Pat Solatano's Theory Of Silver Linings

This is a story of a mentally ill man who, after spending time in a psychiatric institution, has to learn how to live a normal life without his former wife who has left him. Pat is a man with bipolar disorder who used to work as a school teacher but due to his stay at a mental institution, he now has to move back to his parent's house. His wife Nikki has left him because he beat the man (history teacher was sleeping with Pat’s wife) almost to the point of death. Yet he cannot help believing she will come back to him and that they are meant to be together. Continuing his life in the real world proves quite difficult for Pat as he is incredibly disoriented and though he only spent eight months in a psychiatric institution, Pat Solatano winds up living with his parents.
He wants to rebuild his life and reunite with his wife, but his parents would be happy if he just shared their obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Things get complicated when Pat meets Tiffany (a widower whose husband just died), who offers to help him reconnect with his wife if he will do something very important for her in exchange. Pat refuses to give up on Nikki and decides to become a better version of himself with the hopes of getting Nikki back. Having formulated a theory about silver linings where his life is a movie made by God, his mission in life is to become physically fit and that he is meant to be with Nikki - he decides to become the better version of himself and attempts to do so by running every day. His friend, Ronnie invites him to dinner and he meets Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany who's also reeling from a personal loss. They make a connection but Pat is devoted to his wife refuses to do anything. At dinner, Pat meets a girl - Tiffany - a clinically depressed young woman who has moved back home after the death of her
husband. They become better acquainted and even become friends. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives. Pat then helps Tiffany practice for an upcoming dance competition, and agrees to perform with her. Pat continues to think about his ex-wife and Tiffany tells him she is going to help, but in fact forges numerous letters which she then give to Pat and telling him Nikki wrote them. Tiffany has fallen in love with Pat and does not want him and his ex-wife to get back together. On the night of the dancing competition, Pat goes to check in and Tiffany sees her sister (Veronica), her brother in law Ronnie and Pat’s ex-wife (Nikki) walking towards their table. She has this feeling that she’s about to lose everything she’s worked so hard for so she confronts her brother in law and sister. They told her that Nikki was impressed with the progress that Pat was making and that she had a right to see for herself and if they had a shot at making things work than it was meant to be. Tiffany freaked out and headed towards the bar and she started drinking. By the time Pat had found her, Tiffany had already drunk two vodkas and had started to forget what was important to her. Towards the end of the movie, Pat realizes who he’s really fallen for and it wasn’t Nikki, in fact, it was Tiffany. As Pat is looking for Tiffany, Pat Senior informs him that Tiffany left and tells him that he loves her right now and that it will be a sin if he does not reach out to this moment that life has given him. Pat tells his father that he loves him, and runs after Tiffany. He hands Tiffany a letter that he wrote to her, in which he admits that he knows she forged Nikki's letter. He confesses his love for her and that he loved her from the moment he met her, and apologizes that it took him so long to come to terms with this. They share a kiss; become a couple and the final moments in the movie between Pat and Tiffany show that both of them are no longer wearing their wedding rings.
A Philadelphia native, who at the beginning of the film is sprung from a psychiatric institution by his mother, we learn that he has been in the institution for eight months following a violent episode in which he attacked the man he caught his wife sleeping with in the shower. Towards the middle of the movie, we are informed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hints were given that this may have been his first manic episode but he had prior brewing emotional and behavioral problems. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness in which common emotions become intensely and often unpredictable magnified. Individuals with bipolar disorder can quickly swing from extremes of happiness, energy, and clarity to sadness, fatigue, and confusion. These shifts can be devastating that individuals may even choose suicide. Everyone with bipolar disorder has manic episodes-abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last at least a week and impair functioning but not all become depressed.
This movie’s relationship to psychology is the characters with psychological disorders, familial problems, and the role of the therapist. Pat Solitano, Jr’s Disorder Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder I. There are two types: Manic (in bipolar I) which is, elevated mood and goal directed activity or energy, lasting at least a week, and present most of the day. And the second is Hypomanic (in bipolar II) which is, expansive, elevated, and irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy lasting at least 4 days.
Manic Episode Criteria Depicted in Pat’s Behavior (DSM 5)
Manic Symptoms:
• Decreased need for sleep-keeps his parents up by ranting about Hemingway
• Goal directed Activity- goal to reunite with Nikki
• Tries to lose weight so she will like him
• Tries to read all the books that she was teaching
• Pressure to keep talking-continues to ask Tiffany about her sex affairs with co-workers, despite saying he would stop
• Severity of Mood Disturbance that could result in harm of oneself or others:
• Becomes excessively violent whenever he hears his wedding song, which was playing when he found his wife with his co-worker, whom he nearly beat to death
• Gets into a fight with his dad, and accidently harms his mother
• Gets into a fight at the football stadium

Proposed Therapy/Treatment:
Exposure Therapy: Pat Jr. is exposed to his wedding song which was playing when he caught his wife cheating with another teacher, eventually learning to not overreact when he hears the song.
Behavior Therapy: practicing for the dance competition could have helped make Pat a more dedicated and trustworthy partner, as he wished to be for Nikki.
Cognitive Therapy: The envisioned new man (Excelsior) envisioned by Pat Jr., and backed by Dr. Patel. Pat strived to recreate himself and his image, and to think positively about himself in his effort to win back Nikki.