Introduction
Terry Gilliam’s films have always been known for being full of dreamers as characters, pitting crazy fantasy against the rationalized society. Yet again we saw a film that transforms a modern tale in such a way that we realize once again that man without dreams is meaningless. Fisher King a fantastic movie, is full of psychological disorders. In the film Perry was a professor of history, but a little crazy. Perry, who shot his wife, turns out to be the guy getting advice in a radio Lucas, and John understands that Perry pulled reason for it. In this paper, we will analyze the treatment plan based on the DSM TR diagnosis of the main character Perry.
Discussion
DSM-IV-TR version was introduced in the year 2000. American Psychological Association is currently in the process of coming out with DSM-V (www.apa.org). The five different dimensions explained in DSM-IV-TR include:
- Axis-1: Clinical Syndromes: Psychological disorders arising out of adjustment, anxiety, and pervasive developmental come under this category.
- Axis II: Personality and Mental Retardation: If the Axis-1 disorders get overlooked, then it leads to Axis-II with serious impairment in intellectual skills and interpersonal abilities.
- Axis-III: Medical Condition: Physical and medical conditions with worsening Axis-I&II conditions leads to this conditions. Some physical injuries also occur during this stage.
- Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems: Social or environmental problems like unemployment, divorce, relocation etc. arising out of psychological disorders is categorized under this axis.
- Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning: This axis allows the clinical psychologist to assess the client’s condition.
Story of “The Fisher King” is the story of two men who joined Destiny because of a fatal tragedy. Jack Lucas is a cocky and self-centered radio host who treats his radio listeners as mere dupes. Rallying against society and sensationalizing the issues he’d call upon listeners with promises for fame and the possibility of appearing on television (movies.nytimes.com). Parry, another character, is a beggar that plagues the city (Nichols, Kathleen L. 2008). This man’s life is more tragic than it seems, because their insanity is a way to escape the cruel reality that he took his wife’s life one night when they dined at a restaurant (Pies, 2001).
Description of Main Character
There are two main characters in the story, Jack Lucas, Radio announcer and Perry, a resident of the street that has mental problems (movies.nytimes.com).
- Jack Lucas: Radio broadcaster is self-centered, proud, vain, consuming drugs, and alcohol shows hatred and contempt for the people while often referring to people in derogatory terms, and suffering from disturbances in mood. He was responsible indirectly in the slaughter at the bar, which generated more problems, feelings of guilt.
- Perry: Inhabitant of the street, having serious mental problems, which has worsened after the loss of his wife whom he loved very much. Perry is a man who shows feelings of affection towards other people. He believed God has chosen him for a mission which is to regain the cup, “the holy grail”. Perry helps a person find his human feelings and to show life from a different perspective (LaGravenese, Richard, 1991).
Case Assessment
In the case, of Perry has said that his mental problems are severe paranoia and schizophrenia. Further into this fact we can see that:
Paranoia
Paranoia haunts some people at some stage of mental illness, known especially as bipolar affective disorder or schizophrenia and paranoia sometimes comes as a disease and not an offer to the disease. It is a term describing a state of Psychiatric Mental Health characterized by the presence of delusions, self-referential. More specifically it can be referred as an acute sensation such as being chased by uncontrollable forces (delusions of persecution) or be chosen for missions like saving the world (Nichols, Kathleen L. 2008). In the character of Perry, it is clear that paranoia manifested in delusions of jealousy in erotomanic delusions, somatic delusions, etc., is a chronic disorder, with varying degrees of virulence occasional, occurring mainly in individuals with personality traits like pride, selfish and distrustful (Murray, 1995). In the movie ‘Fisher King’ meaning of the term has changed over time, and therefore, different psychiatrists can analyze it as different state of mind. The best modern diagnostic for paranoia is “delusional disorder”. In the case of Perry, we clearly see that this character fits into the persecution complex which believed to be the chosen one by God for a great mission (Pies 2001).
