Discussion Post: Psychological Disorder in a Creative Work
Find a creative work that portrays at least one psychological disorder. There are many different options for the types of creative work you could choose to analyze: movies, TV series, documentaries, plays, non-academic books, video games, podcasts, etc.
The requirement is that whatever you choose, it is a non-academic creative/informational source that is intended for the general public (not a peer-reviewed academic source such as a professional journal article, or an academic textbook).
Some example psychological disorders you might encounter in various creative works: schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, phobia, OCD, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia, etc.
You also need to also find and refer to at least one academic source besides the creative work itself in evaluating the disorder portrayal. The source can be our textbook and/or any other reliable source.
Once you have identified a creative work, do the following:
• Briefly describe the main events and/or idea of the creative work (movie/series/book/game/podcast etc). This does not have to be a detailed plot description, and please no spoilers of critical events. If a spoiler is essential for discussing the psychological disorder(s), include a spoiler warning for students who don't want the critical events to be revealed to them. Also provide some relevant general information about the creative work that can help others find this source if they'd like to check it out (e.g. year, director, country of origin, possibly some names of actors or characters, website link, etc.) Feel free to also recommend or not recommend the creative work if you wish.
• Identify the psychological disorder(s) portrayed in the creative work and critically evaluate the portrayal of the disorder(s). Based on what you learn from reliable academic sources, how accurately is the disorder portrayed? Describe the official diagnosis and typical symptoms of the disorder, and then compare them to the portrayal in the creative work. How realistically is the disorder represented based on the knowledge you have acquired? What improvements and/or clarifications related to the portrayal should be made in the creative work, if any?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.