Preview

Ocd Viewed in the Movie as Good as It Gets

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
964 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ocd Viewed in the Movie as Good as It Gets
OCD displayed in the movie As Good As It Gets

As good as it gets was a very interesting movie,but no one who sees a good movie can't start off by saying this movie is about a great deal more than obsessive-compulsive disorder–about people and intimacy, and humor, and the importance of people for each other that go far beyond disease and have much more to do with just life. But certainly, Jack Nicholson gave a very good example of some of the typical obsessions and compulsions that someone may have. First of all, and most strikingly that in many ways, he's quite a rational, reasonable, and a normal person, and then he has these dramatic islands of irrationality, magical behaviors with these strange rituals, repeating, counting, and most pervasively and strikingly, contamination. And contamination fears are very interesting. Obsessive-compulsive patients, whether they've met anybody before with this or not, whether they are children or adults, do a lot of things very similar. In the movie there were many symptoms toward the disorder that were shown throughout the video such as his routines of washing his hands and the locking of his doors. Even the way he went about his daily routines, such as walking over sidewalk cracks and bringing his own eating utensils to the restaurant. He was a very unique character. If one did not know that he had OCD they would see him as a very strange type of person with very extraordinary habits. For example, the people in the restaurant never liked him because of his treatment of others, the way he mannered himself and his disregard for others. What they didn't see was his hidden character, which was a very caring personality.
***
Film Clip:
Melvin: You have hard-shells, right?
Carol: Stop asking everyone.
Melvin: Just him. That's all. Okay, you can answer. We worked it out.
Maitre d': Yes, we do.
Melvin: Ah.
Maitre d': Oh, and, uh, I can give you a tie and jacket.
Melvin: What?
Maitre d': Oh, they require a tie and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a potentially disabling condition that can persist throughout a person 's life. An individual who suffers from OCD becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are irrational and upsetting but extremely difficult to overcome. OCD occurs in a spectrum from mild to severe, but if a severe case goes untreated, it can destroy a person 's ability to function at work, school, or even in the home. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can 't let go. My research will focus on three main aspects of Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 1) What causes it, 2) What are the symptoms, and 3) What are the treatments that can curb its sometimes debilitating effects.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ocd Monologue

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Scene: Character is sitting at a desk, leaning back on the chair he is sitting in, tapping his finger against his leg in a fast rhythm. There are multiple chalkboards with markings that indicate counting, with various amounts of lines on the boards. On the desk is an iPad.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The biological approach as an explanation of OCD believes that the disorder is caused by a fault in our body, either through genes, hormones, the brain, or neurotransmitters, therefore suggesting that OCD is caused by our nature, rather than our upbringing. This means that since we are born with the body we have, if we have OCD, it is innate within us.…

    • 728 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The person I have chosen to use for this research assignment is a gentleman I will refer to as Randall. He is a 31 year old man with what has been diagnosed as both a General Anxiety Disorder and agoraphobia. Randall’s condition is one that stems from a moment of extreme anxiety in his early twenties, and has worsened over the last decade into the agoraphobic behaviors of having a generalized discomfort or inability to leave the house. In short, Randall cannot be somewhere that does not come with direct access to a restroom facility. He must have a line of sight or awareness of where the closest bathroom is at all times outside his home. These incidents of fear began after a traumatic incident that Randall experienced as a musician nearly ten…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A review of her medical records indicates that she suffers from chronic back pain due to compression fractures. She is followed by Dr.Allan vrable at the spine institute for pain management. She suffers from chronic advanced COPD and is oxygen dependent at 2L/min continuously. She is followed by Dr. Pandya for pulmonary. She suffers from Atrial Fib for which she takes Coumadin. She is follow by Dr. Chalassani for cardiology. He also monitors her Coumadin level monthly. She suffers from co-morbidities of chronic shortness of breath related to her COPD, chronic anxiety as a result of her shortness of breath and GERD which is stable with medication. She has a history of HTN-stable and hyperlipidemia which is stable.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I think it’s funny that none of the characters in the movie really had mental disorders per say. What the film really did was just try to investigate what is insanity when you don’t conform to society? Ironically I feel that the film did the opposite and showed…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As It Gets Udall

