IndexAbstractIntroductionDescription of psychopathologyDescription of 3 scenesCharacterisationPositive and negative messagesConclusionAbstractThe purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the overall psychopathology used in Donnie Darko. Donnie's symptoms of schizophrenia can be analyzed primarily through his hallucinations with Frank and the delusion that the world ends in 28 days. These delusions and hallucinations affect the way he interacts with people and his actions. The actions include committing a number of crimes such as flooding his school and burning down the house of a motivational speaker who is a pedophile. A correct diagnosis based on the DSM-5 is made through these various aspects of the film. Although the science fiction aspects play an important role, the psychological aspect is not ignored. Donnie's symptoms may become more severe over the 28 days. The film's therapist, Dr. Thurman, offers insight into Donnie's condition through a correct diagnosis. The film also finds a balance between the fictional aspects so that the portrayal of mental illness is not tainted in an obscene way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Introduction Aspects of mental disorders are often depicted in films as it is a way to show society how they are portrayed. Mental disorders in movies often attract the attention of numerous viewers as people are infatuated with how the mind works. Not all films portray these aspects correctly because adequate research, or for other reasons, is not done before the film is produced. Portrayals of schizophrenia often focus on positive symptoms of the illness, visual hallucinations, bizarre delusions, and disorganized speech. These symptoms are presented as common, ignoring the reality that negative symptoms, for example, poor speech, decreased motivation, and flat affect (a severe reduction in emotional expressiveness) are more common. These people are presented as prone to violence and unpredictable behavior, in some cases appearing "possessed". This encourages viewers to develop harsh and negative attitudes towards serious mental illnesses. If done correctly, it is possible to make an excellent production with a great message about mental disorders. The film, Donnie Darko, is a great example of this difficult undertaking. The plot of the film revolves around a teenager, Donnie Darko, who leaves home in his sleep one night and sees a six-foot-tall person dressed in a creepy bunny costume. The little rabbit, named Frank, tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days. While Donnie is out with Frank, a jet engine mysteriously falls into Donnie's room. Afterwards, Donnie begins to obey whatever Frank tells him as he feels he saved his life. Donnie, who suffers from schizophrenia, begins committing a series of crimes over the course of the film, dictated by Frank. These acts include flooding his school, burning down the house of a motivational speaker/pedophile named Jim Cunningham, and stealing his father's gun. Apart from this, the film deals with science fiction aspects such as time travel, portals and the supernatural. In the end, it shows how Donnie is ultimately killed by his return to his room and the jet engine falling on him on the final 28th day (the end of the world). It's not known for sure how Donnie ended up in his room, but it must have something to do with the time travel aspect. The ending is really subject tointerpretation and is still debated and theorized to this day. A popular fan theory includes the involvement of a tangent universe. However, there is no real answer yet. This aspect of interpretation and debate makes Donnie Darko, in retrospect, a cult classic. Looking beyond the sci-fi aspects, Donnie Darko does a great job expressing schizophrenia throughout the film. It is often depicted through Donnie's overall mood, his interactions with people, hallucinations with Frank, and his sessions with his therapist! Description of Psychopathology Donnie Darko is a sixteen-year-old white male who lives in the town of Middlesex, Virginia. The year is 1998 and the month is October. He lives comfortably with his mother, father and two sisters, Elizabeth and Samantha Darko, in the suburbs. Donnie is an intelligent boy who expresses himself poetically and speaks with rhetorical tendencies. His intellect is supported by test scores, which his principal says are phenomenal. Even though he lives a comfortable life and is loved by his family, Donnie suffers from schizophrenia. This became evident when Donnie's therapist, Dr. Thurman, informed his parents of the diagnosis. According to the DSM-5, schizophrenia “is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction.” These symptoms first appear during mid-adolescence. It can be difficult to make a diagnosis as there are no laboratory tests yet that can be used. In order for Donnie to be correctly diagnosed with schizophrenia, he must meet certain standards set forth in the DSM-5. According to the DSM-5, typical symptoms to look for are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). An individual must experience 2 of these symptoms for at least a month and one of these must be delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech. The span of the film lasts 28 days and in this time you see Donnie portray these symptoms. Donnie experiences hallucinations when he sees Frank. During these hallucinations, Donnie is in a catatonic state as he is sleepwalking or has no awareness of what is happening around him. All she is aware of is Frank and what he is saying. Donnie experiences the illusion that the world will end in 28 days if he doesn't listen or do what Frank tells him. Donnie carries on this illusion for all 28 days. He experiences disorganized speech during therapy sessions with Dr. Thurman and sometimes speaks in a child's voice. Negative symptoms can be seen throughout the film as it has reduced emotional expression. He can often be lethargic and sometimes angry when he has to communicate with people, especially his family. Donnie is impaired in major areas of functioning during this period. This area includes work (or school in this case). Even though Donnie is a smart teenager, he struggles in school and gets into trouble. He often argues with teachers, even explicitly insulting one during a lesson. Because of this insult, Donnie was suspended from school. The DSM-5 states that signs of schizophrenia must last at least six months and include at least one month of active symptoms. Since the film only lasts 28 days, it's difficult to set up. At the beginning of the film, it was revealed that Donnie has been in therapy and taking medications for some time. Additionally, Donnie claimed to have burned down an abandoned house when he was younger. Based on this, it can be assumed that Donnie has been exhibiting some kind of symptoms for a long time. Schizoaffective disorder and bipolar or depressive disorder were rejected as stated by Dr. Thurman's diagnosis. His ailment is not causedfrom the effects of other drugs as Donnie only takes the one provided by Dr. Thurman. There was no reported history of autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder since childhood. In addition to