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Obsessions In The Film As Good As It Gets

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According to the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a person with OCD suffers from obsessions- recurrent, persistent, and distressing thoughts, impulses, or images –and compulsions- repetitive behaviors or mental acts the person performs in response to the obsessions. (A) If you have seen the 1997 film, As Good As It Gets, you might recall Jack Nicholson acting as Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive writer who buys bars of soap in bulk. An excessive hand-washer may be what you think of when you hear the term, ‘OCD,’ and while there are many people who do suffer from bathroom rituals, this is an extreme misrepresentation of a mental illness, caused by a lack of awareness. This neurobiological …show more content…

‘Obsessions are the hidden part of OCD because no one but the OCD sufferer can experience the obsessions or the turmoil that the obsessions generate.’ (B) To rid themselves of this anxiety, they feel compelled to go through with their rituals. As OCD progresses, however, the relief brought on by the compulsions starts lasting a shorter amount of time and the obsessive-compulsive must engage in their compulsions more and more. Another factor in the length of OCD treatment is the fact that it is a neurobiological disorder. Recent brain imaging studies show abnormalities in the brains of people with OCD in the orbital cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus; the parts of the brain alert us to danger, process messages, sort information by importance, and help us focus on the task at hand. In OCD these areas work overtime, focusing on intrusive thoughts and ideas that would normally be filtered out. (C) Not only do scientists believe this disorder is genetic, but ‘...inherited subtle variations in brain structure, neurochemistry and circuitry can predispose a person to develop OCD.’ Unlike depression and some other mental problems, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not purely mental; it is a behavioral disorder, and usually takes longer to treat as teenagers must learn how to retrain their brain. Natural supplements, essential oils, exercise, a good amount of sleep, prayer, and meditation can help in the treatment of OCD, but there is no scientific or medical evidence that these methods –or anything– can cure

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