Clinical Depression in the Film Its Kind of a Funny Story - Essay Example

? Clinical Depression in the Film It’s Kind of a Funny Story Introduction One of the unique aspects of clinical depression is the fact that it can be evidenced in a number of different ways. Moreover, with respect to depiction of mental disorders represented within movies and within this course, it can be understood the clinical depression is one of the most common topics that films seek to integrate with and express. This is of course due to the fact that clinical depression affects such a relatively high percentage of individuals within the general population. According to some studies, clinical depression is estimated to exist in upwards of 10% of the entire population of the United States. The indeterminate total percentage that this particular disorder affects is unknown due to the fact that it is further estimated that around 40 to 50% of all clinical depression cases go undiagnosed (Kelly et al., 2011). This is of course due to the fact that the broad majority of individuals suffering with clinical depression do not actively seek out treatment due to the fact that they underestimate the symptoms and realities that the Muslim was. One particular movie that deals with the realities of clinical depression is entitled, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”; as such, this particular film will be analyzed within this brief response as a means of depicting the disorder, identifying symptoms/behaviors, defining the clinical etiology of the disorder, social factors contribute to it, and recommending a treatment plan. Diagnosis Ultimately, clinical diagnosis of clinical depression is somewhat more difficult than diagnosis of other spectrum disorders. This is due to fact that clinical depression can be evidenced in many forms. These include but are not limited to major depression, dysthymia, chronic depression, seasonal affective disorder and/or bipolar disorder; to name but a few. As compared to a range of other disorders, clinical depression cannot be diagnosed by traditional laboratory tests. Rather, other diagnostic tools are necessary. As opposed to many other spectrum disorders, clinical depression must rely heavily upon inference based upon the symptoms of the depression that the physician is able to note. In such an aspect, it becomes incumbent upon the patient and the doctor have a very clear form of therapeutic discussion in which the patient seeks to reveal the overall state of the help by speaking candidly with their doctor with regards to the depression symptoms and realities that they are facing. Further, is necessary for the individual to integrate and understand the scope of their symptoms and the realities that they portend. As presented in the film, this necessity for acceptance and realization is one of the primal factors that affect the protagonist. Although he originally checked himself in to the emergency room with the understanding that he had an issue and was borderline suicidal, he nonetheless faced problems with integrating with the complete understanding of the gravity of the situation which it described medical health professionals. Further with regards to the film, it was ultimately the healthcare professional, and not the individual, the was able to impress upon him the full gravity and importance of the symptoms that had driven them to commit himself to the emergency room the first place. Etiology The etiology of this together case of depression is explained within the film to the fact that the protagonist is under a monumental amount of self-imposed and extra environmental stress. The stress is born partly from the pre-professional advanced high school that he attends, his fears and worries over application to prestigious summer school, his shortcomings as compared to his friends, and an overbearing father who pressures him at each and every turn. Any of these particular situations might necessarily lend character to exhibit signs of clinical depression in and of themselves. However, the viewer is made intimately aware of the fact that taken as a whole, all of these factors work together in order to create a situation for the protagonist that is seemingly inescapable (Lara, 2012). Added to this, the protagonist also is that a developmentally challenged phase in his adolescent life. This is evidenced through the guilt, rejection, and stress/pressure that he feels with relation to his somewhat nonexistent love life. Taken as a whole, all of these situations speed on one another and even if one particular aspect of the aforementioned causal factors is reduced from day-to-day, the others seem to be compounded and work to worsen the clinical depression that is realized. Social Factors: Naturally, seeking to understand the theology of the given situation without placing a supreme level of focus upon social aspects of the individual’s life would be to miss the broader picture. Accordingly, viewer is made painfully aware of the fact that nearly every aspects of the clinical depression that is realized is brought on due to the pressures and stresses that the different social groups the main character interacts with places upon them. With respect to his father, the social pressure is realized it fact you continually pushes him to exceed beyond his comfort zone, with respect to his classmates, the social pressures are born from an increased and heightened as well as unhealthy sense of competition, and from the romantic aspect, the social pressures can be realized as a result of the fact that it is understood and applied that any normal young man should be in a relationship at his age. Treatment: An interesting aspect of the film is the treatment plan that is prescribed is not concentric upon pharmaceutical intervention. Rather, intervention is affected by allowing the protagonist to come to the realization that he is currently suffering from clinical depression. As a result of this realization, the protagonist is able to integrate with and understand the different actions that are necessary for him to take in order to correct, treat, and lower the prevalence and incidence of this particular depression within his own life. Such an approach within the movie is refreshing due to the fact that it is very rare that a film will capture the essence of how realization in and of itself can be one of the most effective means towards treating clinical depression without the need for the intervention of pharmaceuticals (Schwarzbaum, 2010). This is not say that film takes any standpoint against such utilization; rather, it merely focuses upon a unique form of depression can be treated with an individual who is both aware that cognizant of the threats that it opposes. Conclusion: Whereas many films deal with issues related to clinical depression and something of a flippant or incomplete manner, the figure film in question is useful due to the fact that it seeks to engage the viewer with regards to the full depth and complexity that clinical depression can have on the individual sufferer. However, if there is a drawback that has been noted in the course of this research, it can be said that it seems to simplify depression in terms of something that is merely necessary for the individual themselves to admit and come to grips with in order to rectify. Oftentimes, such as in plastic approach is not relevant or helpful for the individual suffering with severe clinical depression. In such cases, pharmaceutical intervention in other means of advanced therapy is necessary in order to affect even a small change with regards to the symptoms that are being exhibited. References Kelly, M. A., Morse, J. Q., Stover, A., Hofkens, T., Huisman, E., Shulman, S., Eisen, S. V., Becker, S. J., Weinfurt, K., Boland, E., &Pilkonis, P. A. (2011). Describing depression: Congruence between patient experiences and clinical assessments. British Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 50(1), 46-66. doi:10.1348/014466510X493926 Lara, F. (2012). Movie Review: "It's Kind of a Funny Story". Journal Of Creativity In Mental Health, 7(3), 304-307. Schwarzbaum, L. (2010). It's Kind of a Funny Story. Entertainment Weekly, (1124), 61. Read More