Movie Review on: As Good As It Gets (1997)
After watching one of the assigned movies, you will write about one of the characters in the
movie that you feel may meet criteria for a mental illness discussed in class thus far (e.g.,
depression, an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, etc.) as well as other issues (addressed below).
An outline of information you should include in your paper is given below:
Part I. The character
Provide a description of the character you plan on analyzing (e.g., demographic info,
social environment, stressors, any background info, etc).
Indicate which diagnosis you suspect the character might have
Part II. The diagnosis
Detail the DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis. Do not copy verbatim from the DSM-5 — use
your own words!
Describe, from your observation, why you think the character meets specific criteria
(examples are very important!). Also indicate if there is not enough information to
know whether certain criteria are met. What limitations in functioning did the character
depict?
o Note: Try to focus on the primary diagnosis (if you feel that the person meets
criteria for multiple diagnoses). After providing the above information, briefly
mention what other diagnoses might be present and why.
Part III. If the character were your patient/client…
Briefly identify what type of treatment you think might benefit the person and why.
What barriers to treatment might this character encounter (e.g., lack of social support or
financial resources, stigma)?
Part IV. Your take on how the illness was portrayed
Do you feel that the fictional portrayal was accurate / inaccurate? Why? Provide
examples.
What stereotypes of mental illness do you feel were illustrated?
What attitude toward mental illness do you feel the writer portrays?
Do you feel that this film is helpful in educating the public about mental illness?
Do you feel that this film continues the stigma of mental illness or helps to decrease it?
The purpose of this assignment is threefold: (1) to increase your understanding of diagnoses in
the DSM-5; (2) to add a human dimension to a diagnosis (at least, more than what a textbook
might provide); and (3) to increase your awareness of how mental illnesses are portrayed in
popular media.
