Editor’s Note: Danny Wedding, PhD, MPH, is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Director of the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, a Center for Policy, Research and Training. He is author or co-author of several influential textbooks in the field including his new work Movies and Mental Illness.

HR: Let’s begin with a little armchair psychoanalysis. When you were very young did you make the decision to become a psychologist and help people?
DW: I was an Air Force medic for four years immediately after high school (and later attended college on the GI Bill), and I spent the first 18 months in the Air Force stationed in Taichung, Taiwan. While visiting Hong Kong on a one week “R&R,” I saw a well-dressed and apparently affluent Chinese man commit suicide by jumping off the rear of a hydrofoil that we were taking from Kowloon to Hong Kong. I was both shocked and intrigued. When I got back to the base hospital where I worked, I read everything I could find on depression and suicide, and asked to be assigned to work with the one psychiatrist assigned to my hospital. He was a Jungian analyst who agreed to take me on, and he shared dozens of books from his personal library. I also had the privilege of working with almost all of the psychiatric patients. This single early experience set a chain of events in motion that shaped my entire professional life.

HR: I know that you studied with Dr. Raymond Corsini who is listed in the Biographical Dictionary of Psychology as one of the top 500 psychologists since 1850. Clearly, he is considered one of the most influential psychologists of all-time. What is Dr. Corsini like on a personal level and what was the most important thing that he taught you about conducting psychotherapy?
DW: Ray was without question my most important mentor, and I noted this when I dedicated my book Behavior and Medicine to him. He is sui generis, and I’ve never met anyone with his creativity, vision and energy. Ray has published more books than many people have read, and he loves to take on daunting tasks that would intimidate anyone else (e.g., his Dictionary of Psychology and the Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology). I was trained in a strong behavior therapy tradition at the University of Hawaii, but Ray turned me into an Adlerian. I still find the concept of Gemeinschaftsgef¸uhl to be one of the defining principles of my life.

HR: You and Ray now serve as co-editors for the book Current Psychotherapies. Many experts would agree that this tome is one of the classic works in the helping profession. Luminaries in the field usually pen the chapters. After basking in the wisdom of these experts, what do you think is the quintessential factor that makes a good counselor or therapist?
DW: A critical element in therapy or counseling is the simple fact that the client, by entering therapy, has made a decision to change some aspect of his or her life. The client is forced by the situation itself to confront aspects of his or her life that they may have denied or avoided in the past. There is something special, almost magical, about the power of the therapeutic relationship.

HR: Danny, now let’s talk about addiction in the movies. Needless to say, our generation wasn’t weaned on Play Stations and Gameboys. Was your interest in the silver screen sparked at an early age as a form of entertainment?
DW: I’ve always loved movies, and especially foreign films (e.g., the works of Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Wenders, Herzog, Wertmuller and Fassbinder). It was natural for me to discuss the films I’d seen over the weekend with my friends on Monday morning. Most of these friends were mental health professionals, and many a lunch hour was devoted to a lively debate about the merits of one film or another.

HR: Just curious. If I went to your home this very minute and hit the eject button on your DVD player or VCR what movie or movies would I find?
DW: My partner Sara and I just watched and were touched by the documentary Born Into Brothels; I found the film especially poignant because I’ve traveled and lectured in India and I’ve seen firsthand how devastating poverty can be. Two nights ago, we watched a remarkable film about methamphetamine addiction called Spun. I’m looking forward to seeing Johnny Depp in a new film about methamphetamine abuse titled Addict.

HR: In your new book Movies and Mental Illness, you and your co-authors analyze nearly 1000 movies. Could you take an educated guess what percentage of these flicks depicts a plot that deals with addiction?
DW: 106 films included in the Appendix address alcoholism or drug addiction, so it works out to just over 10 percent of all the films we cover in the book. Of course, many films deal with alcoholism or addiction in the context of a drama involving other problems (e.g., Tom Cruise playing Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July).

HR: When did you and your co-authors find time to view that many films? And, if you don’t mind me asking: what in the world was your popcorn, drinks and video rental bill? I’ve got this uncanny notion that unless you get some huge royalties you could lose on this venture!
DW: I have been writing off a $300 Blockbuster bill on my taxes every year for the past six years; one of these days the IRS will call me in for an audit. I plan to bring in the book when that happens. One of the reasons for taking on a third author for the new edition was that Mary Ann Boyd and I could not keep up with all the new and relevant films coming out each year. All three of the authors are film buffs, and our friends have all learned to be sure and tell us about any new film that they see that might be relevant to our book. Finally, we include our email addresses in the Preface for the book, and many of the students and professors who use this book write to us when they see a film that we should include in the next edition of the book.