If paranoia results into mental illness, such as bipolar affective disorder, then a person must admit the patient to a psychiatric hospital or department to address the psychological causes of the disease (Widiger, 2000). Patient like Perry may be given anti-psychotic drugs, and sedative drugs in order to provide him rest from the hyperactivity, so that he is not subjected to excessive stress. Such a patient should continue treatment for a long time. Psychotherapy is successful only if such patient sees the doctor as an aid. Since it is difficult for a paranoid person to ‘reason out’ the right and wrong, Perry may consider the doctor as his enemy and want to harm him (Pies, 2001). Other family members can participate in therapy, but only if the patient realizes that the only goal is to help. When psychotherapy is effective, the person learns to find situations that strengthen their self-esteem and avoid those with the potential to consolidate their delusions. Among the alternative therapies that can help are: dance, psychodrama, meditation and pet therapy. They provide relaxation, confidence building and allow the internal display to reflect and identify the source of fear (Murray, 1995).
Schizophrenia
It describes a group of signs and symptoms that are present in some people, characterized by a mutation sustained in various aspects of mental functioning of individuals. In the movie, Perry displays the consciousness of reality, and complex neuropsychological disorganization, with particular executive functions, which leads to the difficulty in maintaining distinguished motivated behavior goals, and significant social dysfunction. Perry usually shows a disorganized thinking (associative looseness) delirium, usually perceptual disturbances (hallucinations), affective disorders (in the mind and emotions) and behavior. Schizophrenia symptom variations suggest that it would be several disorders, not just one (Carson, 1991).
Modern drug therapy of schizophrenia has left a long time in the past, popular in the eighties, antipsychotics and antidepressants. Today, the use of haloperidol for the treatment of schizophrenia, triftazin, tsiklodola, imipramine and amitriptyline is even more evident in low-skilled physician and a large number of complications in the patient’s various organs, especially if the latter takes some of the drugs for a long time. Experience in treatment of this disease shows the importance of using modern drugs for this purpose, which is used for the tissues of the brain metabolic effects: mild rant, meksidol, Valium, Cerebrolysin, mil Gama (Bennett. 2010).
Modern biological treatment of schizophrenia is necessarily carried out under the control of hormonal status of the patient, his assessment of the neurophysiologic and psycho physiological indicators. There are resistances to therapy, a form of schizophrenia. But, the intensity of resistance is not so much, and there are ways to overcome this resistance. The laser irradiation of blood, light therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy are some of the means to overcome this resistance. Again, here is a question of the precise clinical diagnosis of the disease, implying a prediction of its course. It is totally unacceptable to the patient like Perry with schizophrenia and having spent long time psychiatric hospital. Nausea acute schizophrenic state is possible within two – three weeks and then needs a full medical, psychological and social rehabilitation of the patient (Widiger, 2000).
Conclusion
This movie that starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams, did a splendid job in portraying different psychological disorders for characters like Jack Lucas and Perry. Both of them provided enough evidence to be diagnosed with psychological disorders. Whether it is from an exact life changing event or situation such as witnessing a loved one dying or job change or hardships, many things can simply affect the brain, and the way the person thinks. Most of these disorders are extremely common among people today. One criticism we make of the movie is that this is limited to presenting the story, showing the psychological traits of the character and mental disorders of Perry, without suggesting a treatment itself, or whether Perry finally is able to overcome this health problem. It suggests that Jack helped to win the love of Lydia and recover the Holy Grail, seems to stabilize the slow movement to a new facet of his life and perhaps to defeat the monster chasing his mental recovery. In Jack’s case, it was undisputed that he learnt to be a better man and recognized the love from Hann. Perhaps the treatment was given to Perry in the clinic where he was over drugs and which helped in the recovery process.
References
Maslin, A. (1991). Review/Film; A Cynic’s Quest for Forgiveness [Review of the film The Fisher King (1991)]. The New York Times. Web.
Bennett. (2010). Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: An Introductory Textbook. England: Open University Press.
Carson, R.C. (1991). Discussion: Dilemmas in the pathway of DSM-IV. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 302-307.
LaGravenese, R. (1991). The Fisher King: A Book of the Film. Introd. In T. Gilliam, Applause Screenplay Series. New York: Applause Theatre Book Publishers.
Murray, J. (1995). Prevention of anxiety and depression in vulnerable groups: a review of the theoretical, epidemiological, and applied research literature. London: Gaskell..
Nichols, K. L. (2008). Healing the Fisher King (Part IV). Arthurian Legends Illustrated. Pittsburg: Pittsburg State University.
Pies, R. (2001). Psychiatry in the Media: The Vampire, the Fisher King, and the Zaddik. Journal of Mundane Behavior, 2 (1).
Widiger, T.A., & Sankis, L.M. (2000). Adult psychopathology: Issues and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 377-404.