Movie Critique Patch Adams Essay Sample free essay sample

Loosely based upon the true narrative of Virginia physician Hunter â€Å"Patch† Adams MD. the 1998 movie Patch Adams doubtless delivers good in footings of emotional and audience entreaty. Actor Robin Williams is absolutely cast as the off-beat and idealistic Dr. Patch Adams who is a steadfast truster in a working partnership between physician and patient every bit good as the usage of wit and individualized attacks in the intervention of patients. On the other terminal. back uping characters Mitch ( played by histrion Philip Seymour Hoffman ) and Dean Walcot ( Bob Gunton ) efficaciously represent the staid and traditional medical physicians who define medical specialty by faculty members and difficult nosed objectiveness. Commercially. the movie is effectual as a â€Å"feel good† play comedy with the right balance struck between the calamities of decease and unwellness and the zany jokes of Williams as clown physician Patch Adams. The character Patch Adams was a non-conformist who lived by his ain regulations. Some dark even say that his non-conforming attitude every bit good as his blatant neglect for protocol and tradition governing the medical school might be symptoms of an anti-social personality upset as mentioned in the library scene of the movie. Some may nevertheless reason that one can name it anti-social merely from the medical school’s point of position. In general and existent society nevertheless. the character Patch Adams is more of a â€Å"pro-social† individual. Pro-social people exhibit actions that are ever more for the good of others instead than one’s ego. The traits that distinguish them are their thrust to assist. attention. comfort. portion with and co-operate with others for the common good. ( Clarke 2 ) In other words. it is the complete anti-thesis of anti-social personality upsets particularly since the lone possible ( but insufficient ) symptom that Patch exhibits that may measure up for anti-social upset is his refusal to adhere to the medical school’s traditions. Plot wise the movie is good in the presentation of wit as a valid part in the betterment of a patient’s quality of life. The positive physiological and psychological responses to humour as evidenced by the rise of electrical activity in the encephalon. increased bosom rate without muscular strain. and decreases in emphasis anxiousness degrees have been well-documented by medical observations and surveies ( Szabo ) . The claim that wit in add-on to a more friendly and swearing relationship between wellness attention supplier and patient may make more than hurting slayers and medicine for the patient’s wellbeing is besides tenable. Studies show that patients who are unhappy tend to hold trouble in collaborating with their treating doctors every bit good as unconsciously inhibit their personal recovery ( â€Å"The American Psychotherapy Association the American Association of Integrative Medicine A ; the American College of Wellness Present the Evolution of Health Care: Unifying Mind. Body A ; Spirit† ) . Such is besides the premiss of holistic medical specialty that claims more than medical diagnosing and medicine. the relationship formed between handling physician and patient is a critical subscriber to â€Å"making the patient whole. and bring arounding or eliminating the disease. † ( Whorton 250 ) The thought of switching terminal of life attention for gerontologies and terminally sick patients from clinical isolation to a more humanistic and informal attack besides has its virtues particularly as more aged American citizens are populating out their last yearss at infirmaries and nursing places ( Lynn. and Adamson 1 ) . In his article for the Daily Herald that appeared in June 4. 2007. Dr. Patrick Massey admits. â€Å"quality of life at the terminal of life. historically. has non been a high precedence for traditional medical specialty. † ( Massey 6 ) While hurting which is a reasonably usual happening in geriatric attention may be controlled by hurting medicine. there are concerns that the side effects that come with such medicines may be more damaging to the patient’s comfort in the long tally ( 6 ) . The movie addresses this issue with scenes of the balloon campaign and spaghetti pool organized by Patch for two of the geriatric patients. every bit good as his efforts and eventual success in befriending the grouchy and terminally sick pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease patient Bill ( played by histrion Peter Coyote ) . There was besides the usage of wit employed