Media

Psychology in the Media

Should Grief be Treated as Depression?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/health/raison-grief-depression/index.html?eref=rss_health

      I would agree with the writer in this article that many times depression does come from grief.  It is hard to distinguish if the symptoms are really depression or just grief from an event.  The author suggests that psychiatrists give out diagnosis for depression too easily.  He also says that he does not know how long a person should remain in grief before you diagnose them.  However, I would have to disagree that there is not a point where we diagnose a person and it should not be determined by an amount of time but the degree that symptoms are shown.  As we saw in the movie, Chuck was at the point of killing himself.  There is a point before this where in the real world that Chuck would have needed to been diagnosed to keep him from attempting suicide.  Chuck also displayed mostly every symptom and to the extremes with each whereas many people only slightly show symptoms.  Where is that point exactly? I personally don’t know, but I do think there is one.  The author does make a good point that we have not made it clear where we draw that line. It is important we find that point so we don’t over diagnose patients but keep them from becoming suicidal.    

Power of Love

      This song by Celine Dion is called “The Power of Love”.  She talks about how strong of a feeling love is.  Celine sings,

“Lost is how I'm feeling, lying in your arms

When the world outside's too

Much to take

That all ends when I'm with you”

These lyrics are strong.  It talks about love being so powerful that it is the only thing that will satisfy a person when things seem to not be going right.  Loosing this type of connection and knowing that you can never have it back can lead a person into much grief and even depression.  Celine also says, “Sometimes I am frightened but I’m ready to learn of the power of love.”  Love is a very frightening thing.  People know it can either be successful or lead to great despair.  Many songs are written over not only the feeling of love but also the feeling of loosing love.  Its scary to think of loosing something so intimate and powerful because it is clear that it brings pain. It can give one the feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, and helplessness, all of which are signs of depression.   Chuck looses his only love, Kelly, when he is stranded on the island.  He thinks he is never going to get back off and therefore thinks he will never see her again.  This leads to him being depressed.  And when he comes home and she even proclaims her love to him he knows there is nothing he can do about it since she has gotten married to another man.  This was like loosing his love all over again which keeps him in depression. 

 Effects of Solitary Confinement 

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-25/justice/colorado.supermax.silverstein.solitary_1_solitary-confinement-federal-prison-system-cell?_s=PM:CRIME

      This article talks about the affects of solitary confinement on Tommy Silverstein who has been there for 27 years.  He described it as “a slow, constant peeling of the skin.”  Cutting off connection with the outside world can lead to many effects on the body.  As mentioned in the article, psychologists said isolation such as this could lead to anxiety and even depression.  It has even caused some inmates to commit suicide.  Cutting off interaction with people can have great affects on our mental life.  As human, we want to feel connected to other humans and feel like we belong.  When people are not able to have interactions with those around them, their need for relatedness is not fulfilled.  Chuck also was not able to interact with any humans.  This led to him being depressed.  He tried to find his need for relatedness in Wilson, his volleyball friend, but it is impossible to connect to an inanimate object the way one can with a person.  This led to Chuck’s depression.   

The Suicide of Antonio Pettigrew

http://www.realitytv.nfo.ph/antonio-pettigrew-biography-and-photo/

      This article is about the death of Antonio Pettigrew.  He was a former Olympian in running and assistant coach at the University of North Carolina.  Two year after he had admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, he killed himself.  To him, running was what defined who he was.  Everyone in the world knew him as this great runner.  His reputation was destroyed when everyone found out that he had been cheating his way to the top.  The two years after his announcement till his death he was most likely in depression.  Suicide attempts happen when one is in a very deep depression.  Depression is not only caused by a loss of love, which we see in Chuck’s life and in many others but from a loss of self-transcendence.  But they all relate in one way, depression is caused by the loss of something that brings us joy.  In Chuck’s life it was the loss of Kelly, in some peoples lives it may be the loss of a loved one, but in Pettigrew’s life it was a loss of him being satisfied in who he was.  


The Dangers of Loneliness 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/the-dangers-loneliness

      This article talks about the dangers of loneliness on our health.  We as humans are very social and are in need of interaction with humans in our lives.  In order for the feeling of loneliness to appear, one must first be aware of the deficiency of relationships in their life.  This awareness will haunt us in our minds causing one to feel very sad.  The article talks about that if we are without this interaction, it can lead one to depression or anxiety.  We see this happening to Chuck in the film.  He is on the island unable to contact anyone.  He is aware that no one is looking for him since he is out of the searching range and that no one was going to find him.  After this realization, Chuck became depressed and at the point of killing himself.  

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 

http://adstrategy.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/
      Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a relevant concept in the movie Cast Away. Chuck must first meet his physiological needs then his safety needs before he can meet any of the higher level needs such as belongingness. The author of this blog post takes a different and interesting viewpoint on Malslow’s Hierarchy in relation to advertising. The author explains how marketing plays off the hierarchy to persuade the people to buy their product.