For this assignment, you will write a 2- to 3-page double-spaced expository paper (excluding the title and reference page), exploring a fictional

movie character who is displaying abnormal behavior that could be considered indicative of a mental illness.

You may choose a character from the movie list below or use another character of your choosing.

Name the movie and describe the character’s general behavior in question.

Identify and describe the symptoms of a mental illness that the

character is exhibiting (see DSM-5).

Referring to the DSM-5, the definition of abnormal behavior from the course textbook, and based on your observation of the character’s behavior in the movie, explain why the behavior appears to be abnormal?

Based on the DSM-5, which mental

 

disorder do you believe the character’s symptoms best represent?

Are there any indications that suggest the character may have a different mental disorder other than the one you have listed above?

If so, name the alternative disorders that could be a diagnosis and provide your reasoning. If not, explain why you dismissed other possible disorders over your chosen disorder.

Explain what social or cultural influences can make it difficult to identify symptoms of mental disorders. Was

the movie’s portrayal of the character convoluted or normalized making the distinction of abnormal behavior from that of normal behavior blurred?

For example, was the movie a comedy that joked about the character’s behavior, such as Jim Carrey in Me, Myself, and Irene?

Or was addictive behavior normalized?

Was behavior downplayed as simply teenage behavior gone “bad?

” Was behavior glamorized as a damsel in distress being saved by a hero?