As Good as It Gets Movie Analysis

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Abnormal Psychology Week 6: Anxiety Disorders Movie Paper #1: As Good As it Gets Summary: As Good as it Gets (1997) is about an author named Melvin Udall. Melvin is a loner who never leaves his home unless it is to go and eat at the same restaurant. Melvin does not socialize or even speak to people in general. His life continues this way until he learns of a young boy’s severe illness, which he becomes obsessed with helping. This significant life changing event makes him detour from his current life of solitude and loneliness and he becomes obsessed with helping him. This significant detour in his life, from the way he was for so many years, actually allows him to finally care somewhat about other people and other things that he had never cared about before. This life changing experience even allowed him to fall in love. Introduction of Mental Illness: In As Good as it Gets (1997), Melvin has been diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). A person who is diagnosed with OCD shows recurrent patterns of obsessions or compulsions, or a combination of both. Per Nevid (2012), obsessions are nagging, persistent thoughts that create anxiety and seem beyond the person’s ability to control. Compulsions are apparent, irresistible repetitious urges to perform certain behaviors, such as repeated hand washing. Melvin’s constant and compulsion to having t eat at the same place, sit at the same table and have the same waitress, as well as bring his own plastic eating utensils exhibit the same obsessive behaviors as associated with this diagnosis. I feel that OCD was an accurate diagnosis for Melvin, which includes Social Anxiety Disorder. I feel that Melvin fits this diagnosis because he avoids social interactions altogether, and only faces them when absolutely necessary, and even then, he does so with great distress. To me, he seems to fit the

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