in pulling out the character of Caryn ( played by Monica Potter ) who developed a distant and difficult personality following a childhood of sexual maltreatment as implied in the scene where she opens up to Patch about her long hatred for work forces. Wit is both an index and intervention of injury and emotional perturbations affecting involuntariness to pass on and avoidance. A person’s â€Å"humor ability† is linked to interpersonal emphasis. solitariness and security. Laugh and drama are activities that develop interpersonal and societal accomplishments ( Miczo ) . This is evidenced by the initial coldness exhibited by the character Caryn who finally opened up and learned to appreciate wit in the class of her work and relationship with Williams’ character Adams There are besides mentions to issues confronting today’s wellness attention industry. its bureaucratism and ruddy tape. Patch Adams’ motive in set uping a free community infirmary for those who have no wellness attention or insurance stemmed from his observation of how people were prevented from basking proper wellness attention. attending and aid with the many protocols associated with infirmaries and insurance. Murray and Jennings study that despite the consciousness of a demand for reform in wellness attention. people are still enduring in hurting and deceasing non because of inaccessibility of doctors or trouble medicine but instead through untrained doctors â€Å"unnecessary regulative ruddy tape. and fiscal barriers to hospice and palliative attention service. † ( Murray and Jennings ) While the movie made some reasonably good points on health care and the integrating of humanity into doctor-patient relationships. there are besides some points that were made more for dramatic consequence than truth and pragmatism. Viewing audiences will be good guided to pattern self-contemplation and rating. For case is the construct of â€Å"transference. † In the earlier portion of the film where Patch is seen to come in medical school. the objectiveness and distance practiced by physicians with their forbearance is explained as a safeguard against â€Å"transference. † In psychological science. transference is defined as a â€Å"transfer† of experiences within a relationship. Often. transference is spoken of in a romantic and titillating context wherein the patient â€Å"transfers† romantic feelings to a treating doctor. nurse of healer. Transference and its subsequent consequence of â€Å"counter transference† may do struggle and jobs in the manner a professional relationship is carried out. ( Jones ) In the movie. the character Adams is seen dodging the regulations set by the medical school and persisting in seeing and interacting with patients. even those who are terminally sick and would wish nil to make with him. While the narrative of Adams’ friendly relationship with Bill and his success in â€Å"treating† patients in the movie makes for good film screening. in existent life. wholly disregarding the system set in topographic point by the medical school every bit good as the larceny of medical supplies from the infirmary supply room are non precisely applaudable illustrations to put for would be medical practicians. ( Butts 146 ) Neither is the puting up of an unaccredited and uninsured medical installation where the physicians have non even completed their medical grades. Granted that the medical students/volunteers at Adams’ installation had their Black Marias in the right topographic point. there are malpractice Torahs and legislative acts that prohibit unaccredited medical professionals from practising medical specialty. To the film’s recognition there is an deduction albeit really little of Adams’ guilt and cognition that the decease of the character Caryn was due to the unstructured â€Å"medicine† that he was propounding. Harmonizing to the late Dr. Avedis Donabedian. one of America’s taking judges of wellness attention quality. quality attention is the combined consequence of a physician’s proficient proficiency and resonance with the patient ( Das. Schwartz. and Derenzo ) . Of the portion sing resonance. there is no inquiry that the character Adams has it in spades. The inquiry comes in the proficient proficiency as neither he nor the other voluntaries shown in the movie have received their medical grades. The menace of malpractice suits is non an idle one. Perceivers within the medical profession themselves have stated that some doctors have really implemented steps that protected them from possible suits but alienated their patients ( 1 ) . For illustration. in the