movie+project

Please see the list of movies on this website for this assignment. If your parents/guardians do not permit you to watch films with certain ratings, please do not use this assignment to go against their wishes.
 * Psychology Movie Project**

There is no real shortage of films concerning mental illness. Good ones are however in short supply. Choosing a movie because you saw it years ago is not a great way to find a good movie to analyze and write an excellent paper on. Choosing a movie because it is easy for you to get your hand on is not the best tactic either. From start to finish you have plenty of time to find, watch, analyze, and write. **The paper is due the 22nd****, at the start of class****.** You must get email approval on your film __if it is not on the list on this website.__ If it is on the list, you are good to go! ** Please do not interrupt class to ask if your movie is OK, email me the IMDB link when you ask since so many movies have the same name. **

You will receive a GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) to use to determine how your character is doing. You must fill it out for your character and give them a score. **This will be turned in with your paper.**

In class we will discuss how the DSM-5 works, what treatment plans are, and all that you need to know to complete this project. However, you must find and watch the movie on your own time.


 * Please pick a disorder from the list.** There are many other disorders out there, we didn't however learn about them so they will be more challenging to write about. Please follow the movie list and write about a personality disorder, depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, etc.


 * You are not creating a summary or review of the movie** ; you are analyzing the characters’ portrayal of or reactions to mental illness. To do this, you will address three components of the film: accuracy, treatment, and one component of your choice.


 * Accuracy of portrayal of mental illness** : how exactly is the character shown to be mentally ill? Be specific, how is the illness communicated to viewers and to other actors in the film? Does the film say what the condition is? What are the “typical” symptoms and how are they displayed. Did you have to “diagnose” the condition? How did you do this? You need to include diagnosis data for the illness that is depicted in the movie, make sure that this is DSM 5 accurate. (40% of the paper)

Here is a great resource: [|wiki of disorders from DSM 5] REMEMBER TO CITE YOUR SOURCES AND USE REPUTABLE SOURCES- ie not yahooanswers, or other encyclopedia websites. I really suggest NAMI, mayoclinic.org, other .org .edu etc. If you did not use any outside sources other than the wiki I posted, then you don't need to cite anything other than the movie, but I can't imagine you will do very well since you just made stuff up. Citations must be in APA style [|APA format] citation machine Know that most college classes use APA format so it is a good one to check out.
 * Treatment recommendations:** How was the illness “treated” in the movie you chose? What are the other treatments available? (especially if this movie is older, are there new therapies? What are they exactly?) Work to develop a possible treatment plan for this character, but long term goals and researched positive influences are a great start (hey, you aren’t a psychiatrist yet!). Do cite all sources used and stick to reputable sources. (40% of the paper)

Pick **one of the three** following points to address, choose one that applies to your film, if it doesn't apply, don't pick it: (20% of the paper)

or
 * ---Perpetuation of stigma:** What are the false/inaccurate statements or depictions of mental illness in the film that can lead to stigma (negative treatment, prejudice, bias against the mentally ill). Explain how the depiction in the movie could lead to stigma towards people in real life or explain how plain old stigma was shown towards a character in the movie.
 * ---Attitude change:** How did one or two characters in the film (be precise about who) change over time in their attitudes towards mental illness? Be precise in your analysis of the character's feelings. Maybe it is the person who has the disorder whose perspective has changed, or their parent or spouse. Note: **this is NOT about how __your__ attitude changed.** Write about an individual in the movie.

or
 * ---** **Complexity:** The movie you watched had some inaccurate aspects of depiction of the disorder and some accurate aspects and you want to discuss why there were issues with that. This could vary from character to character or in how they responded to treatment, it really depends on the movie. So many movies are great about one thing and then really awful about something else and this is where you can discuss that complexity in depicting mental illness, treatment, etc.

Because templates are so helpful!

**Para 1:** Introduction to movie and explain how mental illness was shown in the movie. Your thesis sentence within this para will indicate what your three points are going to be. This will be the only whiff of summary you have in the entire paper. Was the disorder depicted accurately? Which of the three points are you picking? What is your suggested treatment?

**Para 2-3ish:** Accuracy analysis of the movie: (Don't ask me how long things should be, I don't think that longer papers are better, I think that more evidence and analysis is better, you can do more or less, only your grade is at stake.) How is the character shown to be mentally ill? -be precise, describe how is the illness is communicated to viewers of the film, provide evidence. How did you “diagnose” the condition? Provide specific evidence (this isn't a formal paper, you can say "I") Include diagnosis criteria for the illness such as statistical prevalence (is it rare or common?) -cite sources- normal time of life for diagnosis, really get into why the diagnosis is what it is. A link for prevalence. Look up your disorder in the DSM 5 link to searchable DSM online Is the depiction "typical" for this disorder? Is your character higher or lower functioning than normal? Explain how the depiction of the condition is accurate or inaccurate. **Note that this does not say "summarize movie" anywhere in the directions.**

**Para 4ish:** Treatment analysis How is the illness “treated” in the movie? Describe whatever is shown or talked about, give specific examples. What treatments would have been done at the time if it is a movie set in the past or no treatment was provided? How would the character be treated today? (especially if this movie is older, are there new therapies?)

**Para 5ish-6ish:** Develop a possible treatment plan for this character, not specific medications or anything, but what kind of therapy(or therapies) do you suggest? (Cognitive, Behavioral, Psychoanalytic, Family/Group, Humanistic, CBT, Biomedical) What could be some long term goals for the person? REMEMBER TO CITE YOUR SOURCES AND USE REPUTABLE SOURCES

**Para 7ish-?:** Pick your third topic (complexity, or stigma, or change) and answer the relevant questions. Probably a paragraph, max two or three.

---No need to provide a summary paragraph, but it is a good rule of thumb to go back to your thesis sentence in the first para and make sure you hit all the points that you said you would address. Personally I always write my intro paragraph last...but I don't want to make anyone freak out. Then read the entire thing out loud, this is the way to catch grammatical errors. They don't count against you, but I judge you as a person for making errors in the only language you know how to communicate in effectively. Seriously, edit if you want to be taken seriously as a human being.

---You must include an APA (American Psychological Association) formatted bibliography in order to receive a grade on this assignment. Citation Machine link and how to do an APA bibliography link

---Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, don’t mess with the margins. Please create a cover page with title that also has your name on it. No need for a title elsewhere, but do number pages. No need for a shiny cover, save your cash.

As all of you have integrity, this is purely a formality, but if any piece of your writing is plagiarized, you will have earned no points on the assignment and your poor decision making (stealing, lying, cheating) will be reported to Ms. Deacon or Mr. Sheehan, your guidance counselor, Mr. Whitten, Mr. Sullivan, Dr. Conti, and your parents. Of course no assignment will be accepted without a bibliography in APA format.

You can do this! You will do a marvelous job with this!