Throughout
the course of this class students have been instructed to view movies during
class time and on their own that exemplify mental health issues. Examples of
movies that have been used include: SnakePit, Mr. Jones, and the Color Purple.
Each movie has a character that displays a mental illness. I have found the use
of movies from the learning process to have pros and cons. The positive qualities
to using movies include a visual depiction and a clear defined set of
characteristics or symptoms. In each of the movies I have watched for class I
have been able to readily identify the patient, as well as, the mental illness
they are suffering from. I particularly liked the viewing of SnakePit. Although
the movie is set in the early 1900s it still had relevance to today. As a
student visiting an actual psychiatric ward for the firs time the movie helped
relieve some of anxiety I felt. The movie also exposed me to the rigors of psychiatric
hospital floors. Nurses are very strict with rules on the unit and there are
mandatory times for patients to complete tasks. For example in the movie Nurse
Harris became very irate the patient had not made her bed. On the actual unit
nurses have their set rules that must be followed in the milieu. In my clinical
at Spring Grove patients are given specific times to wash clothes, eat lunch,
and wake up in the morning. In contrast there are some cons to using movies in
learning. In many of these movies the patients behaviors are exaggerated. When
entering my first day on the unit I expected all of the patients to be
agitated, emotionally unstable people that look “crazy.” While I was met with
some of my expectations there is no experience like working on the unit. Overall I found the movies to be helpful in the course. I do not have mental illness close in my family thus I was able to visually see the impact the illness had on the patient and their surrounding family and friends. It was very interesting to note that mental illness can take many forms and manifestations, yet it tends to leave many with the same feelings. Those loving someone who suffers from a mental illness have experiences unique to the role they play in the clients. I would definately reccomend the continuation of movie usage in the course.
Movies are a great way of getting through the minds of viewers. Now there are many outlets that captures the interest of the consumer through movies, however, it’s not different in the use of movies for Psychiatric education considering its pros,
ReplyDeleteMovies summarizes the learning of Psychiatric concepts and enhances learning beyond the textbook.it also helps those who are visual/auditory learners to grasp a better understanding of the topic. I personally grasp more from watching movies compared to reading a book, because I am a visual learner. Movies, more so, builds interest amongst students and stems a motivation to develop a deeper interest in the subject. Movies also provide teachable moments with first hand illustrations especially can be used in days that students are burnt out.
In the contrary, movies has negative connotations in psychiatric education to name a few such as; movies could be time consuming, could be distracting especially when it is dealing with a wide range of issues and the may have a very small portion which is solely educational, it might not be historically accurate, may not be factual thereby making the learning experience superficial.
Despite the above pros and cons, I personally think that movies in psych are a great tool in expatiating and simplifying basic concepts.
Observation can be remembered. And so therefore, watching movies helps with stored memory of verbal and non-verbal behaviors unconsciously I would defiantly say that watching movies has helped to recognize when a client may or may not be in distress the behaviors that may be display and what interventions could be taken. Although in a perfect world you would say that you should do this intervention and it will help the client however there are various factors that are present any circumstances and we know that it individualize. In addition, sometimes movies can somewhat help to visualize the future outcome or bring an individual to be more attentive as you try to measure the outcome. On the hand, watching movies may seem dreadful and cliché to individuals that they miscue the content which is vital and so they may be watching however, they are not being attentive.
ReplyDeleteThe movies are wonderful because they provide good insight of many aspect of mental health experiences. It is to me like a clinical experience even if it is just acting. You get to see all the signs and symptoms of a specific disease based on what the movie is on. For example in the movie,” A Beautiful Mind”, John Nash was diagnosed with schizophrenia and you could clearly see the evidence of his episode of hallucination. The Cons is that they are just movies, so people had to act like it is in real life. So far in my clinical sight, I was able to see a patient experiencing hallucination. The patient was in a real communication with someone for a long time. There is no difference with I have been seeing in the movies.
ReplyDeleteMarie Gelin
ReplyDeleteThe movies are wonderful because they provide good insight of many aspect of mental health experiences. It is to me like a clinical experience even if it is just acting. You get to see all the signs and symptoms of a specific disease based on what the movie is on. For example in the movie,” A Beautiful Mind”, John Nash was diagnosed with schizophrenia and you could clearly see the evidence of his episode of hallucination. The Cons is that they are just movies, so people had to act like it is in real life. So far in my clinical sight, I was able to see a patient experiencing hallucination. The patient was in a real communication with someone for a long time. There is no difference with I have been seeing in the movies.
In my opinion, I love the idea of using movies to help students to understand psychological disorders because they can a great learning tool.
ReplyDeletePros:
The positive aspects of watching these movies are they can be a wonderful reinforcement which can help expand learning beyond the textbook and lectures given in the class room. A great movie can assist an individual in get a feel for what many people living with mental illness feel. A great movies can allows us students to have a glimpse of the “clinical picture” of a client with a mental health disorder.
For student such as myself who are visual learners, movies are a great tool for my processing and understanding. Movies are also at times way more interesting then just the textbook or class work.
Cons:
At times through, the use of movies are often an exaggeration of reality and one may get the opportunity to really see/assess the true clinical picture of a mental disorder. In that case a student will not get the opportunity to see the true sign and symptoms of a particular disorder which will be a missed opportunity to learn what to look out for. When a student has the opportunity to see a character play a good role, they can really see some noticeable symptoms that can be picked up to help those we encounter in our everyday lives. We can help our family and friends by studying a good written movie/role. I have not seen a great movies where the focus has been placed on nursing interventions for the client when they are admitted and ongoing treatment. A good movie can be a great learning movies but cannot be reliable tool of study.
Nana B. Osei-Bonsu