Question

Some popular movies, television programs, and books portray people who are experiencing psychological disorders. (i) Please select a movie, TV, or literary character (either fictional or non-fictional) who is portrayed with one or more psychological disorders. (ii) Describe, discuss, and diagnose the problems experienced by the character, including your perspective on the possible origins of the problems. (iii) What is the basis for your diagnosis of the character? Be specific. (iv) How helpful is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) for determining your diagnosis. Explain.

Answer 1

The manner in which the character Monica of the popular show friends has been portrayed, fits in the category of obsessive compulsive disorder. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have persistent, upsetting thoughts (obsessions) and use rituals (compulsions) to control the anxiety these thoughts produce.

OCD has been described as one of the 10 most disabling disorders. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them. For example, if people are obsessed with germs or dirt, they may develop a compulsion to wash their hands over and over. With the exception of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), women have twice the risk for OCD as men in old. These factors are important in the etiology of OCD in the elderly, particularly at the symptom level, where high scores are associated with low socio-economic status , adverse life events and an inability to make use of effective coping strategies. Moreover, the character mentioned above tends to display many of the symptoms mentioned which hint at its diagnostic nature. For instance, her obsessive thoughts about cleaning, cooking, keeping things in a certain position at home, repeated and persisting thoughts of proving herself until reinforced, etc. Although it was shown in Rom-Com genre the symptoms appropriately fit in the category of DSM for the given disorder.