Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Essay Example

? Obsessive-compulsive disorder of the of the Introduction Psychological disorders are the greatest challenges in the field of psychology and medicine. Psychological disorders create problems not only for a person who is suffering from it but also create problems for people in his family and in his social surroundings. One such psychological disorder that causes great distress in patient’s life is the obsessive compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder that hampers the day-to-day life of a person in a major way. It affects most of the actions and decisions of a person. His behavior is strongly influenced by his disorder. This affects his relationships with other people and hence, his social interactions also get affected to a great extent. The harsh reality of people suffering from psychological disorders is displayed in many Hollywood movies. Through the characters and stories, these movies help the viewers to get to know and understand the deeper aspects of the disorders. One such movie is the movie called ‘As Good As It Gets.’ This movie not only shows the psychological aspects behind the obsessive-compulsive disorder but also shows how it can be overcome with the help of people around the person. Hence, the movie ‘As Good As It Gets’ is an excellent movie as it not only displays the deeper aspects of the obsessive-compulsive disorder but also sends a message that it can be completely cured if a person suffering from it is shown understanding, love and support by people around him. Definition There are certain psychological conditions that lead to development of obsessive-compulsive disorder in a person. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be defined as a condition which is diagnosed when “an individual continuously experiences distressing or frightening thoughts, and engages in obsessions (repetitive thoughts) or compulsions (repetitive behaviors) in an attempt to calm these thoughts (Stangor, 2012). When everyday life of a person becomes significantly dysfunctional and distressed due to obsessive thoughts becoming extremely disturbing and the compulsive behavior consuming too much of time, then he is diagnosed with OCD (Stangor, 2012). This shows that it is not the obsession and/or compulsion that qualifies a person as suffering from OCD, but it is the degree to which his obsessions and compulsions cause distress and /or interfere with his life that determines the diagnosis of OCD (Rachman & De Silva, 2009, p.13). Nature of OCD OCD is a form of anxiety disorder and creates lot of anxiety in a person (Stangor, 2012). OCD most often develops in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, and is known to affect 2.5 percent of American population (Hyman & Pedrick, 2011, p.11). In case of OCD, the normal attitude towards daily routines takes an extreme turn and becomes an obsession. For example, people who like cleanliness normally wash their hands twice or thrice a day to make sure that they are clean (Stangor, 2012). However, people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder wash their hands nearly 20 times in a day (Stangor, 2012). This kind of behavior is found in everything they do. For example, they spend hours and hours in cleaning the fridge, cleaning the floor etc. (Stangor, 2012). Cleanliness becomes an obsession for them. In the movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ the character of Melvin Udall (played by Jack Nicholson), is shown being obsessed with cleanliness. He is so obsessed that even when he goes to a restaurant, he takes his own plastic spoons and forks with him to avoid using spoons from restaurant. He thinks that they might be germ infected. He is also shown switching the lights on and off, and closing the door knob, five times every time he enters his house. In this way, his obsessive thoughts make his behavior compulsive. Due to these obsessions, people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder find it difficult to interact with others and maintain relationships. This makes them to take the aid of defense mechanisms to avoid the problem. Defense Mechanisms According to Sigmund Freud, when anxiety is provoked due to only partial repression of the undesirable wishes and impulses coming from the id, then it leads to development of OCD in a person (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). To reduce the anxiety associated with these wishes and impulses, people suffering from OCD use various ego defense mechanisms (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). In the movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ the viewer gets to see different shades of defense mechanisms used by the character of Udall. According to Freud, people suffering from OCD use three common defense mechanisms. They are discussed below. Isolation According to Freud, isolation from, or disowning the undesirable wishes and impulses, is used as defense mechanisms by people suffering from OCD (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). In this fight against the wishes and impulses, it is the defense mechanism that dominates the person sometimes, and sometimes it is the id that dominates the person (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). The impulses take the form of obsessional thoughts when the id dominates the person (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). In the movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ Udall avoids social interaction to avoid his obsession with cleanliness. He avoids interaction with people and places to isolate himself from impulses and undesirable wishes related to cleanliness and choice of things. Undoing Undoing is the second defense mechanism which appears when the first defense mechanism of isolation begins to fail (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). That is, when people cannot avoid their impulsive thoughts, they act to undo those thoughts. According to Corner, people undo their unacceptable id impulses by compulsively washing their hands, which is the symbol of undoing (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). In the movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ when Udall fails to isolate from his undesirable wishes of avoiding the neighbor’s dog (as he thinks that he is dirty), he washes his hands with a two brand new soaps and throws the soaps in waste bin after only one wash. This act is a compulsive behavior of undoing the undesirable wish of not coming in contact with the dog or things. Reaction Formation The third defense mechanism is the reaction formation, in which behaviors and character traits that are exactly opposite of the unacceptable impulses, are adopted by a person (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). For example, unacceptable aggressive impulses are countered by practicing compulsive kindness towards others (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). These patterns are often seen as highly exaggerated and inappropriate by observers as they do not seem natural (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2044, p. 210). In the movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ Udall, who is usually an arrogant, selfish and emotionless person, takes the responsibility of all the medical expenses of Carol’s son who is suffering from asthma so that she can continue her job as waitress. Carol finds this act of kindness inappropriate and exaggerated. However, when she realizes that Udall is trying to change, she encourages and motivates him to overcome his obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior. In this way, one gets to see the defense mechanisms that people suffering from OCD use, in the movie ‘As Good As It Gets.’ It also shows how OCD affects the relationships of a person. Conclusion The discussion above shows how OCD affects the lives of people and cause distress in their lives. It shows that with the help of defense mechanisms, people suffering from OCD do their best to avoid their obsessions and compulsions. The movie ‘As Good As It Gets,’ shows how Udall overcomes his obsessive-compulsive disorder with the help of Carol. Hence, it becomes responsibility of people around them to extend their support and encouragement when they are trying to overcome their disorder. References Brooks, J., Johnson, B. & Zea, C.(Producer), & Brooks, J. (Director). (1997). As good as it gets [Motion picture]. United States: Gracie Films. Cardwell, M. & Flanagan, C. (2004). Psychology A2: The complete companion. Cheltenham, UK: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Hyman, B.M. & Pedrick, C. (2011). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books. Rachman, S. & De Silva, P. (2009). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (4th ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford UP. Stangor, C. (2012). Introduction to Psychology, v. 1.0.2. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge. Read More