A primary symbol explicitly outlined in Chapter Five is the Black Lagoon. An accurate metaphor for Diane’s extreme agoraphobia, Will refers to her anxiety by the name of a creature from a movie she had rented for his ninth birthday. As the plot of the movie crescendoed, Will noted her mental state as akin to that of “old movies when people get afraid - when the killer’s shadow seeps through the crack under the door or when the giant radioactive bug crests the skyline - the actors stuff their fists into their mouths like they are eating them. Like eating yourself alive is better than staring does an unmentionable horror. That’s what his mother did then, except in real life (53).” From that point onwards, Diane’s agoraphobia was referred to as …show more content…
In other words, the science of Diane’s illness and that of 1.8 million Americans (Medical News Today: Agoraphobia: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Outlook). Most psychiatrists agree that the fight or flight response is a major part in how humans process stress and the threat of danger. In light of this, it is important to note that the body responds both to real and imaginary threats (Very Well Mind: Biological Psychology: How the Fight or Flight Response Works). This note is the key to being able to relate to what Diane is going through; while her fear of danger that may seem irrational to a neurotypical person or someone without an anxiety or panic disorder to her, it is simply a result of biological error. That is to say, the panic Diane faces on a day-to-day basis is one of the most intense and the most challenging of all human emotions. The "fight-or-flight" response is something that has been key to the survival of humans as a species since the dawn of mankind and even preceding. In prehistoric times, when a predator posed a threat, the fight-or-flight response kicked in. Almost instantaneously, adrenaline would kick in and the potential victim would be presented with enough power to either fight or
The addition of fear is sometimes too much for people to handle. As if they didn’t have enough already” (Baker 1).
Fear is something very foreign to countless people, not the idea, but the response to it, the way people react to fear. Everyone has their own fears; their own definitions and triggers to these unique varieties of fear. We imagine our worst fears and what would happen if they became a reality. This is where imagination plays a key role in the response to fear. Imagination can overcome one’s ability to reason out an abnormal situation, in which fear kicks in; frequently resulting in the situation becoming worse than the previous extent. Fear is in everyone’s lives, although it doesn’t affect some as much as others due to their response to this fear. Meaning they don’t let their imagination overcome their reason, creating a mindless fear as exhibited throughout our lifetime.
She lives in a house with her ex-husband Eddie who later commits suicide, her daughter Karen who becomes pregnant, and her current boyfriend Frank Gallagher. Sheila has an obsession with inappropriate sexual desires or thoughts and is very anal about shoes. Like everyone else, when a new person enters her house, not only does she get overwhelmingly anxious and paces around, but she immediately put their shoes in a bag in order to avoid dirt. With disability checks coming in, Sheila is entirely dependent on her loved ones for doing grocery shopping and any other duty that would be necessary in leaving the house. For the past five years, Sheila has secluded herself from the outside world and society all around. With severe panic attacks and anxiety, she has developed a more intense psychological disorder; Agoraphobia. Such psychological disorder has caused Sheila to feel especially safe being homebound. Sheila's fear of being in a situation without escape or aid, has caused her to even feel unsafe beyond her front door steps. Shameless has provided Sheila with a clear example of what Agoraphobia may look like. Sheila's symptoms have brought such diagnosis to mind because her symptoms fit entirely with the requirements for Agoraphobia diagnosis. In the Youtube clip "Shameless - Sheila Agoraphobia", there are different parts from the series in which provide us with multiple expressions of Sheila's disorder. In particular, some examples of her symptoms are: the safety at home, unexpected panic attacks when going out, and the avoidance of society. In one of the clips, Sheila is left in charge of Frank's youngest son Liam who accidentally gets outside. Sheila must take responsibility and bring him back inside, in doing so, she ties bedsheets to herself and to the stairs inside the house so that she has a continuous sense of comfort. Sheila is well aware of her disorder and takes the initiative
There are more clues and subtle hints that reinforce these statements, most correlating to her mental illness and self-perception. The statements made through the use of said symbolism turns this story into an interesting viewpoint of a psychological breakdown.
