Compulsive Disorder: An Analysis Of Melvin Udall In As Good As It Gets

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Analysis of Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets
The protagonist in the film As Good As It Gets, Melvin Udall is a successful romantic novelist who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. From the onset of the film, Melvin displays ritualistic behavior that aligns with the diagnostic criteria for OCD, specifically the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. This paper focuses on Melvin’s particular psychopathology, analyzing the character’s current symptoms and diagnoses, the etiology of the disorder, and the key elements of his treatment.
Melvin Udall lives a secluded life in his apartment among the busy streets of New York City. A middle age man of approximately 50 years, Melvin is currently single without children. He works at home as a very successful author of romantic novels, of which he has written 62. Upon his first scene appearance, it becomes apparent that Melvin is not widely favored. In other words, he appears quite demanding and narcissistic, disregarding others’ feelings with insensitive gestures and comments and lacking common social norms.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder has been classified as a type of anxiety disorder under DSM-5, in which there is a presence of obsessions, compulsions or both. Obsessions are defined as “intrusive and mostly nonsensical thoughts, images, or urges that the individual tries to resist or eliminate,” while compulsion are the thought or actions that accompany these obsessions to try to suppress and provide relief. (TEXTBOOK) The obsessions are categorized into four major types, and each is linked with a certain pattern of compulsive behaviors.
The film provides a set of behavioral observations of Melvin that aligns with the diagnostic criteri...

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...e control of his disorder, he will have to lose slowly give up such feelings.
The first half of the film sets up Melvin’s symptoms and main characteristics associated with his obsessive-compulsive disorder. While in the remaining portion, the audience watches as Melvin’s relationships with Carol, Simon, and even Verdell begin to change his attitudes towards wanting to cure his disorder. The film provides a distinctive case of revealing a diagnosis to the audience midway through the film. There is no known onset of his treatment history, but the audience does find out midway through the movie that his therapist Dr. Green previously diagnosed Melvin with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Melvin discontinued his treatment and refused advice from his therapist, including taking the prescribed medication to aid in reducing the frequency of his obsessions and compulsions.