast on letting her know how much it had inconvenienced him by interrupting his routine. He then pays for a private doctor to take care of her ill son, so that she can come back to work, and insists that she come back to work the next day (As Good as It Gets, 1997). Melvin’s daily routine gives him a sense of control, and this may be extremely important to him because he feels as if he has no control over his other …show more content…

Melvin’s obsessions and compulsions are excessively time-consuming, they exceed much more than one hour per day. For example, because of Melvin’s obsession about the fear of contamination, he showers in very hot water for a much longer period of time than an average person would (As Good as It Gets, 1997). Furthermore, Melvin’s obsessions and compulsions have also caused him a significant amount of distress and impairment in his social functioning. Melvin becomes significantly distressed when his routine is interrupted by external causes, as well as when the waitress touches his clean utensils (As Good as It Gets, 1997). One can also see that Melvin has no friends or family, and is incapable of developing social connections with others because of his erratic behaviour and aggressiveness. Only once Melvin starts taking his medication and his symptoms begin to subside does he allow others the opportunity to become close to him. He begins to reduce his hostility, ill-mannered and harsh behaviour toward others, which helps him to become more caring. Therefore one can see that it is his OCD tendencies that cause him to be harsh and prevent him from attaining any type of social

Get Access