It seems recently that the entertainment industry has provided America with authentic portrayals of characters that are suffering with psychological disorders. At first glance these characters seem to depict the disorders they are given in a somewhat realistic light. At closer examination though, the truth of the seriousness of these disorders seems minimalized and at times even glorified. Two characters that come to mind are Adrian Monk, of the USA network show Monk, and Dr. Gregory House of the Fox TV show House. Adrian Monk was brought to life by actor Tony Shaloub, and was a funny and enjoyable detective show, which has now ended after eight successful seasons. Adrian Monk is a very likeable “Colomboesque” detective who was …show more content…
Frequently episodes would focus on Monk being obsessed with a singular thought for example remembering a schoolmate bullying him and on a different episode wondering if a friend was going to “steal” his therapist. Monk repeatedly stated that he wished he could be more like “normal people” which did bring to light the obviously unwanted nature of his disorder (Feldman, 2008). Often though, the show depicted his disorder as funny and sometimes cute and endearing to those around him. Since I have a cousin who has been struggling with this disorder her entire life, I know that this is not realistic. My cousin has not been able to keep many jobs, and has lost most of the relationships with friends and even family. Idiosyncrasies that may be funny at first glance become annoying and difficult for those around the person to understand and put up with, especially on a long term basis. I do feel this show made an admirable attempt at depicting this disorder in a realistic manner and also keeping the entertainment level needed to keep people watching. Furthermore, it seems the show grew more realistic in depicting Monk’s disorder as it progressed. (Monk, 2002)
. Another character that displays a psychological disorder is Dr. Gregory House, the title character of “House” which is portrayed by Hugh
For my case study my group and I chose the movie “Fatal Attraction”, and we chose Alex Forrest for our case study. For my part I chose to do the diagnosis aspect on Alex Forrest. Throughout this paper I will be diagnosing Alex Forrest. The following key clinical data will be discussed: client demographics, presenting problem, preliminary diagnostic information, symptoms, client characteristics and history, diagnostic impressions, potential disorders, and the DSM diagnosis.
Adrian Monk, portrayed by actor Tony Shalhoub, is the main character in the USA Network series MONK. Monk is a former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department, suffering from an anxiety disorder known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as numerous phobias. After Monk’s wife was murdered, his disorder worsened leading to his suspension from the police force. When the series opens, Monk works as a private police homicide consultant and undergoes therapy to overcome his anxiety disorder and phobias. He is assisted by a private nurse who helps him cope with his disability on the job.
Mental illness is heavily stigmatized in mainstream media sources, such as articles, books and movies. The character who is suffering from a mental disorder, which is stigmatized is often exaggerated for the sake of entertainment. The stigmatization of mental disorders is unfair to those who have mental disorders. The viewers of media are viewing those suffering from the disorders as “psychotic” or “crazy”, which is inaccurate and unjust to those affected. The media representation of the disorder provides vague and inaccurate causes and treatments. In the movie series “The Dark Knight Rises” and television series “Dexter”, the characters Joker and Dexter are afflicted with the mental disorder antisocial personality disorder; in which it creates
The hit show, ‘This is Us’ displayed a emotional scene of Randall Pearson, played by actor Sterling K. Brown, experiencing panic attacks (anxiety/panic disorder). It stroke him unexpectedly when he called his brother, Kevin Pearson, played by Justin Hartley, that he wasn’t able to make it to his play. This article on Huffington Post titled “ ‘This is Us’ Totally Captured The Hard Truth of Panic Attacks,” written by Lindsay Holmes, describes Randall’s symptoms of “instability, disassociation, stress and tearfulness (Holmes). The author continues on about how many people have a misconception, stigma, and negative stereotype regarding mental illness. Due to this reason, people become hesitant or do not ask for help. Celebrities are the
For this paper, I was very interested in discussing Charlie Sheen and mental health. Charlie Sheen, born Carlos Irwin Estevez in New York City, is 49 years old with 5 children and has been divorced three times. I chose him for two reasons. First, I enjoy him as an actor and watching what he stars in. Second, there are a lot of speculations as to what is actually wrong with him in terms of his psychological health. I want to find a clear diagnosis for his problems and state of mind.
