Behavior Disorders in the Shinning

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The Shining

The Shinning, a horror movie that was released in 1980, featured Jack Nicholson, as a writer who is left in charge of the Overlook hotel during the winter. During this time Jack began to developed schizophrenia among many other personality and mood disorders and attempts to murder his own family. After reviewing this film it became apparent that there was a mixture of accuracy and exaggeration of the development of schizophrenia. Jack had this disorder, but also had symptoms of other personality and mood disorders. For the sake of Hollywood the film did take schizophrenia to entirely new levels. Some of this hype was generated around Jack becoming a full fledge killer. The delusions that he suffered from were undeniably crazed and did have a central theme; however, they were induced by other substances. The themes that ran strong throughout this movie were persuasion. Jack was constantly told by his delusions that he needed to take control and steer his family in his own direction. When his family urged him to leave this hotel, it only generated more hostility and anxiety, which pushed the decline of his mental health.

When Jack arrived at the Overlook hotel it was evident that he had suffered from substance abuse in the past. Jack had once been a heavy alcoholic. This addiction had caused him to inflict violence upon his child in a violent rage. During this rage he snatched his son up by the arm and broke it. Although it is not clear, this could have been a sign that he was manic depressant. His mania could have been storms of violent rage instead of a constant high. In the beginning of the movie the viewer learns that Jack is a writer. This "creative" career" also has an important impact on his depression because his career can be up or down. In many cases, people who have careers in the arts such as writing, art, or acting can experience times of insecurity, which can induce a depressive state. This new change allowed Jack to start fresh...
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