provide a diagnosis of the character with the disorder, discuss the character’s symptomatology, describe any attempted treatment, and provide your analysis of the character’s likely prognosis.
Psychopathology in the movies:
Much of what the public knows about psychopathology is gleaned from popular media – for good or ill. Thus, it can be useful to turn a critical eye on the media’s representation of mental illness. For this paper you will need to view a recent (i.e., 2005 or later) motion picture which depicts a character with mental illness. In your paper, you will provide a diagnosis of the character with the disorder, discuss the character’s symptomatology, describe any attempted treatment, and provide your analysis of the character’s likely prognosis. You will also need to describe the messages (both positive and negative) the movie provides the public about people with this disorder, as well as the way it characterizes the mental health profession. Finally, you will need to assess the film’s characterization of the disorder in light of our current understanding of the disorder (i.e., Were they accurate? If so, how? If not, what did they get wrong?)
For this assignment you will need to provide at least three citations to support your argument. One citation should be for the movie itself, while the other two should be references to the sources you used to research the diagnosis (your textbook can count as one such source).
Mental Illness Movie:
Silver Linings Playbook – (2012) written and directed by David O. Russell.
After spending time in a mental health hospital, Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) is forced to move back in with his parents. The symptoms of living with bipolar disorder have caused him to lose both his wife and his job. He is determined to get his wife back and meets someone, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who offers to help him in exchange for being her ballroom dance partner. Silver Linings Playbook represents the range of emotion that often occurs within someone who lives with bipolar disorder in a way that is both real and riveting.
Paragraph breakdown instructions
The paper must follow the format below (and comply with APA style) to receive the maximum points. Paper must be 3-5 pages. The paper will be graded according to how well the following requirements are met:
Introduction
Provide an explanation of the topic of the paper (i.e., the controversy you’ve chosen to review or the movie/character you’ve decided to evaluate), its scope, and the argument that you intend to make.
Body
Describe the character’s behavior as depicted in the movie, their suspected psychopathology, and determine the extent to which that character’s behavior meets the criteria for a DSM-5 diagnosis. You should address whether or not the movie provides an overt diagnosis for the character in question. Describe any attempted treatment and provide your analysis of the character’s likely prognosis. You will also need to describe the messages (both positive and negative) the movie provides the public about people with this disorder, as well as the way it characterizes the mental health profession. And be sure to critique the quality of the movie’s depiction of the disorder (did they get it right?).
Summary
Provide a concise summary of the body of your text, highlighting the key elements of the paper (i.e., the shortcomings of the disorder’s depiction in the movie; the relative lack of empirical data addressing a controversial point; etc.). Clearly state your conclusion.
APA style
I will be posting an APA-style checklist for you to use in verifying that your paper is APA-style compliant, and this must be included as the first page of the paper.
