“Manic” joins a tradition of films about mental
institutions, such as 1975’s “One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest.” But sometimes these films give the
wrong impression of what actual mental health care is like.
“Institutional treatment has changed dramatically from the
time that (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) was
made so that there’s very little in that film that is based
in the reality of today,” said Harold Pruett, director of
UCLA’s Student Psychological Services.
From HBO’s “The Sopranos” to Adam
Sandler’s “Anger Management,” psychotherapy has
become a popular topic in the media. These and like depictions of
mental health, if not as good as an actual therapy session, do
raise consciousness of the issues.
“In and of itself, it’s a positive thing because it
becomes more acceptable,” Pruett said. “There are also
very good films that are helping in terms of depicting things as
more reality-based.”
Each year, the students who seek psychological help increases by
about 5 percent, according to Pruett, at least in part due to
increased awareness.
“Students are much more enlightened about psychological
help than they used to be,” Pruett said.
“Manic” gives a contemporary view of teenagers
undergoing problems such as depression and bipolar disorder, both
of which manifest themselves in late adolescence and early
adulthood. Add in the mix of college life and independence, and
being a student is fraught with potential psychological unrest,
especially if your body must deal with destructive study habits,
relationships and stress.
“Some of those things students can see in themselves are
changes in sleep patterns, appetite, personal habits,
attitudes,” Pruett said. “Changes like that generally
are indications of something that may be occurring, especially
sleeping and appetite.”
“The two symptoms most prevalent for college students are
depression and anxiety,” Pruett added.
SPS serves 7 percent of the campus, though national surveys
suggest 40 percent of the student population may have a diagnosable
mental health disorder. This disparity may be due to stigmas people
attach to the service even though they could be helped relatively
easily. According to Pruett, waiting to get help often makes it
worse.
While “Manic” may represent a step toward a more
realistic portrayal, Pruett, who thinks “One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest” is an “excellent film,”
hopes people won’t confuse films with reality.
“Remember the treatment in “˜A Clockwork
Orange,'” Pruett said. “Those are real
distortions of (psychotherapy). If people view films like that with
the idea that’s the way things are, that would scare
me.”