Melvin Udall's Anxiety In 'As Good As It Gets'

Borkovec and Roemer (1995) concluded from their study that individuals with anxiety disorders viewed their anxiety as something that motivates them, prepares them for all possibilities, and helps them to problem solve ways of avoiding negative events. The authors recognize that this might be the subject’s post hoc explanation for their anxiety. I believe that this could absolutely be the case. Anxious people tend to overthink everything, examining all possible scenarios. By rationalizing their thoughts in this way they may feel comforted and like their anxiety may be helpful to them in some way. In the movie “As Good As It Gets” (1997) the main character, Melvin Udall, suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It appears that Melvin views his anxiety as helpful and sees nothing wrong with the way he is living his life. He has developed a specific set of regimented behaviors he must complete to avoid feelings of anxiety. Most of his anxiety seems to stem from an over concern about germs and uncleanliness. These concerns drive him to the point of bringing his own plastic silverware to restaurants and needing to wash his hands in scolding hot water with a new bar of soap a certain number of times before he feels “clean.” He also has a set of superstitious behaviors he engages in, such as not stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk. In …show more content…
They raise a valid point that there could possibly be an upside to having anxious thoughts. However, individuals should be educated that when their anxiety levels are so high that it is interfering with their typical functioning, work must be done to begin to change those thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Further research should address whether switching the viewpoint of anxiety from harmful to helpful plays any role in decreasing the levels of anxiety to a more manageable