Take 5
Ayushi Y -
Hey Everyone!
This week I looked into reviews and articles on the movies American Psycho and the Roommate. In American Psycho, the main character, Patrick Bateman, is never clearly diagnosed with a mental disorder so I was researching to see how other viewers/ psychiatrists would diagnose him. I found a large variety of diagnoses for this specific character which include but are not limited to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Schizotypal Personality Disorder. The fact that there are multiple different diagnoses out there shows that this is a vague illustration of mental health that leads to a multitude of differing opinions. Bateman is a violent and unhinged character and connecting his name with a bunch of different disorders causes viewers to unintentionally connect these disorders with aggressive tendencies. Also The term “psycho” is derogatory and might be received differently by viewers. Being “psychotic” during the time the novel was published was a medical term for having a mental illness but is no longer a diagnosis, therefore if a spectator watching the movie in 2016 identifies with having a mental impairment, the usage of the word may offend them.
You can read more about the diagnoses and takes on these websites:
- https://silverscreendisability.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/controversial-disability-narrative-in-2000-film-american-psycho/
- https://discover.hubpages.com/education/Analysis-of-American-Psycho-and-Abnormal-Psychology
- https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/psychological-disorders-in-american-psycho/
In The Roommate, the antagonist, Rebbecca Evans, likely has a form of bipolar disorder. The movie tells us that she has a mental illness by using the line, “She is taking her medications, right?” This movie exaggerates the symptoms that those with this disorder may have. The way it’s shown causes the stigma that mentally ill individuals are more likely to be violent and rash. This blog post is from the point of view of someone with a mental illness and illustrates how such movies affect mental health stigma.
Thank you for reading this week’s blog post!
Ayushi Yadav