As Good As It Gets Movie Analysis

He engages in repeating turning the lights on and off five times, he has a compulsion of locking the door to his apartment several times, just to make sure it is locked, and superstitious compulsions like not stepping on cracks on the sidewall because that may bring bad luck. In the movie, Melvin sends his editor's husband, a pediatrician, to make personal visits to Carol's son, Spencer, just so Carol will come in to work and wait on Melvin's table. Clearly this action looks extremely considerate, but in context, he is really focused on himself and his needs. Clearly it is ridiculous to pay a fortune for a continuing pediatrician for someone's son, just so they can go back to their job and serve you, but Melvin's daily routine rules him because of his obsessive compulsive disorder. Another obsession Melvin has is about organization and control. His apartment is portrayed as being very organized and that he made a conscious effort and took time to organize it. For example, he has jars filled with hundreds of “Skittles” or “M&M’s that are separated by their

“Anxiety is the signal of danger which mobilizes the human organism’s resources at all levels of functioning in the interests of conservation, defense, and self- preservation.” (Anxiety 1) If a person suffers from anxiety there is a major loss of control and then an attempt to regain that control because of a fear that they have. Anxiety disorders are one of the most frequently occurring mental disorders in the United States. However, anxiety disorders are not only found in the United States. They are found throughout the world. They just happen to be most predominating in the United States. In this paper, I will be discussing the generalized anxiety disorder and how if effects society today.

About 60% of obsessive-compulsive disorder patients have multiple obsessions. Not only does Melvin display behaviors associated with his fear of contamination, but also he presents compulsions under the symmetry/exactness/”just right” symptom subtype. This subtype deals specifically with the need for symmetry, in which things are put in a certain order and rituals are repeated. Melvin has very specific expectations of order in his daily routine. Every

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. Between 15 - 19% of the population suffers from this disorder, which impairs the quality of life and functioning (Stuart 218). What is anxiety? Abnormal Psychology describes anxiety as “an adaptive emotion that helps us plan and prepare for a possible theat.” The text book further states, “worrying about many different aspects of life becomes chronic, excessive, and unreasonable.” This is also known as generalized anxiety disorder or GAD (Butcher 201). DSM IV-TR specifies that GAD is a worry that occurs more days then not for at least 6 months, and that it must be experienced as difficult to control (Butcher 201). 25% of those that suffer from this

Melvin takes his obsession of being clean to extremes; this is a very common manifestation of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. When Melvin goes out for breakfast he takes his own plastic utensils wrapped inside of a plastic bag, because he thinks that the silverware at the diner are not clean enough for him. This is another example of his fear of contamination.

Melvin Udall suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Melvin sticks to the same routine every day in order to not upset himself, if one thing goes wrong in that daily routine, Melvin’s entire day seems to be ruined to the point where he cannot function well. Melvin is afraid of the germs that are all around him. He does not enjoy being touched in any way, or by anyone, whether it is a stranger walking down the street or a friend, of which Melvin does not have many. Melvin always enters his house and turns around to lock the door, which he counts as he does, turning the lock five times before he is certain that he will avoid any danger that might come if he does not fulfill these rituals; he has the same

A Psychology disorder known as anxiety disorder, is the most common in the United States. In a result of, 18% of 40 million people suffers from anxiety. However, there are six different types of anxiety disorders in the results of stress, depression, social interaction, obsessive compulsive, and phobia. Which characteristic functions as a natural part of life, that can be treated thought several methods.

Melvin has multiple obsessive thoughts that are combated with multiple compulsive behaviors as well. This is very common among individuals who have OCD. He lets his compulsive behaviors take over his life. One of his obsessions is his constant fear of contamination. Even in his own apartment, he can never truly relax and feel carefree. There’s always perfectly new bars of soap to use for the multiple times he washes his hands with scalding hot water or a shower that needs to be taken for an unusually long amount of time. Another obsession is his need for control. He has the same set schedule that he follows precisely every day. However, as his routine continuously gets disturbed, he becomes even more anxious and irritable. His last obsession is doubt in himself and everyone around him. He locks and unlocks doors at his apartment whenever he enters a room and never steps on a crack outside in fear of something bad happening in the future.

When he returns back to his sterile apartment building and walking on the street doing the same thing by telling people to not touch him as he thinks he is getting a contaminated germ from the people just by touching his shoulders. After he got inside of his apartment, he immediately does a ritual of cleaning. He first washed off all the germs from his hands by using a hot water and a new bar of soaps. He continues this ritual of washing his both hands and keep repeating over and over again and wasting a countless new bar of soaps in this process. In addition to the common manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms is Melvin Udall also keep repeating every little thing he does for instance, turning the light on and off six times and superstitious and compulsion that when he is walking on the street and saw there is a crack on the sidewalk, he would not have stepped on the crack, as he gets worried if he steps on a crack because he won’t feel right and feel uncomfortable, and uneasy that will linger on his mind. On the other hand, it is difficult to figure it out these compulsions because this process of obsessional that provoke Melvin to fears something disaster is going to happened if he locked the house four times instead of six times to make him feel

In this movie, Melvin displayed many compulsions. When he comes back to his apartment he locks his door 5 times and turns on and off the lights 5 times. He also washes his hands with 2 new bars of soap each time he washes his hands. When he walks, he avoids stepping on any cracks. He also sometimes repeats words quietly after someone has said something. Instead of trusting one, his has two clocks side by side near his bed for an alarm. These are just a few examples of the many compulsions Melvin has. He always

Anxiety Disorders are characterized by many symptoms and often associated with depressive tendencies. Although the majority are produced in a person based off of their genetic material, other influences exist environmentally that can encourage or discourage the severity of the symptoms and prognosis it has on one’s overall well-being. Early diagnosis and a systematic combination of treatments can help reduce the tensions and encourage a more normal life than what was previously experienced by the person with the disorder.

My view of anxiety disorders , obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in particular, was both affirmed and expanded after viewing the movie “As Good As It Gets” and reviewing the paper “Perceived Functions of Worry Among Generalized Anxiety Disorder Subjects: Distraction From More Emotionally Distressing Topics?”. The movie followed a fictional character diagnosed with OCD and chronicled his daily struggles with his disorder. The study looked at the adaptive and maladaptive functions of worry using rating scales of the six reasons for worry most commonly reported by clients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

     Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. These disorders fill people's lives

Melvin, from the very beginning of the film, exhibits clear symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, likely promulgated through social anxiety and various phobias. Some of the reoccurring symptoms Melvin displays include: germaphobia and a fear of being touched, avoidance of cracked surfaces, and a complete organization of his belongings. His fear of germs seems to be a major driving force in his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He doesn’t appreciate people entering his living space or touching him. He washes his hands relentlessly. Additionally, he does not trust the silverware to properly clean, so he insists on using new plastic ware each time he eats.

Through the progression of his relationships with Carol, Melvin begins to worry about those around him, which lends a distraction from his own anxieties. Near the end of the movie, Melvin is so concerned about making amends with Carol that he forgets to lock the door after he enters the apartment. This shows a breakthrough in his obsession with safety and his compulsion to systematically unlock and lock the door five times in a row before and after entering the apartment. In the restaurant, Melvin allows Carol to kiss him, which intensely exposes him to germs (contamination is an obsession of his) however, he does not pull away or rush off to brush his teeth (cleanliness is the behavioural compulsion). Through exposure in a safe setting that does not pose a threat to him, Melvin responds positively to the idea of interaction with others even though there is a chance of catching germs. His relationship with Carol lessens his previous anxieties as he is now able to focus on making her