OCD in the Movies

[DrFilm]

Recently in Matchstick Men, Nicholas Cage portrayed a con man with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A few years ago, Jack Nicholson portrayed a guy with what appeared to be OCD in As Good As It Gets. Before that, the only movie character I can think of who had obsessive-compulsive traits was Felix Unger (portrayed by Jack Lemmon) in The Odd Couple way back in the 60s. Can anyone think of any others? How about TV shows (such as Monk)?

In case you're wondering why I'm interested, I'm a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders, and I'm hoping to find some films (and TV episodes) that might be useful for patients with OCD to view. I'd also like to warn them if there are particulary troubling or inaccurate portrayals of OCD sufferers out there.

In case you're wondering what counts as obsessive-compulsive behavior, I'm NOT talking about people with gambling addictions or obsessed with thinnness or with a famous or attractive person (e.g., Fatal Attraction) or compelled to kill someone (e.g., The Manchurian Candidate) or addicted to drugs. Those situations involve being attracted to the thing that they are obsessed about.

OCD is about obsessive anxiety or fear of something (such as germs, fire, bad luck, imperfection) and usually involves some form of "ritual" or compulsion (such as repeatedly washing hands to keep clean of germs, repeated making sure lights are off and appliances unplugged to prevent fire, repeatedly knocking on wood to make sure bad luck doesn't happen, and repeatedly straightening picture frames) that is so persistant that it causes distress or dysfunction.

Hmm.. I've never posted to this site before. Am I getting too technical?

Well, if you'd like to know more, e-mail me. Otherwise, I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Thanks,
DrFilm

[Haddonfield]

Well, outside of those films you mentioned I cant think of any. The TV show Monk comes to mind. I think they do a pretty decent job with his OCD. Being someone who has had to deal with OCD and GAD for 20 years now, Ill be very interesting to see where this thread goes.

DrFilm, do you have any tips on beating or living with such problems? :)

[DrFilm]

A great place to go for information on OCD including tips on living with it is the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation (OCF) website: http://www.ocfoundation.org/ My wife and I are both members of the OCF; she's a regular presenter at their annual convention. We both utilize a cognitive-behavioral approach to treating OCD called exposure with response prevention (ERP). If you haven't heard of it, the OCF site can fill you in. (It is NOT the kind of therapy Monk is receiving on his TV show, by the way.) The OCF can also give you referrals to clinicians in your area that practice ERP if you decide that you are interested.

For anxiety disorders in general (including GAD and OCD), you might try the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) website: http://www.adaa.org/

If you would like answers to specific questions, please e-mail me and we can arrange to talk by telephone.

By the way, thanks for being my first respondant to my first post!

[Jon Lyrik]

Hanks' character in Turner and Hooch was a real perfectionist. Maybe he had OCD.

[Tweek]

I've got OCD. I'm on Luvox and Seroquel for it.

I thought As Good as It Gets was an accurate portrayal... Save for Melvin's bastard element.

[bmain77]

How about What About Bob?

[Tweek]

Originally posted by bmain77
How about What About Bob?

Oh my God! I haven't seen that movie in ages!

:D :D

[ANavissi500]

What About Bob? is definitely a good choice. Also, what about Leo Bloom in The Producers? He is obsessed with his blue blankie.

[DrFilm]

Okay, guys..
It seems like this thread hasn't really gone any further since What About Bob? So, here are a few films I have found that sound like they may have OCD portrayals. Does anyone know anything about these?

Niagra, Niagra (1998)

Red Light August

The Clean Up

Hope you haven't given up on this thread and are still checking in.

[Gretchen_Ross]

Originally posted by DrFilm
Niagra, Niagra (1998)


this is a movie about a young woman with tourette syndrome. i have seen bits and pieces of the movie, and it seems as though the portrayl is pretty accurate, if not what you're looking for.

[RogueSpear]

I suffer from a slight case of OCD and I saw a lot of the same things I go through when I watched Nicolas Cage in Matchstick Men. That's the best one I can think of.