As It Gets Udall

Anxiety disorders come in all different shapes and sizes. It does not discriminate against your age, race or gender. There is social anxiety disorder, PTSD, general anxiety disorder and OCD all affecting a variety of people to varying degrees. When thinking of a fictional character who suffers from one of these disorders the first one that came to mind was Melvin Udall from the movie “As Good as it Gets”. I have seen this movie about 20 times and will probably continue to see it another 20 because of how much I enjoy watching it. I love being able to watch characters individual journey and witnessing their transformations. The one character who undergoes the most dramatic change is Melvin.
Melvin is a 60 something-year-old single man who is a writer that has been diagnosed with OCD.
He also starts to let go of some of his fears in not completing his rituals and towards the end of the movie actually walks on a crack in the sidewalk, which he would never have done a couple of months ago. The catalyst for this change is a woman who Melvin has feelings for. He realizes he would like to be in a relationship with her and start living a more balanced life. The only way he would be able to have a relationship is if he gets treatment for his OCD. According to the International OCD Foundation, people who suffer from OCD have the most success with treatment that includes both medication and exposure. For Melvin, being on medication and caring for another person has forced him to start to realize that he will be okay if he does not give into to his thoughts as a result of his OCD. This is a form of exposure therapy and the lesson commentary on phobias describes how exposure to the feared object will eventually reduce the fear. Since he is so desperate to be loved by this person he is willing to do things that would have otherwise caused him a great deal of