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He also starts to let go of some of his fears in not completing his rituals and towards the end of the movie actually walks on a crack in the sidewalk, which he would never have done a couple of months ago. The catalyst for this change is a woman who Melvin has feelings for. He realizes he would like to be in a relationship with her and start living a more balanced life. The only way he would be able to have a relationship is if he gets treatment for his OCD. According to the International OCD Foundation, people who suffer from OCD have the most success with treatment that includes both medication and exposure. For Melvin, being on medication and caring for another person has forced him to start to realize that he will be okay if he does not give into to his thoughts as a result of his OCD. This is a form of exposure therapy and the lesson commentary on phobias describes how exposure to the feared object will eventually reduce the fear. Since he is so desperate to be loved by this person he is willing to do things that would have otherwise caused him a great deal of…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The movie Girl Interrupted gives a glimpse into the world of the psychiatric hospitals and their patients in the late 1960’s. Each of the characters exhibit symptoms of various psychological problems, while still being personable enough to allow viewers to sympathise with them. At some point in our lives, each of us feels as if we are on the outside of society like Susannah, or tries to manipulate others like Lisa. We do not, however, carry it to the extremes that they do. We are able to maintain control over our lives, and live in relative peace and harmony with those around us. One example from the movie of someone trying too hard to control the things around her is Daisy Randone’s obsessive compulsive disorder. Some examples of this behavior are; her obsession with chicken, her refusal to allow anyone into her room, her addiction to laxatives, and her eventual suicide. Some of the other residents talked about the fact that Daisy always checked in for a short stay around the holidays, and always had a private room. They also suspected that Daisy might be the victim of incest as well.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    OCD monologue

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A twenty seven year old man sits at his mother’s dining room table. Placed in front of him is a plate filled with all the contents of a perfect roast dinner. He moves the plate two centimetres to the left.…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To respect client confidentiality, I will refer to my client as Julie throughout this case report.…

    • 5602 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ocd Approaches

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Suffers of OCD often acknowledge that they suffer with the condition but are unable to control the unwanted thoughts or rituals.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ocd Essay

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The anxiety disorder I shall explain is known as Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As the name suggests, obsessive compulsive disorder is characterised by obsessions and compulsions. There are two explanations for this disorder; psychological and biological. The biological explanation of OCD focuses on genetics .i.e. role of certain chemical imbalances and family increasing likelihood of developing OCD. Family studies have shown that people with a first-degree relative with OCD have a five times greater risk than the normal population of developing the disorder. In a meta-analysis of twin studies, Billett et al found that compared to non identical twins, identical twins are twice as likely to develop OCD if their twin also had OCD. However the biological model fails to recognise the importance of learning and developing disorders. This is ideology is discussed in the behavioural explanation of anxiety disorders. For example if an infant sees one of his parents committing compulsive acts they are likely to see this behaviour has ordinary therefore likely to develop the OCD disorder. The biological explanation fails to account this method of “learning” of OCD.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Good As It Gets

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I watched the movie As Good As It Gets. The movie was about an older man who was diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It portrayed his journey throughout the movie of his impulses, such as doing things in repetitions of 5 like turning on his lights, not stepping on cracks, crossing his feet before putting his slippers on, taking his own utensils to a restaurant, having the same waitress and table every day, and many others. His routine is interrupted by his neighbor’s dog moving in after his owner was beaten, and then again by his usual waitress not being at work due to her son being sick. Throughout these interruptions he starts getting better. When he was taking care of dog he forced himself to change seats in the restaurant…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Someone with OCD can feel isolated, they can feel embarrassed and anxious to let people know how they are feeling and consequently worried about whether they will be supported by their friends and family or misunderstood and laughed at. This is when the anxiety can become too much and lead to depression.…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, DSM code 300.3, is a mental disorder that impairs an individual because they are “so preoccupied with order, perfection, and control that they lose all flexibility, openness, and efficiency” according to the book Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology Sixth Edition by Ronald J. Comer. The patient’s obsessions can render them completely irrational in their thought process and this irrationality effects the person’s subsequent actions. A compulsion is the actions that the patient takes to bring peace of mind and escape the turmoil the obsession has caused; this action is usually repetitive in nature. “Common compulsions include washing, counting, checking, requesting assurance, or repeating actions” (Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Rehabilitation by Patrick W. Corrigan). The movie “As Good As It Gets” features a character named Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) who plays a wealthy book writer who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I will simply call O.C.D. for the duration of this paper.…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays