Psychology
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This paper explores the condition of Howard Hughes who is a purely fictitious character in the movie Aviator
Background Information
Howard Hughes is a fictitious character in the 2004 movie Avatar, who exhibits a mental disorder (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), which makes him extremely paranoid throughout the fictitious film. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder defines a mental or psychological disorder through which an individual feels the urge to repeatedly undertake particular routines. The individual with OCD has a compulsion to perform the routines or an obsession in which particular thoughts repeatedly occur to him. In 1913 Houston, there is a cholera outbreak as Howard’s mother, who is only eight years old, teaches him the correct spelling of “quarantine.” Later on, in 1927, Howard Hughes began directing his debut film Hell’s Angels and, subsequently, The Jazz Singer, a hobby and job that made him extremely obsessed with films. He develops OCD as he increasingly becomes increasingly obsessed with shooting films and making them realistic. He becomes obsessed with his films becoming a hit and remains unfulfilled with their performance to the extent of ordering their recut from Hollywood. Howard’s lover, Katharine Hepburn, helps him manage his worsening condition and is key in making the audience aware of the effects of OCD. In the Aviator movie, Hughes provides a case study of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder condition, its symptoms, and effects. OCD is a condition that is often overlooked in the community hence need to explore its signs and possible means of diagnosis.
Case Study
In the movie Avatar, Howard Hughes is a fictitious character who cannot control his activities or thoughts for a short duration. His compulsion acts include shooting films and is always anxious about the reception of the films in the audience. In Hughes’s case, his OCD can be construed as a learned behavior that has been continuously repeated, hence becoming habitual. Hughes constantly repeats shooting films to gain relief from anxiety and the reality that he may not be good enough for Hollywood. His OCD can be associated with distorted beliefs about his breakthrough into Hollywood and his traits that make him so much obsessed with becoming a ‘Hollywood’ star.
Hughes tries to stop his obsession by seeking help from his girlfriend, Hepburn, who engages him with activities that are not related to shooting films. Hughes is constantly faced with the need to shoot films as a means of relieving stress. His girlfriend’s efforts are fruitless as the obsessions keep coming back even though she helps him forget the constant urges of shooting a film. Therefore, Hughes is experiencing a vicious cycle of the condition with no hopes that h will overcome the condition. Hughes is experiencing an obsession that results in tension that supersedes the belief that life cannot be normal if the imbalance persists. Hughes has obsessive fears that relate to rejection from Hollywood and is facing a crisis with his identity. The doubts accompanying his condition make him uncertain about his future and the possibility of not ever getting recognized as a top movie star in the country. OCD has made Hughes turn into self-loathing and self-criticism as he fails to realize his abilities in the filming industry (Skoog & Skoog, 2016). Hughes continuously uses rationalizations to explain his behaviors even though the rationalizations do not relate to his condition. Hughes’ quest for being a successful movie maker is a rationalization for his compulsion to shoot more films. However, Hughes is unsure about the steps he needs to take to succeed and is obsessed with shooting more films.
Hughes is an example of an individual with OCD who has failed to understand that his perception of his efforts does not augur with reality. As he engages in compulsive filming, Hughes does not realize that the behavior is at a higher intellectual level than his abilities. In terms of compulsion, Hughes undertakes compulsive behavior because he inexplicably feels the extreme urge to get out and shoot the next big film to manage the anxiety that comes from his obsessive thoughts. Hughes feels that the actions will make him a better filmmaker and among the widely sought in the film industry. As Hughes OCD condition worsens, he taps Gardner’s phones and plants microphones in his mobile device as a result of being extremely paranoid. OCD makes Gardner kicks Hughes out of her house as his condition has become uncontrollable and has become “abnormal.” As Hughes’ OCD symptoms escalate, he retreats into “a germ-free zone” where he isolates and spend three months alone. Trippe summons him for an investigation at the Senate through Brewster because he is certain Hughes cannot make it to the senate due to the condition. Hughes rejects Gardner’s marriage proposal because he thinks he is “a bit too crazy” for her. An uneasy Hughes rejects Brewster’s charges and consequently accuses the senator of corruption because he accepted Trippe’s bribes. The OCD condition has made Hughes hallucinate in the germ-resistant suits and, as a result, have a panic attack.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Hughes’ condition (OCD) can be in the form of psychological examination or physical examination. Medications, e.g., SSRIs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and behavioral therapy, are the frequently used modes of treatment for OCD. For Hughes’, a physical examination will be in the form of discussing his feelings, thoughts, behavioral patterns, and symptoms to determine the extent the compulsive or obsessive behavior has interfered with his life. It is recommendable for Hughes’ mental health to be examined by professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists who have adequate knowledge about the condition. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is amongst the forms of therapy that have been backed by research as a means of treating OCD. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of CBT widely used in OCD’s psychological evaluation (Montgomery & Zohar, 2014). Through psychological examination with ERP, therapists guide Hughes in exposing situations or thoughts that lead to compulsion and obsessions. Through the ERP therapy, Hughes will learn not to engage with the compulsive and obsessive behaviors and consequently know how to avoid habitual compulsions. The ERP approach leads to a gradual reduction in anxiety levels that prompt obsessive thought and compulsive encounters so that the individual can better cope with the condition.
