Introduction
The mental health of individuals has always been one of the important issues impacting society. People have an extremely complex psyche, fundamental to their ability to socialize, interact with others, and evolve. At the same time, regardless of the much attention devoted to the aspect, the sphere of mental health offers numerous challenges to researchers trying to investigate it. Many conditions are complex, require unique care, and cannot be effectively treated due to a lack of knowledge.
For this reason, the field has a mysterious atmosphere that attracts individuals globally. In art, the themes of madness, consciousness, and mental diseases are also topical. For instance, in the movie “Conspiracy Theory,” the main character demonstrates behaviors that might indicate a severe illness. Jerry Fletcher has paranoid personality disorder complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder, which results from his complex past and the events occurring in the movie.
Plot Summary
The movie’s plot is essential for understanding the main character’s personality and the motifs of his actions. Jerry Fletcher is a conspiracy theorist who works as a taxi driver in New York (Donner, 1997). He shares his ideas with Alice Sutton, a lawyer at the Justice Department, who is trying to find out who killed her father (Donner, 1997). Jerry is highly suspicious of everything, as he is convinced that the government and the CIA are watching him.
However, his ideas are considered insane, and no one believes in them. At the start, it seems that Jerry has a severe mental disease that impacts his behavior. However, it turned out that his paranoia was justified as the CIA and other agencies really tried to catch him. In this way, the plot illustrates how external pressure combined with internal problems can lead to the development of mental health issues.
Manifestations of Pathological Behaviors
Watching the video, it is possible to notice that Jerry Fisher has numerous manifestations of pathological behaviors that might be associated with a paranoid personality disorder. First, he is suspicious and finds hidden meanings in events that seem ordinary to others. He also doubts the commitment and trustworthiness of others in most cases, which might be one of the symptoms of the disease (“Paranoid personality disorder,” 2022).
Moreover, he collects information about various global events and identifies connections between them to support his theories. Jerry conceals this aspect of his life as he is sure that the CIA or other agencies will come to arrest or kill him. At the same time, he shows some signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as he wants to structure everything, has obsessions, and needs to structure everything (Thamby & Khanna, 2019). In this way, Jerry can be described as a person who exhibits numerous symptoms that might be used to diagnose a specific disease.
Diagnosis
In this way, the set of symptoms outlined above can be used to diagnose Jerry and select among possible conditions. The movie portrays a person with an altered personality and specific behavioral uses, which is a typical sign of mental conditions (Donner, 1997). Furthermore, Jerry has difficulties remembering his past and responds to the stressors, such as flashes of light, with flashbacks and stressful behaviors (Donner, 1997).
Finally, he has obsessions that might impact his ordinary activities. Jerry is reserved; he has transformed his room into an isolated space that others cannot access, and he has several escape routes available. In such a way, the symptoms might be used to diagnose Jerry with paranoid personality disorder (PPD) complicated by OCD.
Diagnosing the mental condition can be performed using the DSM-5 manual and specific ICD codes. Thus, PPD is linked to Cluster A personality disorders 301.0, ICD code F60.0 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Thus, the pattern of persuasive distrust and suspiciousness is one of the major diagnostic features that can be found in Jerry (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In many cases, PPD can be associated with schizophrenia because of the phenomenological similarity of the suspiciousness (Lee, 2017).
However, it is another type of personality disorder that has its unique peculiarities and manifestations. The lack of trust in others and psychotic episodes as a response to stress are critical factors that might indicate the emergence and development of the condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Furthermore, personality disorders such as PPD are a common comorbidity in OCD, meaning that the systems might overlap and complicate the overall situation (Thamby & Khanna, 2019). In such a way, the DSM diagnostic manual and the information about the disease help to diagnose Jerry with PPD as a possible mental condition.