House MD is a television series based on a egotistical, vicodin addicted, narcissistic genius of a man who throughout the series solves medical mysteries in which other doctors cannot find the diagnosis. Doctor Gregory House can be looked through two opposing views, however, he ultimately is a benefit due to his skill. Even though some may state that Dr. House is a negative influence on a person’s life because of his negative characteristics;due to his teaching methods such as: he is able to better his students and teach others to live more wisely. Doctor Gregory House is able to teach individuals through the ways he teaches his students.
exaggerating symptoms and stereotyping individuals with a mental disorder. For example, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho, in which man with schizophrenia murders guests in a hotel, influences viewers to believe that all individuals suffering from schizophrenia are dangerous. However, that is rarely the case (Polatis, 2014). Therefore, it is refreshing to find a movie that accurately portrays the true personality of and individual living with a mental illness. The movie Silver Linings Playbook chronicles the experiences of Pat Solitano, a man suffering from undiagnosed bipolar disorder who was recently released from a psychiatric facility. Although this paper focuses on Pat’s experiences, it is important to note that the film not only takes on the task of portraying bipolar disorder, but also mental illness in general with other major characters suffering from a mixture of psychological or personality disorders. The film opens with Pat at Karel Psychiatric Facility in Baltimore, Maryland. We later learn that Pat was institutionalized for nearly beating to death the man with whom he caught his wife Nikki cheating on him. The rest of the film details
Entering the taboo world of mental illness, stigmatized as the crazy and psychotic by decades of
The Case Identifying Information Within the confines of this case study we find that at the time of filming Mr. Monk was 50 years old. However, today Mr. Adrian Monk is a 56-year-old
Everyone has issues especially when it comes to an individual. There is always a reason why a human being act the way they act. In the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by, Stephen Chbosky, the main character Charlie has many reasons that lead him to go to the psychiatrist. Charlie deals a lot with with issues that also involve other situations in it and he blames himself for all of that. As a result, readers can see that unresolved issues sends an individual to insanity.
Dr. Gregory House was born on the 11th of June 1958 from a relationship between Blythe house, his mother, and an unknown male. His mother was a house wife married to a marine pilot, John House, who was not present when House was conceived being on overseas active duty. His mother also had an affair with another man, Thomas Bell, who House mistook for his father because of the physical characteristics that they shared.
While “movies, newspapers, magazines, television shows, books, radio programs, and advertisements have all been vehicles for communicating the experience of…mental illness” it usually “[tends] to be a misrepresentation of the experience” (Corrigan 201). This has a major negative impact on people suffering from mental illnesses because they feel sentiments of “societal scorn and discrimination” which ultimately “leads to diminished self-esteem, fear of pursuing one’s goals, and loss of social opportunities” (Corrigan 201). There seems to be a revival in the world of movies and television of depicting forms of exploring the minds of serial killers which started in the 60s with the creation of the Horror film genre. There is almost a strange fascination amongst audiences to know more about the minds of murderers and those who are too sick to see the wrong they are doing. Films depicting mental health have a great impact on the lives of those suffering from mental illness and also the perceptions of those who do not suffer from mental illness. The mostly negative stigma surrounding those who suffer from mental disorders gives them a bad reputation that impacts most aspects of their lives.
Shutter Island portrays multiple mental illnesses in the main character as well as in supporting characters. One might call it an abnormal psychology “goldmine.” It takes place at a water-bound psychiatric facility, Shutter Island, housing the criminally insane. The plot is about a man who refers to himself as Teddy. He believes he and his partner are detectives, on the island, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. He is also in search of a patient named Andrew Laeddis, who Teddy believes murdered his wife. The detective becomes paranoid that the facility is treating the patients unfairly and performing experimental lobotomies. The delusion goes on for several months, Teddy never realizing he is actually a patient, until he is brought back to reality at the climax of the movie. His delusion ends. He realizes he’s a patient for a very short amount of time before he goes back to believing he’s a detective. The delusion starts all over again. Throughout most of the film, viewers see his delusion as a reality, until the twist at the end when it is revealed that he is actually a patient.
ts our study of the stigma related to mental health illness. There is a lack of research investigating the portrayal of psychologists, those affected by mental illness and issues of mental health; this lack of research prevents any interventions from being made to protect those at risk. “With the continued portrayals of therapy in the media, it is important to consider how these images may affect attitudes and beliefs that can contribute to help seeking behavior”. (Maier, et al., 2013, p.1). Although there is research supporting that psychological and medical treatment are effective for a broad range of mental illnesses, only around 11% of those who have a diagnosable issue will seek help (Corrigan, 2004). The researchers of this article were interested in how the media portrayal of psychologists and mental illnesses impacts those who should seek therapy, through the formation of stigma. The hypothesis of the article study is formed around the idea that turning to a professional for help is not viewed as a sign of weakness when the psychologists are viewed as trustworthy and have experience.
Personality disorders are very defined and recognized in today’s society. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides common language and standards classifying mental disorders. The DSM is used by many people in varying disciplines in the USA as well as many other countries. In times past, people with disorders may have been outcast from a community or even persecuted. However, in our current culture the pendulum has swung in the other direction. It almost seems that there is a trend to explain all behavior by a mental disorder. This results in needing to disprove that certain people are not displaying a disorder, rather acting within a normal human emotion or