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Movie Review: Back from the Edge (2006)
Summary:
This is a documentary produced by New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is an Axis II personality disorder that generally first shows up in teen years or young adulthood. According to the DSM-IV-TR, to be diagnosed, a person must have 5 or more of the following 9 symptoms:
- frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment (some clinicians expand this to include fear of abandonment)
- a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
- unstable self-image or sense of self (identity disturbance)
- impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (such as sex, spending, substance abuse, reckless driving, etc…)
- recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, threats or self-mutilating behavior (such as cutting, burning, head banging, etc…)
- a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
- chronic feelings of emptiness
- inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger
- transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms (from page 710 of the DSM)
BPD affects approximately 10 million Americans or about 2% of the population. It is more prevalent than bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. 75% of those with BPD are female.
This documentary features interviews with people who have BPD, their families, and leading clinicians specializing in BPD such as Dr. John Gunderson, Dr. Marsha Linehan, and Dr. Perry Hoffman.
Review:
This documentary is divided into sections starting with each of the symptoms then leading through causes, treatment options, and hope for remission. Each section start with a quote directly from a person with BPD.
This documentary is beautifully done. We see pictures of the people with BPD from their past including both the good times and the bad. We also see excerpts from their journals and letters sent to others. The clinicians all display evident empathy and desire to help not only the patients but their families, friends, and other loved ones. The family members are given the space to express their confusion over their loved ones’ behaviors before they were diagnosed and relief after.
It’s not common to see a documentary of a mental illness that does such an excellent job of humanizing an illness that can be scary both to those who have it and those who don’t. The clinicians carefully explain in clear terms the causes behind the most frightening BPD symptoms–self-injury, clinging, and suicidal ideation (a lack of caring whether or not you die). They show real brain scans comparing BPD brain activity with that of non-BPD brain activity.
My only complaint is that they do not discuss the fact that numerous studies have shown a marked prevalence of abusive childhoods among people with BPD. They are far more likely than the non-BPD person to have been abused physically, emotionally, or sexually by at least one caregiver. I believe they generally left this out from a desire to create a welcoming atmosphere for family members, but it is important for people to know that it takes both a certain environment and the BPD-specific brain chemistry and pathways for BPD to develop.
That said, this is still a very important documentary. It offers so much hope for both those with BPD and those who care for someone with BPD. The filmmakers obviously want the public to know that BPD is treatable, contrary to the stigma attached to it. Most people with BPD who get treatment go into remission (most of the symptoms are gone) in about 2 years. It is so important for everyone to understand mental illnesses. I highly recommend this documentary.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: library
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Friday Fun! (Movies and Gardening)
My apologies for no book reviews this week! The reason is three-fold. First, I’m reading a graphic novel series, and I wanted to just review the whole series in one post. Second, my regular book I’m reading is really long, and I’m not enjoying it that much, so I tend to wander off and play Plants vs. Zombies on my iTouch instead. Finally, the auudiobook I’m listening to is crazy long. We’re talking a grand total of 7 days worth of audio. Like whoa. However, all three will be finished next week, which means you will be inundated with reviews!
Last weekend, I attempted to see Hot Tub Time Machine. About 3/4 of the way through the movie, the fire alarm went off. We all evacuated and were puzzled to discover zero employees anywhere in sight. Finally, a fellow movie goer took the initiative to call the fire department, as the alarm was still going off. The firemen showed up and went in the building and miraculously an employee finally showed her face. We got free passes to another show, which means I can see a 3D movie even though I’d only paid for a 2D one. Score!
While I was in Home Depot getting my huge planter pots for when my seedlings become, y’know, big plants, I noticed people buying seed pots. Some of these babies even had complex clear plastic covers to simulate a greenhouse. I feel that I should at least save my readers from this marketing scheme. You really don’t need to buy seed pots! Look in your recycling bin. Empty plastic food containers make excellent seed pots. I currently am using hummus containers, cheese spread containers, and a yogurt cup, but pretty much anything that’s about that size and plastic can be used. Put the dirt in it. Add a bit of water and stir it up. Put the seeds in it. Now, take the plastic wrap you’ve got in your cupboard, put it over the top, and hold it in place with a rubberband. Voila! Nearly free seed pots.
Happy weekends everyone!
Gardening Is Not Elitist
I’m sure you’ve heard the people claiming it’s elitist to backyard or container garden. The “reasoning,” apparently, is that because other people in the world have to farm to subsist, doing so when you don’t have to is rude to them. Or something like that. Excuse me, but the assumption that farming is something you only do until you can afford not to is what’s elitist. It’s looking down on farmers. It’s looking down on people who are actually willing to get their hands dirty to sustain themselves. It’s looking down on everyone who works along the line to make the packaged, processed foods these so-called humanitarians eat.