Psychological Model
Furthermore, the psychological model of mental disorder can be applied to understand Jerry’s case and the symptoms manifested by him. The framework states that managing, understanding, and treating the disease requires considering both social and biological factors that impact an individual (Kinderman, 2005). In other words, a person experiences the impact of both internal and external factors on their mentality and behaviors (Hogan, 2019). Numerous stressors existing in the external environment might correlate with the person’s cognition and precondition the emergence of changes that should be addressed to avoid further complications.
Thus, Jerry Fletcher’s case is complicated by the fact that little is known about his past. The movie does not reveal his childhood or any stressful events. The only information is that he was a participant in the Project MKUltra, which focused on preparing assassins for the CIA (Donner, 1997). In such a way, the genetics and biological factors remain unclear. There is no information about prenatal damage, brain defects, injuries, or substance abuse, which are biological factors (Kinderman, 2005).
Jerry seems healthy at first glance, with no signs of severe brain damage. However, his participation in the secret program, implying the use of psychotics to alter his psyche, was the central reason for triggering the development of paranoia and suspiciousness. In such a way, his fears are not unreasonable as the CIA and other agencies try to control his life. However, they lead to the development of pathologies that require treatment.
The psychological, social, and cognitive factors are also essential for understanding Jerry’s behavior and disease. As stated previously, participation in the secret program could be a critical stressor affecting his cognitive processes. Moreover, the order to kill Alice Sutton’s father resulted in more significant stress and problems with memory, as well as a desire to stop thinking about traumatic events and experiences.
In such a way, Jerry’s disease can be viewed as a combination of social, biological, and cognitive factors. The suspiciousness and PPD emerged because of the real reasons; however, the obsessive behaviors, fear, trust issues, and the desire to prove the existence of global issues, such as attempts to kill the President by using a space shuttle, can be the manifestations of the disease and the further deterioration of Jerry’s condition.
Treatment
PPD requires specific treatment and behavior modifications to ensure a person can socialize and interact with other community members. In many cases, medication or pharmacological treatment is not the primary choice when working with patients. Their effects are doubted, and only in limited cases can anti-anxiety and antipsychotic drugs be used to address high aggression levels. Thus, in most cases, psychotherapy is the preferred option (“Paranoid personality disorder,” 2022).
Using this approach is complex, as patients with PPD have trust issues and do not start treatment on their own (“Paranoid personality disorder,” 2022). However, methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have been shown to yield positive results. CBT may help modify Jerry’s behavior, address his past traumas, and manage feelings of shame (Lee, 2017). The approach is a potent tool to reduce paranoia and suspiciousness in clients (Agbor et al., 2020). Establishing trustworthy relationships is another important goal of treatment, as it helps to discuss problems affecting the patient and creates the basis for future improvement.
Conclusion
Altogether, “Conspiracy Theory” portrays a character who suffers from a serious mental condition. Jerry Fletcher is highly suspicious, does not trust those around him, and is convinced that the CIA and other agencies are monitoring him. These manifestations can be considered symptoms of paranoid personality disorder that result in a behavior change. From the psychological model of disease, Jerry’s state can result from biological and social factors such as stress and attempts to alter his psyche.
Thus, the treatment might imply using psychotherapy, specifically CBT, as the most effective method of establishing trust and modifying behaviors. In general, PPD is challenging to treat because of the clients’ unwillingness to seek help and share with the specialist. For this reason, the movie introduces a case that can be discussed from a psychological perspective and might be interesting for discussion.
References
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American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM-5 (5th ed). American Psychiatric Association.
Donner, R. (1997). Conspiracy Theory. Warner Bros.
Hogan, J. (2019). Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 191(1), E16–E18.
Kinderman, P. (2005). A psychological model of mental disorder. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 13(4), 206–217.
Lee, R. (2017). Mistrustful and misunderstood: A review of paranoid personality disorder. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 4(2), 151–165.
Paranoid personality disorder. (2022). Cleveland Clinic.
Thamby, A., & Khanna, S. (2019). The role of personality disorders in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(1), 114–118.