As Good As It Gets By Melvin Udall - 1518 Words

As Good as It Gets Melvin Udall is a successful author who lives the life of a recluse. He is a misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic racist with an intense dislike of people and dogs. All the neighbors in his Greenwich Village apartment building avoid him. His psychotherapist diagnosed Melvin with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) because he avoids stepping on sidewalk cracks and touching other people, wears gloves all the time, wipes off door handles, eats at the same restaurant every day, sits at the same table, insists on the same waitress, Carol, and always orders the same meal. Suddenly, Melvin s life takes a turn. A group of robbers beats up his artist gay neighbor, Simon. Simon s art dealer, Frank, forces†¦show more content†¦At one point, Carol and Melvin have a date at a fancy restaurant, only to discover that Melvin needs to purchase a coat and tie to meet the dress code. Challenged by these demands on him, he insults Carol, saying that she is wearing a housedr ess. She gets furious and demands a sincere compliment, or she will leave the restaurant. With anguish and many disclaimers, Melvin finally states that because of his affection for her, he decided to take medication for his OCD. When Carol wants to know why that is a compliment, he says that being with her makes him want to be a better man. When Carol responds very positively and affectionately, he tries to take it back by saying that he overshot the mark. According to the DSM-IV-TR, people with OCD suffer from recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions, defined as persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress (Criterion A.1), which are difficult to dismiss, despite their disturbing nature. These experiences are more intrusive than excessive worries about real-life problems, and they are unlikely related to these kinds of problems. (Criterion A.2). Persons who suffer from OCD try to ignore, suppress or neutralize their obsessions with some other thought or action (Criterion A.3) and recognize that they are a product of their own mind (Criterion A.4). Melvin Udall has repetitive thoughts about germs