Psychology Essay On As Good As It Gets Essay, Research Paper

1) In As Good As It Gets, the main character Melvin Eudoll (played by Jack Nicholson) definitely suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder DMS code 300.30. He also may very well be suffering from oppositional defiant disorder, DSM code 313.81. 2) On a scale of one to ten, I would surely give a ten to his having obsessive compulsive disorder. As far as the possible presence of oppositional defiant disorder, I would rate my confidence with openly a five being that it is mainly considered to be a childhood disorder, and that I am exceedingly undereducated and inexperienced regarding diagnosis of mental disorders. 3) Obsessive compulsive disorder is usually characterized by the unwanted presence of completely irrational thoughts or perceptions called obsessions which lead to compulsion, the repeated performance of unusual act to help ease the anxiety that arises from the obsession. A very common obsession among suffers from OCD is the extreme fear of germs or even physical content with people. In Melvin Eudoll case this obsession leads to some very usual behaviors as i intend to show. Oppositional defiance disorder is usually diagnosed in children who demand everything to go their way and otherwise go into intense tantrums, but adults who commit mean, aggressive and antisocial behaviors as Mr. Eudoll clearly does are also sometimes said to have ODD. 4) Throughout the movie, Melvin Eudoll shows clear and undeniable signs of obsessive compulsive disorder. The first time in the movie that we see him enter his apartment, he recites “one two three four five” as he locks all of the fine locks on his door. he then proceeds to turn on the fire light switches in his kitchen, again reciting “one, two, three, four, five.” He proceeds immediately to the bathroom where he opens a huge medicine cabinet filled completely with still-wrapped bars of soap and uses two of these as he washes his hand in water so hot that he screams “hot, hot, hot.” He throws out both bars immediately after. Further on, we see him walking on the street-jumping erratically to avoid stepping on any sidewalk cracks, while screaming “don’t touch!” to everyone he passes. And throughout the movie, whenever he attends the restaurant. where his regular waitress and eventually lover (played by Helen Hunt) works, he always brings his own plastic silver wear in order to avoid using those of the restaurant. The fact that he has O. C. D. is even states clearly in the more itself; after barging in unannounced on his psychotherapist, Melvin says to him: “How can you diagnose someone as having obsessive compulsive disorder and then pretend I had some choice about barging in?” Whether or not Mr. Eudoll is suffering from oppositional defiant disorder as well is, as I stated above, less clear-cut. But there seem to be blatant and recurring signs that he does. When he encounters people who appear to be Jewish sitting at his regular table, he shamelessly screams out “I’ve got Jews at my table” and says to them “What-appetites aren’t as big as your noses?” After he overhears his waitress lamenting her son’s horrible medical condition, Melvin says to her: ” We’re all gonna die soon. I will, you will, and it sure sounds like your son will.” And later, when a bubbly young lady who appears to be an intensely devoted fan asked him how he writes women so well in his books, he replies to her, in the meanest of voices- “Well, I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability.” Clearly, Mr. Eudoll doesn’t care at all about conformity to even the simplest of social restrictions and seems in fact to take delight in being mean. 5) Family studies and twin studies show that a diathesis towards obsessive compulsive disorder can be inherited genetically and this may be the case with Melvin Eudoll. Another biological cause maybe low level of neurotransmitter seratonin in the brain, as OCD is usually treated with antidepressant drugs that inhibit the reuptake of seratonin But a lot of the cause of OCD seems to be psychological, as heightened stress leads to obsessive thinking that provokes anxiety which can only be revealed by performing compulsive actions. This often has its roots in childhood when parents overly strict and rigid regarding child’s behavior. Melvin says in the movie that his father hit his hands with a yard stick when he made a mistake playing the piano. That is indeed a very good example of a childhood experience that can lead to OCD. As far as Melvin ODD it is very likely that it the acute isolation brought about by his obsessive compulsive life style that causes to be socially backwards to the point of possessing oppositional defiant symptoms.

6) Melvin’s disorders have a highly detrimental effect on his social life. He has no social relationships whatsoever (until the near end of the movie) and all of his limited encounters with other people are hostile. He lives completely alone and appears to have lived alone for a very long time (as we see when he says to the neighbor, that nobody has ever been in his apartment before.) but we see that his complete lack of friendship or love in his life is not really something he wants but a result of his disorders. This is clearly illustrated in the scene where Melvin actually cries when he gives the dog that he was forced to hatch back to its owner since this was lively. the closest thing to a human relationship he ever had. While Mr. Eudoll’s disorders are ruinous to his social life, they seem to be greatly beneficial to his accomplishment in his career as a writer, as his extreme isolation allows him to produce a large amount of well written love novels. 7) Most of the OCD symptoms presented in the movie are realistic and in fact are common. So are the childhood experiences that allegedly lead to the development of OCD, as I explained above. What is unrealistic is the fact that merely being around the waitress brings such swift relieve to a disorder that was incurable for so many years. The movie implies that his interaction with her leads to this by causing him to take his drugs, but it is still unrealistic that it works so quickly. This is obviously done to enhance the movie’s romantic value. 8) Obsessive compulsive disorder is known to be rather difficult to treat and can therefore can have poor prognosis. When treatment is not effectively administered and received, symptoms often continue throughout patient’s life. With treatment, however, the symptoms can often be reduced or eliminated–which is what apparently happens to Melvin Eudoll at the end of the movie. Both drug and cognive-behavioral therapies are used to treat OCD. Treatment oppositional defiant disorder is usually cognitive behavior. 9) Both psychoactive drugs and behavioral treatments would probably be needed to help Melvin overcome his problems. Drugs for OCD work by inhibiting the reuptake of seratonin in the brainand include prozac, zoloft, and anafranil. 11) As Good As It Gets is an extremely well done movie which may have educated the public slightly about obsessive compulsive disorder, but I wouldn’t say that it would be useful in an abnormal behavior class. The amount of actual fact content in the movie about abnormal behavior is actually rather small, and as I stated above, it paints a rather unrealistic picture of obsessive compulsive disorder and how it can be healed. The only real value in the film is entertainment. As Good As It Gets is really just a regular romantic comedy with a psychological twist.