The character I will be assessing for bipolar I disorder is Pat Solatano from David O. Russell’s film Silver Linings Playbook. Based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria available in the course textbook and focusing on class lectures, I will be using evidence from the film to present the diagnostic threshold for bipolar I disorder. The character Pat Solatano, displays a good representation of the symptoms associated with bipolar I disorder including manic episodes. He also meets the diagnostic criteria such as decreased need for sleep and flight of ideas.
Bipolar I disorder is a subtype of bipolar disorder involving an individual having one or more manic episodes with or without one or more major depressive episodes (Harkness, 2015). One key …show more content…
Pat portrays decreased need for sleep especially in the beginning of the movie, and thus results in reckless behavior. One example is the scene where Pat cannot sleep because he insists on finding his old wedding video. His mood in this scene also becomes very irritable and violent, pushing his mother to the ground and screaming so loud that his neighbors call the police. In the film we also see the symptoms of pressured speech. For example in the scene where he reads Ernest Hemingway 's A Farewell to Arms, Pat is so disturbed with the ending of the novel that he throws the book out of the window smashing it to pieces. Afterwards he wakes up his parents at 4am and rants about how the book was so disturbing. Another important symptom of mania evident in the film is flight of ideas and racing thoughts. In one instance, when Pat sees the vice principal of the school he previously worked at, he is obsessed with finding out information about his ex-wife Nikki. However, once the vice principal mentions his weight loss, Pat quickly changes his thoughts and speech and is very thankful and appreciative over the compliment he just received, forgetting about the previous conversation regarding …show more content…
For instance, Pats father Pat Sr. exhibits some indicators of OCD. For example, in the film Pat Sr. is always lining up the remotes a certain way or making sure Pat is with him when he watches the football games as he thinks his sons presence will make the eagles win. A family member who already has a type of disorder may help to explain another family members vulnerability to their disorder, such that Pat’s fathers OCD may contribute to Pat’s prognosis of bipolar disorder as forms of mental illness are often hereditary (Harkness, 2015). Another prognostic indicator is certain risk factors associated with the disorder. One major risk factor associated with Pats bipolar disorder is stressful life events. For example, Pats bipolar disorder was brought on after witnessing his wife cheat on him with a coworker. Stressful life events increase anxiety and irritability, which Pat portrays throughout the film (Harkness, 2015). Stressful life events also generate fighting and arguing due to their maladaptive interpersonal behaviors (Harkness, 2015). In many scenes with Pats parents, he is often arguing with them at the start, which then leads to one of his manic episodes such as excessive ragging, yelling, and disruption of property such as breaking windows and throwing bookshelves to the ground during the scenes where he meets with his weekly
Bipolar I disorder is a subtype of bipolar disorder involving an individual having one or more manic episodes with or without one or more major depressive episodes (Harkness, 2015). One key …show more content…
Pat portrays decreased need for sleep especially in the beginning of the movie, and thus results in reckless behavior. One example is the scene where Pat cannot sleep because he insists on finding his old wedding video. His mood in this scene also becomes very irritable and violent, pushing his mother to the ground and screaming so loud that his neighbors call the police. In the film we also see the symptoms of pressured speech. For example in the scene where he reads Ernest Hemingway 's A Farewell to Arms, Pat is so disturbed with the ending of the novel that he throws the book out of the window smashing it to pieces. Afterwards he wakes up his parents at 4am and rants about how the book was so disturbing. Another important symptom of mania evident in the film is flight of ideas and racing thoughts. In one instance, when Pat sees the vice principal of the school he previously worked at, he is obsessed with finding out information about his ex-wife Nikki. However, once the vice principal mentions his weight loss, Pat quickly changes his thoughts and speech and is very thankful and appreciative over the compliment he just received, forgetting about the previous conversation regarding …show more content…
For instance, Pats father Pat Sr. exhibits some indicators of OCD. For example, in the film Pat Sr. is always lining up the remotes a certain way or making sure Pat is with him when he watches the football games as he thinks his sons presence will make the eagles win. A family member who already has a type of disorder may help to explain another family members vulnerability to their disorder, such that Pat’s fathers OCD may contribute to Pat’s prognosis of bipolar disorder as forms of mental illness are often hereditary (Harkness, 2015). Another prognostic indicator is certain risk factors associated with the disorder. One major risk factor associated with Pats bipolar disorder is stressful life events. For example, Pats bipolar disorder was brought on after witnessing his wife cheat on him with a coworker. Stressful life events increase anxiety and irritability, which Pat portrays throughout the film (Harkness, 2015). Stressful life events also generate fighting and arguing due to their maladaptive interpersonal behaviors (Harkness, 2015). In many scenes with Pats parents, he is often arguing with them at the start, which then leads to one of his manic episodes such as excessive ragging, yelling, and disruption of property such as breaking windows and throwing bookshelves to the ground during the scenes where he meets with his weekly