Just imagine for a moment that you have a cynophobia or the fear of dogs, would this be how you would feel. Driving down the road the oil light comes on. "I must stop the car to add more oil or I will damage the car engine. This looks like a good place to pull over. I'll just stop in front of this house. The oil is in the trunk, so I'll pop the top first, then get the oil out of the trunk. OK, I have the oil, but what if there is a dog at this house. Hurry, I have to hurry. A dog might come running out and bark at me any minute. Just get the oil in the engine. I can't my hands are shaking. Don't worry, there is no dog. Just get the oil in the engine. I don't care if I spill it, just get some in the engine. Take another look around, is there a dog anywhere. OK, the oils in, now hurry get back in the car. I can't breath. I'm safely back in the car, now just take a minute and breath. When will my hands stop shaking." This is how a person with a phobia of dogs might feel. There is no dog around anywhere in sight, but the thought of a dog running at them barking is enough to cause a panic attack. In "Exploring Psychology" David G. Myers defines phobia as "an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation" (432). This paper will explore the history, causes, effects, and treatment of Phobias.
Through a lifespan, people will endure many stressful events and experiences. The severity of these events easily overwhelm them and as a result they will let their emotions overshadow sensible decisions. When in such an emotional state, it is common that people make impulsive decisions based off their feelings, but, this could lead to permanent consequences. Of the numerous emotions, fear predominantly is seen in times of crisis. Fear can be defined as, “An emotion of uneasiness that arises as a normal response to perceived threat that may be real or imagined” (Adamec). Fear may arise from a confrontation or from avoiding a threat, or it may come in the form of a discovery. Fear is often a direct result of one being scared due to a crisis
Anxiety is a concept that most people experience daily, but severe anxiety is associated with panic attacks and other disorders can debilitate a person’s life. In the 1997 documentary, Secret Fear directed by Sarah Barton, real-life people express their stories and experiences with anxiety. The film uses the stories of people who have recovered and / or continue to cope with their disorder. Furthermore, different types of therapy, medications, and coping methods are described for the viewer to understand the ways in which people are able to overcome anxiety. Since anxiety is not limited solely to panic attacks, the film uses people who have experienced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), hoarding, depression, or social phobias. The film
A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).
Psychoanalysts believe that anxiety disorders are caused by internal mental conflicts often involving sexual impulses. These impulses cause an overuse of the ego’s defense system that fails over time. This shows that the unacceptable impulses the ego has blocked are the generalized anxiety disorders. These blocked impulses cause an unconscious state of apprehension for which the person does not know the cause of. Phobias, however, occur if the person sets the cause of the anxiety to a certain object, or situation, which they can more easily avoid than the actual source of anxiety.
""How Does the Fight-or-flight Response Work? - Curiosity." Curiosity. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013
Whenever you’re presented with the fear – no matter how big or small – your survival mechanism kicks in because it thinks that you need to be protected from some type of danger. Now how do you reprogram your flight or fight response? Again,
Firstly we will look at the mind-body relationship - how our body reacts to the way we think and feel. When in threat, a person naturally becomes anxious and their senses become increasingly sensitive to potential harm. Hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, released during stressful conditions flood our bloodstream, raising the cortisol levels resulting in a fight or flight response. The brain then reacts with the amygdala receiving information from the sensory organs, tracking patterns and assisting memory formation of emotion...
All through the novel there are symbols of
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Roosevelt). “Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response” (Layton). Fear affects the brain and can help people or make them in a worse situation than they were in the first place. Fear most motivates/influences people during times of crisis by clouding judgement and becoming a weapon of power.
The fight or flight response is a physiological reaction to a perceived threat of danger, in which the body prepares itself to either fight or flee an attacker. During this response certain hormones are released, which speed the heart rate, slow digestion, and reroutes blood flow, in order to elicit the desired response of fight or flight.