one or more forms of mental illness that we have covered in the class.
There is no real shortage of films concerning mental illness. Good ones are however in short
supply. Choosing a movie because you saw it years ago is not a great way to find a good movie
to analyze and write an excellent paper on. Choosing a movie because it is easy for you to get
your hand on is not the best tactic either. You must get approval on your film if it is not on the
list on these lists. You will need to do research with your textbook and online in order to make
treatment recommendations.
Some movie options include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Benny & Joon; Awakenings;
Harvey; The Rain Man; All That Jazz; The Lost Weekend; Nurse Betty; Memento; Me, Myself,
and Irene; Lolita; Girl, Interrupted; Boys Don’t Cry; Ma Vie En Rose; Bandits; Matchstick
Men; Very Bad Things; Toto le Heros; The Odd Couple; Hannah and her Sisters; Joe v. the
Volcano. Of course, there are many, many more…
For another list go here:
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/merrill/PSYCHOLOGY%20AND%20MOVIES.htm
You are not creating a summary or review of the movie; you are analyzing the characters’
portrayal of or reactions to mental illness. To do this, you will address three components of the
film: accuracy, treatment, and one component of your choice. You will write at least one
paragraph for each section. Include the title of the movie and the name of the character!
1. Diagnosis of mental illness: You need to include diagnosis data for the illness that is
depicted in the movie. Use your textbook and lecture notes. You may also use the DSM, as
well as any reliable, valid websites to assist in identifying the condition.
Specifically, you will use information from a film to assess and diagnosis a character
with discernible psychological abnormality. How is the character shown to be mentally
ill? Be specific, how is the illness communicated to viewers and to other actors in the
film? Did you have to “diagnose” the condition? How did you do this? Does the film say
what the condition is? What are the “typical” symptoms. Use your textbook to list DSM
symptoms used to diagnose the illness. How is the character shown to be mentally ill? -be
precise, describe the scene(s).
Following this diagnostic assessment, you will develop a case formulation in which you
provide a plausible explanation for the individual’s abnormality(-ies) and speculate on
plausible causes, origins, and determinants of the person’s disorder(s). You may also
discuss various forms of social-environmental stressors/problems, medical conditions,
and functional impairments in the individual’s life
o Explain how the individual’s particular problems, symptoms, disorders, distress,
and impairments relate to one another; and of how and why these problems might
have developed and been maintained.