meeting these major qualifications, Donnie also experiences some associated features. He has disturbed sleep as he is often restless at night and sleepwalks. He is sometimes hostile towards other people, such as his mother and older sister. It is evident that Dr. Thurman's diagnosis of schizophrenia is in fact correct. By DSM-5 standards, Donnie meets them all. Description of 3 scenes There are various scenes throughout the film that portray schizophrenia and its symptoms. The film can be seen as a metaphor for schizophrenia and mental disorders in general. The three scenes that portray these most obvious psychopathological factors include Donnie's first hallucination with Frank, Donnie publicly embarrassing motivational speaker Jim Cunningham, and Donnie's final session with Dr. Thurman. During Donnie's first interaction hallucination where he met Frank, the scene begins with Donnie taking his medication and going to bed. For a period of the night, Donnie has an auditory hallucination in which Frank tells him to wake up. Donnie wakes up from bed in a depersonalized state and begins to sleepwalk. His eyes also dilated. As Donnie begins walking around his house, Frank can be heard telling him that he has been watching him and to come closer. Donnie unconsciously follows Frank's voice until he leaves the house. Once outside, Donnie sees Frank for the first time. Frank then tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days. Donnie's reaction is that he smiles sinisterly at Frank with no other emotion. This is the first hallucination with Frank and creates the illusion that the world ends in 28 days. It is also the start of an irregular sleep cycle, as Donnie wakes up on a golf course the next day. During the scene where Jim Cunningham, a motivational speaker, gives a motivational presentation at Donnie's high school, Donnie begins to have an auditory rhythm. hallucination with Frank. Cunningham asks students to come up to the microphone and tell him their fears and concerns. Cunningham provides answers to the students telling each to find their self-worth and not to be afraid. It also brings each student to the stage. When Donnie approaches the microphone, he asks Cunningham how much the school pays him to be there. Cunningham, stunned, begins to wonder who Donnie is. Donnie tells him that his name is "Gerald" and that essentially all of his motivational advice is a sham. Then tell each student on stage the hard, blunt truth about each of their fears and worries. Cunningham explains to Donnie and the administration that stands by the administration that Donnie is a troubled young man and needs to find self-love. Donnie responds by admitting that he is confused, upset, scared. The sting occurs when Donnie proclaims that Cunningham is the antichrist. At this point, Donnie is taken away by the school administration and laughs as he leaves. This scene portrays Frank's influence on Donnie. Donnie had a hallucination while talking to Cunningham. Likewise, Donnie was experiencing additional symptoms of schizophrenia. This included hostility and inappropriate effects. He had no self-control of his actions and was desensitized to what he said. During Donnie's final session with his therapist, Dr. Thurman, Donnie was under hypnosis. Dr. Thurman was asking Donnie if he ever has any regrets or current problems. He responds by stating that he regrets flooding his school and burning down the house of Jim Cunningham (who is a pedophile). As Donnie reveals this, he speaks in a child's voicemumbling (disorganized speech). He also claims that Frank is forcing him to commit these crimes because he has to obey him. Donnie feels that if he doesn't obey Frank, the end of the world will happen. He then becomes agitated and frightened, moving from the hypnotic state to hallucination. He tells Dr. Thurman that he sees Frank and the heavens will open, leading to the illusion of the end of the world. Dr. Thurman tells Donnie that if the world ended, all that would be left in existence would be him and Frank. Donnie starts to get emotional and hugs Dr. Thurman. Then she snaps him out of the hallucination. During this scene, this is the first time Donnie can describe to anyone what he is seeing in his hallucination. The combination of hallucination, end-of-the-world delusion, and disorganized speech presents the full expression of schizophrenia. It was also revealed by Dr. Thurman that the drugs Donnie was taking were placebos. This proves that his ailments were not caused by any medication. Characterization Throughout the film, you can see how Donnie is constantly consumed by schizophrenia. Progress through the film can be identified across the 28 days by periodically displaying the date/countdown. As the days pass, one can identify how Donnie begins to exhibit more and more symptoms of schizophrenia. From the beginning of the film, only Donnie experiences Frank's visual and auditory hallucinations. As Donnie begins to become consumed, his acts of violence/crime worsen. From flooding the school, to setting Jim Cunningham's house on fire, to shooting an individual with his father's gun. Through all of this, Donnie's symptoms worsen. The periodic identification of the date indicates not only the countdown to the end of the world, but also how Donnie is slowly deteriorating. The film's awareness of time allows the audience to remain attuned to the concept of reality. Given that the film covers 28 days, a presence like this is imperative. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand when the end of the world will occur. The characterization of psychopathology is done well in the film thanks to this aspect. From the beginning to the end of the film, Donnie's hallucinations become more and more frequent. They go from brief auditory hallucinations to vivid visual hallucinations. Likewise, Donnie's delusion about the end of the world becomes obsessive. At the beginning of the film, it's just a concept that Donnie casually wondered about. His obsession grows through his criminal acts and by listening to whatever Frank says. This is because he wants to know what Frank's master plan is about the end of the world. Donnie's negative symptoms become more severe and present signs may also be observed. At first, although he is irritable, he is communicative with the speaker. At the end of the film, he has no emotional expression. When he shoots the individual with his father's gun near the end of the film, he shows no remorse or any emotion. The overall combination of the concept of time and the progression of Donnie's symptoms vividly portrays how he slowly succumbs to schizophrenia throughout the film. This achievement is impressive as the film relies heavily on science fiction aspects and audience interpretation. Positive and Negative Messages The pacing in Donnie Darko allows the audience to understand what is happening to Donnie in his struggle with schizophrenia. Frank's frequent presence portrays Donnie's descent into the condition. Schizophrenia is taken seriously in this film and in all its aspects. Its presence and how it can affect an individual psychologically can be clearly observed. The film's use of progression of symptoms and psychological treatment.