Psychopathology in Silver Lining Playbook - Research Paper Example

? Silver Linings Playbook Film Background             Silver Linings Playbook is a film about Pat Solatano who just got out ofa mental institution after 8 months. He ends up living with his mother and father, because he beat up the lover of his estranged wife so badly that the lover almost died. Therefore, it was a condition of his release that he live with his parents. He refuses to take medication, despite the fact that he has a diagnosis of Bi-Polar I disorder, that was undiagnosed for many years. He indicated to the psychiatrist who treats him that he did not get a  proper diagnosis until he called the cops on his wife and her lover, and accused them both of embezzling from him. He admitted to the psychiatrist that this was his delusion, and that his wife and her lover did not really embezzle from him, and it was then that he sought help and was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. His wife leaving him, and him finding her naked in the shower with her lover are the life events that have affected him the most. He becomes obsessed by his ex-wife, and getting her back. His obsession leads him to her school, where she worked, despite the fact that he has a restraining order that restrains him from going near that school. He meets Tiffany, is immediately attracted to her, but doesn't want to act on the attraction, because he was too interested in getting his wife back. She offers to give his wife a letter if he would agree to help her by being her dance partner in a competition. He agrees, they enter the competition and get over a 5.0 average, which is what they need to settle a bet. Tiffany is also troubled – she drinks too much and sleeps around, because her husband died. In the end, these two unlikely people end up happy. The film also focuses upon Pat's father, played by Robert DeNiro, who appears to have some kind of obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles, although it doesn't seem to be a disorder. His mother is the most normal person in the house, as she is simply long-suffering, and doesn't seem to have any kind of mental disorder. Analysis of the Psychopathology of the Characters Since Pat was suffering from bi-polar disorder, this is the first disorder that will be examined. There are two basic “types” of bipolar disorder – bi-polar I disorder and bi-polar II disorder (Comer, 85). The criteria for bipolar disorder is that there has been one or more manic episodes or mixed episodes. The bipolar disorder II is characterized by the occurrence of one or more major depressive episodes accompanied by at least one hypomanic episode (American Psychiatric Association, 112). The criteria for a manic episode is that the mood is elevated, expansive or irritable for at least one week, and during the period when this mood is elevated, expansive or irritable, there needs to be at least three or more symptoms have persisted. These other symptoms are grandiosity; decreased sleep; talkativity; flighty ideas or racing thoughts; distractability; increase in goal-directed activity or agitation; excessive involvement in pleasurable activities, such as sex, drugs, gambling, spending, etc. Moreover, the mood disturbance must be sufficiently severe that there is some kind of impairment of functioning, such as work, social activities or relationships with others, and they cannot be due to substance abuse (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Hypomania, which is a feature of bipolar II disorder, is the elevated, expansive or irritable mood which lasts at least four days, and there are three or more of the symptoms above (grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, etc.). The episodes, however, are less severe than the bipolar I, as the episodes are NOT severe enough to impair social or occupational functioning, but the changes are profound enough for others to notice (American Psychiatric Association, 112).             Tiffany possibly suffers from substance abuse disorder, as she indicated that she was drinking too much and this caused her to sleep around. The substance abuse disorder in the DSM-5 collapses the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder, which is measured on a continuum from mild to severe (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Substance abuse and dependence disorder is marked by recurrent substance use that leads to a failure to fulfill major role obligations in work, school or home; or recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, such as driving an car or a machine; substance-related legal problems; or continued use, despite persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems. Moreover, there is a tolerance to the substance, and a withdrawal from the substance (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Pat definitely was suffering from bi-polar I disorder. There were instances throughout the film that showed this. He was often shown extremely happy, such as the time that he went to the school to greet a woman, Nancy, who obviously was terrified of him, and he kept talking about “silver development.” Another time, he was excited about making crabby snacks. He stayed awake all hours of the night, reading A Farewell to Arms, then got his parents out of bed to talk about how awful the ending was, despite the fact that it was 4 AM. He trashes the entire house another night, in the middle of the night, looking for a wedding video, and got violent with his mother, and his father had to hit him to make him stop. The neighbors were awakened by the incident. Therefore, he suffered from elated moods that alternated with irritable ones, and he had three other symptoms, at least – decreased sleep, talkativity (he was often shown talking away to his parents, even though they really weren't listening), and racing thoughts (when he was talking a lot, he jumped from one subject to another). Since his symptoms caused definite impairment in his life, in that he lost his wife and his house, and was institutionalized, a Bi-Polar I disorder would be appropriate for him. As for Tiffany, there is some indication that she might be suffering from a substance-abuse disorder, although this is less clear. She did lose her job because she slept with everybody in her office, even the women, and indicated that she was drinking too much and this, in part, was why she did it. However, whether she had developed a tolerance is an open question, and also, her situation is what led her to drink too much,not because she had a disorder. So, she probably simply went through a bad time.  Discussion/Conclusion As somebody who has lived with a bi-polar sibling, I can state that this movie was both accurate and profoundly inaccurate at the same time. The accurate parts are in the beginning, when Pat first got out of the hospital. He displayed signs of bipolar – he was constantly running; he had obsessive thoughts about his wife; he had a melt-down in the psychiatrist's office when he heard his wedding song (Mon Cheri Amour), because that was the song that was playing when he caught his wife in the shower with her lover; he stayed up through all hours of the night, reading, and would also stay up looking for his wedding video; he got violent; he talked a lot, in a rapid tone, and was often shown doing things like making crabby snacks and having a great time doing it. He did not show the signs of depression, but it seemed that he was simply in a manic phase throughout the film, not a depressed one. What I did not like was the second half of the film, which took place after he met Tiffany. Although this part of the film was entertaining, it was not accurate. The reason why it wasn't accurate is that, somehow, after Pat met Tiffany, the signs of his bipolar disorder magically vanished. It wasn't because his bi-polar medication was helping him – he wasn't taking medication. It was a recurrent theme throughout the film that he refused medication, because it made him groggy and bloated. No, his bipolar resolved on its own because he fell in love. This does a real disservice to the community that is struggling with this illness, because it is not realistic. It gives the false impression that this is a disorder that can just resolve on its own if one finds the right partner in life. It is not as simple as that – a person with bipolar has to take meds, and has to stay on them for the rest of their lives. Therefore, I felt that the filmmaker needed to do something to indicate that Pat either continued to struggle with his illness after he met Tiffany, or that Pat actually does take the meds that would allow him to manage his illness. To just state that Pat was magically cured by Tiffany wasn't real. And, Tiffany also resolved her illness through her love for Pat, although Tiffany's illness was not as severe, and was situational, therefore it is possible that this could happen for her like that. But not Pat. References Comer, R. (2013) Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology. Boston: Worth Publishers.   American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. New York: American Psychiatric Association. Russell, David O. (2013) Silver Linings Playbook. [Motion Picture] United States: The Weinstein Company. Read More