There is, of course, a place for production farming. It’s a great way to produce a lot of food in a short amount of time at a relatively low price to feed a bunch of people. It’s obviously far more logical to have a large farm of rice paddies than for me to attempt to make my own rice paddy in Boston. I’m laughing just thinking about it.
But what about your backyard that is currently just grass? What about your balcony that’s decorated only with chairs and a few garden gnomes? What about the 3 feet of space in my kitchen that’s too small to fit an appliance or table in, so is currently just wasted space? If I grow vegetables and/or fruit there, I’m:
- Using space that would otherwise be wasted for a valuable purpose
- Lessening my environmental impact, which is a benefit for everyone
- Becoming more self-reliant, which is always a good thing
- Maintaining important knowledge to help pass down to future generations
These people seem to think that big business manufacturing is The Answer to all societal problems, but it isn’t. It isn’t too hard to imagine a future where no one knows the basics. Where no one is in touch with the earth or with their food or with their clothing or with the animals. We’re practically living in it now. Just look at the obesity epidemic, the violence, the general feeling of ennui permeating modern life. We’ve become so caught up in the power of manufacturing that we’ve forgotten even good things are bad if they aren’t in moderation. It’s great that I can get rice and tofu in the store–those aren’t exactly things that I can grow in my backyard. But it’s also great that I can grow a tomato in my kitchen. Nothing teaches you where food comes from quite so well as planting the seed, nurturing the plant, and harvesting the fruit yourself. It’s empowering. It’s understanding on a close, personal level what we as people are capable of with our opposable thumbs and big brains. Gardening isn’t elitist. It’s bringing a sense of humanity back to a people whose culture continually tries to rob them of it.
Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Summary:
Po is a great big tub of a panda bear helping his dad run a noodle restaurant in Valley of Peace. He dreams of doing kung fu, in spite of his large size and being generally out of shape. When the valley is threatened by an escaped evil kung fu master and coincidence leads to Po being named the Dragon Warrior, he gets his chance to see if he can handle kung fu alongside the Master Shifu and his students, the Furious Five–Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper, and Monkey.
Review:
Although in some ways it’s your predictable kid’s movie (I mean, just look at the Furious Five’s names), in other ways it is delightfully surprising. Po’s dreams of being a kung fu warrior are pretty much just dreams to him. He never seriously thinks he could do it. He just likes watching from afar, but when the chance comes up to actually do it, he steps right up to the plate.
Sight gags are numerous, and the animation is largely delightful. All the birds have a certain adorable quality to them, and the Valley of Peace’s inhabitants are largely cute bunnies and pigs. Kung Fu Panda pokes fun at itself, such as with the fact that Po’s father, a bird, is not really his father. This rather obvious fact is used for jokes, but is never addressed.
Probably what is most enjoyable about the film, though, is that although Po becomes proficient at kung fu, his size doesn’t change. He goes from out of shape and large to in shape and large. Indeed, his belly fat ends up helping him out. Master Shifu admits that the struggles at first were largely his fault in trying to teach Po the way he taught the others, when Po is his own individual person.
A fun message supported by good animation, a cute storyline, and an all-star voice cast including Jack Black, Jackie Chan, and Angelina Jolie, Kung Fu Panda is definitely worth the watch.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Video on Demand
Friday Fun! (Visit to VT, Gal Pals, Wii)
Although the reason for my visit home last weekend was sad, I had a wonderful time getting to see my dad’s side of the family mostly together for a change. My aunts, uncles, and cousins were all wonderful, although it’d been so many years that I did shock a few by having beer at the wake. Hah! Apparently, me being 23 snuck up on them. I also got to see my nephew, who is now talking in complete sentences. I was shocked at how well he remembers me, as well as at how much time he wanted to spend with me. It was fun! Apparently, I like toddlers. Who knew. I also got to meet my niece for the first time. She’s got her daddy’s red hair, so she’s bound to be a bundle of trouble. ;-) Really, though, she’s looking quite good for all the time she had to spend in intensive care at first.
Back in Boston, I hung out with my ever-lovely gal pals, Nina and E. I, shockingly, got to introduce them to the infamous Telephone music video, which they naturally fell in love with. Bonding occurred over Thai food, and Nina sent me off with a bottle of vodka. The gal knows me so well. :-) Meanwhile, all three of my herb plants came up and seem to be doing relatively well. *fingers crossed* Also making an appearance is the seedlings from the mystery seeds I got from Old Navy. I have no idea what flower it’s going to be. We shall see. I’ve been playing my way through wii’s Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. It’s the furthest I’ve ever made it in that type of game. I will say, getting to swipe the wiimote in the air and having it kill troll things on the screen is AWESOME. I think if I ever actually manage to defeat this, I’ll have to try another game where I get to wave my arms around and kill things.
Happy weekends, everyone! Here’s hoping the gorgeous weather holds out!
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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