Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction: A Case Study
Case Study of the film Fatal Attraction Fatal Attraction is a hit 1987 psychological thriller. Fatal Attraction is a movie about a man and woman that have a weekend affair. The woman, Alex Forrester, proceeds to self-harm, stalk, and obsess after the affair ends. Alex is truly terrifying. It is apparent Alex suffers from mental illness, but which one? In research it is suggested that Alex Forrester suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (Sansone and Sansone, 2010) or De Clérambault 's Syndrome, also known as Erotomania (Miller, 2013). Borderline Personality Disorder is defined as a mental health disorder that causes extreme emotional instability and may be impulsive, have varying mood swings, suicidal behavior, and have antagonistic behavior (Mayo Clinic, 2012). De Clérambault 's Syndrome is a disorder in which a person believes another is in love with them, most frequently this is with someone of a higher social status. Alex Forrester initially physically hits Dan Gallagher when he attempts to leave her home after their weekend affair. She very quickly went from gentle and even seductive in asking him to stay to extreme anger and aggressiveness. Dan finishes gathering his things and says goodbye, Alex comes to kiss him goodbye and it is realized she has cut her wrists. This five minutes in the movie shows three symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Those are intense, incontrollable anger, suicidal behavior, and an extreme reaction to abandonment (NIMH). As Dan continuously rejects Alex she becomes increasingly obsessive. She stalks him. This includes randomly showing up at his workplace, non-stop calling his home and workplace, she watches him outside his home, pretends to be a buyer for his apartment and befriends his wife. She increasingly gets more erratic. She kidnaps his child, kills and boils his daughter’s pet rabbit, throws acid on his car, and at the end of the movie breaks into
Case Study of the film Fatal Attraction Fatal Attraction is a hit 1987 psychological thriller. Fatal Attraction is a movie about a man and woman that have a weekend affair. The woman, Alex Forrester, proceeds to self-harm, stalk, and obsess after the affair ends. Alex is truly terrifying. It is apparent Alex suffers from mental illness, but which one? In research it is suggested that Alex Forrester suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (Sansone and Sansone, 2010) or De Clérambault 's Syndrome, also known as Erotomania (Miller, 2013). Borderline Personality Disorder is defined as a mental health disorder that causes extreme emotional instability and may be impulsive, have varying mood swings, suicidal behavior, and have antagonistic behavior (Mayo Clinic, 2012). De Clérambault 's Syndrome is a disorder in which a person believes another is in love with them, most frequently this is with someone of a higher social status. Alex Forrester initially physically hits Dan Gallagher when he attempts to leave her home after their weekend affair. She very quickly went from gentle and even seductive in asking him to stay to extreme anger and aggressiveness. Dan finishes gathering his things and says goodbye, Alex comes to kiss him goodbye and it is realized she has cut her wrists. This five minutes in the movie shows three symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Those are intense, incontrollable anger, suicidal behavior, and an extreme reaction to abandonment (NIMH). As Dan continuously rejects Alex she becomes increasingly obsessive. She stalks him. This includes randomly showing up at his workplace, non-stop calling his home and workplace, she watches him outside his home, pretends to be a buyer for his apartment and befriends his wife. She increasingly gets more erratic. She kidnaps his child, kills and boils his daughter’s pet rabbit, throws acid on his car, and at the end of the movie breaks into
References: Dearden, J. (Writer), Lyne, A. (Director). (1987). Fatal Attraction [Motion Picture]. Goldstein, R., & Laskin, A. (2002, July). De Clerambault 's Syndrome (Erotomania) and claims of psychiatric malpractice. Retrieved from http://biopsychiatry.com/erotomania.htm Mayo Clinic Staff. (2012, August 7). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/basics/symptoms/con-20023204 Miller, T. (2013, June 4). New York Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/glenn-close-fatal-attraction-role-played-stigma-mental-illness-article-1.1362907 National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml#part1 Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2012, May). US National Library of Health. Retrieved from National Institutes of Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882283/