Selective serotine reuptake inhibitors and serotine reuptake inhibitors are other means of treating OCD that has been approved by psychologists. The modes of treatment include administering antidepressant clomipramine and recent drugs such as fluvoxamine, sertraline, and fluoxetine. SSRs function by increasing the neurotransmitter serotine level in the individual’s brain and can be prescribed for Hughes’ condition because he exhibits anxiety and depressive disorders. For Hughes’ condition, compulsion is clinically significant because he is driven to perform the compulsive actions by his obsession with seeking to become the best filmmaker in the world. His rigid understanding of what entails is it to become the best feels makes him greatly distressed. Quantification of the severity of impairment and severity of the symptoms is important before determining the suitable treatment method for the OCD.
Physical examination of OCD is done to rule out the possibility of other problems that may be related to anxiety and obsessive behaviors. In Hughes’ case, a physical examination will take place through recognizing the triggers, which are the situations or thoughts that result in the compulsions and obsessions. A list of triggers such as dissatisfaction with the present filming capacity is recorded and the kind of feeling they have on Hughes. The intensity of the anxiety or fears is rated according to the feeling they bring, and the intensity is subsequently used to determine the mode of easing the patient’s anxiety (Clark, 2018). A physical examination will help Hughes track his triggers, thus helping him anticipate and effectively manage his compulsive and obsessive urges before they emerge. A physical examination of the condition will also help Hughes learn better ways of resisting compulsions and obsessions.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the best way of learning the best ways of resisting the urge to perform the compulsive rituals. ERP will require Hughes to repeatedly become exposed to the obsession’s source and refrain from the behavior such as isolation that he usually performs to reduce his anxiety. ERP exercises are meant for OCD patients to tackle their greatest fears and begin by a confrontation of the fears before learning the best ways of living with the fears without resorting to compulsive behaviors and obsessive thoughts. A physical examination will also entail Hughes challenging his worries and troubling thoughts with time because OCD may make the brain maintain only a specific anxiety-provoking thought. An individual is more likely to repress a distressing thought if he or she has unpleasant thoughts about a circumstance. In resisting compulsions, Hughes can overcome the condition by knowing how to tolerate the compulsions through ERP. Hughes needs to realize that a compulsive thought does not in any way make him a bad individual and should instead focus on the means of avoiding obsessive activities.
Conclusion
The International Classification of Diseases recognizes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a disease with biological roots, but it is impossible to diagnose using standard medical procedures such as X-ray and blood samples. A mental health professional, e.g., psychologist or a psychiatrist, will use his or her experience and medical judgment to diagnose the condition. Diagnosis of the condition can be of the form of a physical examination or a psychological examination of his mental state. The two forms of diagnosis take into account the compulsive behavior and obsessive thought that makes Hughes behave the way he is behaving. Hughes’s OCD condition comes originates from his inability to be satisfied with the filming capacity that drives him to be more ambitious than his capability.
References
Clark, D. A. (2018). Cognitive behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders: A commentary. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 6(4), 408-415.
Montgomery, S. A., & Zohar, J. (2014). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: pocketbook. CRC Press.
Skoog, G., & Skoog, I. (2016). A 40-year follow-up of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Archives of general psychiatry, 56(2), 121-127.
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