Mental disorders are often a source of inspiration for artists, writers and filmmakers. There are many different movies that feature psychiatric diseases, such as Silver Linings Playbook.
Last week, I saw this movie and I got to thinking how difficult it must be to accurately portray a mental disorder in a fictive film. Consequently, I wanted to zoom in on this particular movie and the mental illness incorporated: bipolar disorder.
Silver Linings playbook is an Oscar-winning romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell based on a novel by Matthew Quick. Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a man with bipolar disorder who is released from a psychiatric hospital to move back in with his parents. He wants to win back his estranged wife, and meets recently widowed Tiffany Maxwell who suffers from depression. She offers to help him with his wife in exchange for entering a dance competition with her. Pat and Tiffany develop a quirky relationship in which they find themselves and deal with their problems. (Silver Linings Playbook, 2011)
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by periods of elevated mood and periods of depression, so patients experience very high ups and very low downs. (Anderson, Haddad, Scott, 2012) In every patients, a mental disorder is different and diagnosis is often very complicated. In the character of the movie, Pat, bipolar disorder appears to manifest itself primarily in aggressive outbursts. Some clinicians might disagree with the accuracy of the portrayal of the mental disorders in the films, others do find it a realistic representation. In the beginning of the movie, Pat is in denial about his mental disease, which is a quite common symptom in patients that are mentally ill, because these people often have a distorted perception of reality. (Hello! Magazine, 2013) However, the happy ending the movie has might give the public the image that love can heal mental disorders.
Silver Linings playbook tries to shine a positive light on mental illnesses, by showing how beneficial it can be for patients if they are not afraid of mental illness, not hiding the disease and if they have social support. Social support is probably the most important treatment in people with psychiatric illnesses, especially since mental diseases can isolate people. In the movie, Pat eventually gets motivated to take his medication by realizing who his true love is. Furthermore, this film sends the message that psychiatric diseases can affect ordinary people in normal domestic settings, which is an important matter to realize.
I wanted to talk about this topic, because I think a movie like this can help people understand mental disorders. This blog is all about understanding mental health, and if fiction could help people understand mentally ill patients, maybe the production and presenting of films featuring psychiatric diseases should be stimulated. Silver Linings playbook makes the issues of mental illness easy to perceive, to reflect upon and to discuss, and hopefully it helps with the combat against stigma mental disorders often bring.
By Violette
Anderson, I., Haddad, P., Scott, J. (2012) Bipolar disorder, BMJ:345. doi:10.1136/bmj.e8508.
Hello! Magazine. (2013) HELLO! Online speaks to Dr Linda Papadopoulos about ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and bipolar disorder. Retrieved May 15, 2015 via http://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2013022211294/silver-linings-playbook-linda-papadopoulos/
Silver Linings Playbook (2011) Retrieved from Wikipedia, May 15, 2015 via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Linings_Playbook
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