MovieChat Forums > David and Lisa (1963) Discussion > Psychiatric movies are unreal

Psychiatric movies are unreal

posted 17 years ago by myollnir
9 replies | jump to latest

I'm a neurologist, so I very often see the real mentally ill people; somehow, the mad in the movies (like those in the cuckoo's nest) always look phoney to me; but I reckon that the pharmacology has completely altered the course of the diseases, and the patient's faces itselves. The first neuroleptics hit the market in the early '50s, I believe. Antidepressants came 10 yrs later. At the times this flic was shot, the therapy mostly consisted in "talk with your shrink, or get shock treatment". If not lobotomy. Still, I believe "D & L" is a touching love story, but in no way a realistic one. Unfortunately.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] hkriley 17 years ago

I'm a nurse at a state institution. Some if these movies are frightening close to the truth. The uncaring "numb" staff who no longer see the patients as people. I've seen ward aides bet on how many times a patient will run themselves into the wall before they pass out, etc.

[–] mountaindweller 17 years ago

I agree, I've been a psychotherapist for 18 years and have seen hundreds of real odd cases. It's the case that medical doctors are far removed from experience with real psychological problems.

[–] apboy2 16 years ago

I've been a psychiatric inpatient and I can tell you that some of the most hopeful moments I experienced were when I saw patients reach out to another and get themselves out of their own stuff, at least for a little while. This movie might have gone a bit far in romanticizing that idea but it still touched me.

"NIAGARA FALLS! Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch ... "

[–] bobkurtz-1 14 years ago

I claim the prize on this one, I was a patient at ASH
Atascadero State Hospital in 1977-79. All patients
had to work, have jobs. Because I was the only one
who could quickly threat a 16mm projector, my job
was to run the ASH audio department. I got to
pick all the films shown to patients. We had available
film that were 5-15 years out of print.

The first film I brought to nearly 1000 patients was
'David and Lisa'

I took a survey of the reaction to seeing the film and
those who responded loved it and thought is was mostly
realistic. The one odd reaction, or so I thought, was
objecting to it being film in Black and White. How could
it be anything else.

All and all I showed and watched the film 12 times in two
days. This is one of the few films I could handle this way.
I was there in a mental institution as a patient, this film
is very true to what I saw.

Like wise I saw the 'Godfather' the same way (1 & 2) and
thought they had unrealistic moments and not as good a film.
My audience wanted to see them over and over, I did get to
show them twice each.

Bob Kurtz 7379...my ASH number

Robert Kurtz AKA Bob AKA Pornguy2
[email protected]

[–] jf_moran49 12 years ago

Well, dramatic license, you know. But didn't "Suddenly, Last Summer" deal rather honestly with the specter of lobotomy? That film had a good love story too, between Monty Clift and his favorite fag hag, acting as hetero shrink saving troubled patient from delusional mother (who was in love with her homosexual son). [Whoops-SPOILER ALERT]

When was lithium first used for depression? That was the first pharmaceutical for that malady, from what I've read, a progenitor of the tricyclics (actually first prescribed in the 1950s as well), all before the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, such as Prozac.

There are still many who think of psychiatry and psychology as inexact or pseudo-science anyway. I think a lot of medical practice itself is just a guessing game, no matter how much "scientific method" is proclaimed. The over- reliance upon pharmaceuticals is based upon trial & error, and with many errors. But even with all the malpractice suits and side effects of drugs, human beings are living longer, if not always qualitative lives.

[–] samoanjoes (50931) 5 years ago

I didn't think this movie showcased mental illness well enough.

[–] Kementiri (51) 5 years ago

It's not a documentary.

[–] samoanjoes (50931) 5 years ago

I'm mean, it didn't go deep enough. There were many opportunities to do so