Mental Disorders In Silver Linings Playbook

The incidence of mental disorders, like bipolar disorder, in modern day society has increased drastically over recent years. As a direct result of the increasing number of new cases each year, its portrayal in our culture’s media through television shows, movies, and other sources has also increased. The film, Silver Linings Playbook, demonstrates this increasing portrayal of mental disorders in our society’s media, but more importantly brings up the question of whether this portrayal accurately represents these affected individuals or in reality just perpetuates the stigmas centering around those with mental disorders. By analyzing the behaviors, symptoms, and features of bipolar disorder exhibited by Pat Solitano’s character in this film, …show more content…
He frantically questioned his mom and unintentionally hit her in the face, leading to a violent fist fight with his dad and an argument that woke up the neighborhood. Only after a police officer arrived to settle the fight did he come to realize his mistake, which brought him to tears. This major mood swing from mania to depressed mood and feelings of intense guilt following this incident represents one of the few times Pat experienced a depressive episode in the film. Pat Solitano’s mental illness can be further characterized under the specific subcategory of bipolar I disorder because he only experienced a few periods of depression, of which did not meet the threshold for major depressive disorder. Pat’s unrealistic obsession with getting back together with his wife, Nikki, was also a cognitive symptom of his bipolar disorder. He refused to believe that their relationship was over and positively turned his life around by running to get in shape and becoming more disciplined by receiving dance lessons. This delusional goal, driven by manic episodes, also contributed to the …show more content…
Drastic mood swings from mania to depression, intrusive behavior, drive to succeed, impulsive acts of violence, and insomnia are all characteristics associated with bipolar I disorder that were truthfully depicted in this film through the actions of Pat. In addition, after watching the fight scene between the friends of Pat’s psychiatrist and the friends of Pat’s brother in the football parking lot, I truly believe that this film helps to remove stigmas centering on those with mental disorders. I was shocked to see that all of these people had engaged in such abnormal behavior by fighting over such a trivial issue and that Pat, the one person in that scene with a diagnosed mental disorder of which made him more vulnerable towards acts of violence, was the last member to take part in that fight. To me, this scene served to show how the line between abnormal and normal behavior can often be very difficult to determine and that we, as a society, should not judge someone for having a mental disorder as they are just victims to an illness. I also found the conversation between Pat and Tiffany regarding their medications and the side effects of these medications particularly interesting as it questioned our current medical system’s heavy reliance on medication to treat mental illnesses. I think the film did a great job expressing how those