Overview of the Movie and the Character
In the beginning, the movie When a Man Loves a Woman presents a classic American family: Michael, a successful pilot, and Alice, a school counselor, have two beautiful girls. The couple hires a nanny to care for the children when they want to celebrate an anniversary. However, with time, it becomes clear that the wife is an alcoholic, and the husband faces difficulties managing household responsibilities.
Alice is one of the main characters in the story who is in rehab to treat her alcohol use disorder (AUD). She has drinking problems, and her mother underlines the father’s negative impact with the same mental health history. Alice cannot control her actions and family relationships, putting her children at risk of physical abuse and neglect. During the movie, the woman gets the necessary treatment and recovers.
Deviance, Distress, and Dysfunction
Deviance is one of the features describing psychological abnormalities, characterized by the unwillingness or inability to follow accepted norms. In addition to neglecting her role as a mother, Alice uses inappropriate language, like “shit,” while counseling a young student. She offers to put Mathew Wasserman away and accuses him of sexual harassment by getting “him to lift up” her dress (Mandoki, 1994). It is unclear if Alice was joking, but her tone and style of communication could be considered a form of deviation.
Distress is a form of suffering when a person experiences anxiety, confusion, fear, or another negative emotion. According to Alice, her mother made her “feel like nothing,” and during their meeting, the mother shared unpleasant remarks about her weight and free time to be tired (Mandoki, 1994). Alice has lacked support and understanding since childhood, and such mistreatment could be a reason for AUD.
Dysfunction helps define psychological abnormality due to the inability to complete regular functions. Alice fails as a mother when she slaps her daughter, ignores the responsibility to care for her children, and puts her girls at risk when falling through the shower glass door under alcohol impact (Mandoki, 1994). The woman’s behavior is shocking for her little girl, and this dysfunction disturbs other family members.
Disorder in the Movie
The symptoms of AUD may be mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the person’s behavior and desire to recognize a problem. In the United States, more than 14.6 million people meet the diagnostic criteria, and 88,000 individuals die because of alcohol abuse-related problems (Mason & Heyser, 2021). Unlimited amounts of drinks and feeling the urge to drink are common signs of alcohol dependence.
On the one hand, the film properly depicts the unpredictability of AUD in women and how to manage the dependence. Alice understands she needs professional help and is ready to join a rehab problem. At the same time, she worries about the inability to be with her family and becomes aggressive when she is in detox (Mandoki, 1994). The impact of family history and the role of alcoholics anonymous meetings are underlined.
On the other hand, some questions emerge, showing the differences between professional outcomes and media coverage. It was hard to understand why Michael did not recognize his wife’s problem for a long period. Another inconsistency touches upon the decision to replace alcohol with tobacco smoking because psychologists recommend quitting both habits to manage a craving for tobacco or alcohol.
Mental Health Treatment in Popular Media
In popular media, most psychological disorders may be successfully treated, and patients succeed in recovery to raise interest in the story. The media gives people hope to restore their mental health if all recommendations are properly followed. The main messages about mental health diagnosis and treatment include family support, proper care, and cooperation. T
he general public might get a wrong interpretation of the conditions under which rehabilitation occurs, neglecting the worst-case scenarios. In popular media, disorder does not mean dangerous all the time. There are many situations when people diagnosed with mental health disorders provoke compassion, sympathy, and the desire to support such people in real life.
References
Mandoki, L. (1994). When a man loves a woman [Film]. Touchstone Pictures.
Mason, B. J., & Heyser, C. J. (2021). Alcohol use disorder: The role of medication in recovery. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 41(1). Web.