scene at the diner where one of the friends Patch has made complained of paying for trials that ran up to about $ 200 that he considered unneeded in the intervention of his sprained mortise joint. Such pattern in the medical field has come to be known as â€Å"defensive medicine† where physicians order trials and processs with the aim of avoiding any possible malpractice suits ( 1 ) . There is besides the portraiture of self-mutilator â€Å"Larry† who sank into depression following his father’s decease and became a frequent visitant to the exigency room to hold his self-inflicted lesions treated. Larry is besides the character who would calculate in the shot of Caryn in a murder/suicide. Covering with and handling people who suffer from depression and exhibit self-injurious/mutilation Acts of the Apostless require particular accomplishments and preparation in guidance. Even the American Counseling Association’s ( ACA ) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice province that counsellors must work merely â€Å"within the boundaries of their competence† as dictated by their experience. instruction. and preparation. ( White. Mccormick. and Kelly ) The manner the character Caryn responded to a call from a known depressive self-mutilator may look heroic and dedicated in the movie but exhaustively irresponsible for a medical practician particularly a yet unaccredited 1. This peculiar portion of the movie works great for play but gives viewing audiences the incorrect thought on how to manage mentally disturbed patients. The frequence of Larry’s visits to the ER with self-inflicted cuts coupled with depression and evident freak out are besides warning marks of a possible self-destruction ( Kress ) . In existent life. while nonvoluntary look intoing a suicide-risk patient in may be considered unethical. it is the medical practitioner/counselor’s responsibility to protect human life foremost and first ( White. Mccormick. and Kelly ) . Peoples such as Larry would non be left to travel place to an seemingly empty house. Overall. the film is good for amusement and even inspiration. While it presents some outstanding points with respect to the humanisation of the scientific discipline of medical specialty every bit good as reforms in the health care and doctor-patient relationships. it would be best to handle the movie as strictly amusement and see some of the issues presented as possible topics of argument and survey. Plants Cited â€Å"The American Psychotherapy Association the American Association of Integrative Medicine A ; the American College of Wellness Present the Evolution of Health Care: Unifying Mind. Body A ; Spirit. † Annalss of the American Psychotherapy Association 6. 2 ( 2003 ) : 18+ . Butts. Heather. â€Å"Movie Review: Spot Adams. †Journal of the National Medical Association 98 ( 2006 ) : 146. Clarke. David. Pro-Social and Anti-Social Behaviour. New York: Routledge. 2003. Das. Anand. Jack Schwartz. and Evan G. Derenzo. â€Å"True Risk Management: Physicians’ Liability Risk and the Practice of Patient-Centered Medicine. † Journal of Law and Health 18. 1 ( 2003 ) : 57+ . Jones. Alun C. â€Å"Transference and Countertransference. † Positions in Psychiatric Care 40. 1 ( 2004 ) : 13+ . Kress. Victoria E. White. â€Å"Self-Injurious Behaviors: Appraisal and Diagnosis. † Journal of Counseling and Development 81. 4 ( 2003 ) : 490+ . Lynn. Joanne. and David M. Adamson. Populating Well at the End of Life: Adapting Health Care to Serious Chronic Illness in Old Age / . Santa Monica. Calcium: Rand. 2003. Massey. Patrick B. â€Å"Taking a Closer Look at End-of-Life Care. † Daily Herald ( Arlington Heights. IL ) 4 June 2007: 6. Miczo. Nathan. â€Å"Humor Ability. Unwillingness to Communicate. Loneliness. and Perceived Stress: Testing a Security Theory. † Communication Studies 55. 2 ( 2004 ) : 209+ . Murray. Thomas H. . and Bruce Jennings. â€Å"The Quest to Reform End of Life Care: Rethinking Premises and Puting New Directions. † The Hastings Center Report 35. 6 ( 2005 ) : 52+ . Patch Adams. Dir. Tom Shadyac. Perf. Robin Williams. Monica Potter. Daniel London. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bob Gunton. Peter Coyote. VCD. Universal Studios. 1999. Szabo. Attila. â€Å"The Acute Effects of Humor and Exercise on Mood and Anxiety. † Journal of Leisure Research 35. 2 ( 2003 ) : 152+ . White. Victoria E. . Laura J. Mccormick. and Brandy L. Kelly. â€Å"Counseling Clients Who Self-Injure: Ethical Considerations. † Counseling and Values 47. 3 ( 2003 ) : 220+ . Whorton. James C. Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.