As Good As It Gets: Movie Analysis
OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions and or compulsions. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted, whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly (DSM-5, 2013, p. 235). After watching the film “As Good as It Gets,” I learned that Mr. Melvin Udall, suffered from a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In the very beginning of the film, I witnessed him lock the door five times, turn on the light five times, followed by washing his hands with multiple bars of soap. In addition to being able to visually see his
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However, I do not think they did an outstanding job depicting the treatment necessary to help someone overcome OCD. OCD is a chronic and disabling disorder that rarely remits without treatment (Beidel, Frueh, & Hersen, 2014, p. 371). In the film, they show that Mr. Udall does have a shrink that he used to see in the past, however, it has been years that he has been to therapy to seek proper treatment. I believe that it would have been great for the film to show a few therapy sessions to see what counseling techniques and theories were used to successfully help him overcome his obsessions and compulsions. I do like how they used Carol Connelly as a safe place for Mr. Udall to gradually expose himself to the obsessions that were making him become compulsive. I believe that therapy sessions with Mr. Udall discussing his relationship with Carol, and how his OCD has affected their success, would have been a unique way for the movie to demonstrate how to successfully treat someone with OCD. In our text, it discusses the cognitive model which is related to OCD. In this model, dysfunctional beliefs about the inability to tolerate the negative emotions associated with the intrusive thoughts are thought to lead to the development and maintenance of OCD ((Beidel, Frueh, & Hersen, 2014, p. 367). I believe the CBT techniques would have successfully helped him alter his negative
However, I do not think they did an outstanding job depicting the treatment necessary to help someone overcome OCD. OCD is a chronic and disabling disorder that rarely remits without treatment (Beidel, Frueh, & Hersen, 2014, p. 371). In the film, they show that Mr. Udall does have a shrink that he used to see in the past, however, it has been years that he has been to therapy to seek proper treatment. I believe that it would have been great for the film to show a few therapy sessions to see what counseling techniques and theories were used to successfully help him overcome his obsessions and compulsions. I do like how they used Carol Connelly as a safe place for Mr. Udall to gradually expose himself to the obsessions that were making him become compulsive. I believe that therapy sessions with Mr. Udall discussing his relationship with Carol, and how his OCD has affected their success, would have been a unique way for the movie to demonstrate how to successfully treat someone with OCD. In our text, it discusses the cognitive model which is related to OCD. In this model, dysfunctional beliefs about the inability to tolerate the negative emotions associated with the intrusive thoughts are thought to lead to the development and maintenance of OCD ((Beidel, Frueh, & Hersen, 2014, p. 367). I believe the CBT techniques would have successfully helped him alter his negative