Lauren Lester
Dr. Schwartz
October 2, 2014
Brief Assignment #1
The DSM­5 category that I have chosen to study is Bi­Polar Disorder. The media source that I chose to further explore this disorder is the movie
Silver Linings Playbook staring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. This movie was released November 16,
2012, so it is pretty recent. I chose this movie because I love the actress Jennifer
Lawrence, and also because the idea of the story was pretty interesting. Both of the main characters enter into a strange relationship based on the fact that they’re both bipolar.
One of the reasons I decided to choose this disorder is because it seems to be very common, but I am not aware of the symptoms and what life is like for the people who live with this disorder on daily basis. When I watched the movie, through the character, I was able to see what life may be like for someone with the disorder and see how the people and family react to their out bursts as well as the steps the characters in the movie had to take to keep their symptoms under control. The way that the movie
Silver Linings Playbook portrays the disorder has some similarities and some differences to how it is portrayed in the text. Based on the text, the
DSM­5 has a checklist that helps to diagnose whether the patient has bipolar disorder 1, bipolar disorder 2, or manic episodes. In the movie it is not clear which form the characters Tiffany and Pat suffer from, but based on their actions you are able to conclude that based on the DSM­5 they have bipolar 1. They both suffer from full manic and major depressive episodes with significant distress or impairment. Pat, a main

character of the movie is recently released from a psychiatric hospital after being committed by the court for 8 months because he assaulted his wife’s lover. Pat is diagnosed with bipolar disorder seems to show most symptoms whenever something dealing with his wife and her affair comes about. Pat’s outbursts, or his manic episodes usually involve violent or aggressive outbursts, which is not an uncommon symptom for someone suffering from bipolar disorder. But, during the movie we don’t really see Pat having any depressive episodes, which is a key symptom to the disorder. This makes for a better story line in the film, but isn’t really the case with most patients with the disorder. Pat actually fits the criteria for mania since you never actually see a purely depressive episode. This makes the film portrayed as more of a stereotype than a realistic depiction of the disorder. The treatment in the movie is somewhat similar to the real everyday treatment for the disorder. Some treatments for the disorder include psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or sometimes even herbal supplements.
One of the most common forms of psychotherapy used is cognitive behavioral therapy; this type of therapy helps people with the disorder by helping to change their negative thought patterns and behaviors. ECT, or shock therapy, seems to change the brain chemistry to help reverse certain symptoms of mental illness; with several treatments, improvement can be seen. In the movie
Silver Linings Playbook, Pat undergoes cognitive behavioral therapy. With his psychiatrist, Pat talks about the incident where he catches his wife having an affair and the emotions he felt. When Pat comes in for treatment the song that was playing when he caught his wife was playing in the background, and this made Pat really hostile. He began screaming at the secretary and throwing magazines all

over the floor. When he later goes into the room for his appointment, the therapist says that he had the song played on purpose to see if the song was still a trigger for him. Also, by the end of the movie the therapist starts to act really unprofessional by talking more about football and Pat’s liking of the Philadelphia Eagles then focusing on what needs to be discussed in their