The psychological phenomena depicted in the movie ‘As Good as It Gets’ includes obsessive-compulsive disorder which mainly interested me in doing a psychological analysis of this particular movie. Another psychological phenomenon presented in the movie is antisocial personality, where the misanthropic protagonist of the movie shows some of this personality trait. The movie also portrays homosexuality, and two of the secondary characters also have symptoms of depression.
Beginning with OCD, this movie does a great job in portraying its protagonist Melvin Udall as an obsessive-compulsive, who brings this mysterious disorder to the forefront of public consciousness. Interestingly, Melvin struggles with contamination-related obsessions and performs certain compulsions in retrospect. This is said to be the most common manifestation of OCD. Basically, Melvin is seen wearing gloves in public and frantically warning fellow pedestrians not to touch him. He prefers having breakfast in the same restaurant every day, at the same table, served by his favorite waitress but does not use the restaurant’s silverware, instead he brings his own plastic cutlery. Whenever Melvin returns to his sterile apartment, he immediately disposes of his gloves and is seen doing a multi-step cleansing ritual. He first washes his hands with scalding hot water and unwraps a brand new bar of soap, washes again, and discards countless bars of soap in the process. He is also seen having a shower with piping hot water for 3-4 hours at a stretch. In addition to the contamination-related OCD symptoms, he also performs certain compulsions like turning the light on and off five times, locking the door five times, and not stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk. This cinematic representation of psychopathology accurately depicts the functional interference and distress related to OCD, and also this disorder disrupts the eccentric man’s interpersonal and professional life. It is very interesting how he starts getting better at the end of the movie with little medication and a lovely bond to look forward to, which is exhibited almost at the end when he forgets to lock his door.
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Coming to the next psychological phenomena depicted in the movie, Melvin Udall clearly cannot be diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder but somehow manages to have the antisocial personality trait. Living life like a recluse, the novelist exhibits this personality throughout the movie. Firstly, he expresses such disdain for his neighbors and also locks up Simon’s dog in a garbage bin. Secondly, he lacks remorse for saying devastating things to people, including one of his fans. Melvin himself realized the fact that he preferred staying isolated and also confessed to Carol in the latter part of the movie that he is afraid of social interaction. As for his antisocial personality, Melvin also demonstrates deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability, and aggression. However, at the end of the movie, a lot of improvement is portrayed in the protagonist’s personality, he establishes a great bond with his neighbor Simon, and they stay together in one apartment. He also exhibits an everlasting love for Simon’s pet dog and has a unique relationship with his girlfriend Carol.
Two of the secondary characters, Simon Bishop and Carol Connelly, show symptoms of depression. Simon, a homosexual artist who loved to draw people in the most random situations, falls into depression because of an incident in his life where he was mugged and injured. He felt abandoned by his gay partner and his parents who deserted him at a very young age. Where depression was natural in such a situation, it was topped off by Simon’s bankruptcy. However, he was supported by Melvin at the time of crisis. Carol had a son whose illness was the main cause of her depression, her son meant everything to her and there are many instances in the movie where she seems depressed and agonized because of the situation Melvin Udall comes to her rescue, gets the best doctor in town and slowly her misery turns into happiness and an everlasting love for Melvin develops from her side putting the depression behind.
The person I would like to treat through counseling in the movie is Melvin Udall, the leading character who portrays sociological and psychological dysfunctional characteristics. As mentioned above Melvin suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and also has an antisocial personality trait. Despite the dysfunctional characteristics, Melvin portrayed a positive outcome at the end of the movie. He wanted to change his behavior or at least wanted to control his condition, which provides a great insight into his self-awareness towards the situation. OCD can be treated through various methodologies and psychotherapeutic methods, but according to me, Melvin would primarily benefit from cognitive behavior therapy using exposure and response prevention (ERP) and cognitive reconstruction.
In my first session of Melvin’s treatment, I would first explore all the obsessions he is having in his mind and also the compulsions or ritualistic behaviors performed by him in detail. I would also put all my skills learned in class to practice by helping Melvin identify and modify all the maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors. I would use open questions, probes, restatements, and reflection of feelings with lots of empathy. To begin with CBT, I would first start with exposure and response prevention.
Using the ERP treatment, I would help Melvin describe and then analyze the flawed thoughts occurring in his mind. Once the thoughts are out, and as the sessions keep progressing, I would intend to use the principle of exposing and helping Melvin imagine the stimuli that generate obsession and distress without letting him engage in his ritualistic activity. To treat his contamination-related symptoms, I would get different cutlery from various places, help him get over his anxiety and instruct Melvin to use it, and ask him to rate his experience on a scale of 1 to 10. Similarly, I would also empathically advise him to cut down his usage of soaps once he gets back to his apartment and reduce the period of his long showers. In this movie, since Melvin is seen as a person willing to cooperate and better his life, I would also try and educate him to step on the cracks of the sidewalk and question him about his feelings after.
Coming to cognitive reconstruction, I would directly challenge the client’s faulty beliefs and cognitive errors, helping him identify the thoughts leading to his compulsive behaviors. My goal would also be to help Melvin gain insight into his condition and his distorted thought patterns which hopefully would help in his betterment. In the counseling sessions, if I feel that Melvin would immensely improve with medications, I will also refer him to a psychiatrist to get his medicines right.
As Melvin Udall’s treatment for OCD progresses, I would also counsel him on his antisocial personality. Though Melvin does not have the disorder, treating his antisocial behaviors would benefit the client and help in his overall development. I would use psychotherapy in this case and get him to open up about his attitude toward everybody and what makes him perform in such a manner. Beginning with the incident of locking up Simon’s dog, I would explore his thoughts as to what led him to do this, as well as his feelings after performing the act. Also, making him realize that living a solitary life will worsen his condition would definitely give him something to take back and think about. I would also try and help him in his relationship with Carol and see to it that his personality does not interfere with this extraordinary relationship. As Melvin is seen living with Simon at the end of the movie, I would also like to challenge him about his feelings to know how he felt when he did not let his neighbor enter his apartment, as to now when he lives with his friend Simon and also with his favorite pet dog. I would also maintain a professional relationship and see to it that my client does not get dependent on me as he gets on Carol throughout the movie. Concluding each session with teaching some tips for building interpersonal relations and ideas to manage anxiety would definitely benefit Melvin Udall.
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