HR: What is your all-time favorite movie that deals with addiction and why do you like it?
DW: The Lost Weekend is a superb film about alcoholism that I sometimes assign to students as a homework assignment, asking them to identify the DSM-IV signs of alcohol dependence that are present in the film (they are all there). Requiem for a Dream would be a close second; Ellen Burstyn is magnificent in this film. Clean and Sober presents a vivid portrayal of polydrug abuse.

HR: Do you happen to know whether the producers of these flicks contact experts in the field of addictions to make the films more accurate? I know that when I was involved with suicide prevention, producers sometimes — but not always —contacted suicidologists and related experts for guidance. On one occasion, Universal Studios contacted me because they were worried about the psychological impact of the film Night Mother. We even conducted a pre-release showing for mental health providers in order to secure more feedback.
DW: It is becoming much more common for film directors/producers to hire psychologists as technical advisors or consultants. Hitchcock’s Spellbound was among the first films to employ a psychiatrist as a technical advisor; this film is grounded in psychoanalytic theory, and Hitchcock was concerned with the accurate depiction of both dreams and psychoanalysis. Several more recent films that have utilized psychologists as technical advisors include Silent Fall, A Beautiful Mind, K-Pax, Analyze That, and Antwone Fisher.
Several films also have cast real psychologists to play roles as film psychologists. For example, the role of the psychiatrist in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was played by Dean Kent Brooks, a bona fide psychiatrist who was serving as the head of the Oregon State Hospital in 1975 when the movie was filmed there. Director Paul Mazursky frequently casts therapists in his films, such as the psychiatrist in Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. Ryan Niemiec and I discuss this issue in more detail in an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (Wedding & Niemiec, 2003).

HR: Just for the record, what is the latest thinking in regard to the age-old argument about how movies and television impact the behavior of children and adults? The things I’ve been reading recently seem to imply that the cinema is a powerful force that for better or for worse does help mold the personality.
DW: Films (and television) have a profound social influence, and many of our ideas about things like gender roles are shaped by the ways in which we see role models behaving in film. For example, I can still remember seeing Gone with the Wind and the scene in which Clark Gable (Rhett Butler) tells Vivian Leigh (Scarlett O’Hara), “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” For me (as a 13 year old), Gable became the quintessential male. I am especially concerned about the ways in which films perpetuate the stigma of mental illness; this is a topic we talk about at length in our book, and something that I lecture on frequently.

HR: Which do you personally like better, the old films or the new hi-tech, high budget ones and why?
DW: That is kind of like saying which do you like best — Rib Eye or lobster. Both are wonderful! I do feel that the viewing experience is enhanced by some of the technological advances and computer graphics we see in films like Spiderman 2 and The Day After Tomorrow. I also enjoy old films like the classic 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon.

HR: What addiction seems to be the most prevalent in the movies . . . alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, shopping, etc.? Also, does the addiction of choice change over the years to mirror the Zeitgeist of the times?
DW: There are myriad films that have a subplot involving alcoholism. A somewhat smaller number involve illegal drugs such as crack cocaine. Several recent films address the growing problem of methamphetamine abuse. Two excellent films addressing gambling addiction are the recent movie Owning Mahoney and the somewhat older film The Gambler. So, I believe that films about alcoholism are the most prevalent, but over the past decade we have seen an increasing number of films that deal with addiction. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was superb in Owning Mahoney, plays a man who becomes a “huffer” (sniffing gasoline) after his wife’s suicide in the movie Love Liza. This is a film that couldn’t have been made in the 1950’s because sniffing gasoline just wasn’t practiced at the time.

HR: Any pattern as to whether the individual who sports the addiction is the protagonist or perhaps the villain?
DW: Not really. You do see codependency clearly represented in the classic film Days of Wine and Roses with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Dead Man Walking raises interesting questions about whether or not a person who commits a crime while under the influence of drugs is as culpable as someone who commits the same crime when sober.

HR: Are individuals with addictive behaviors ever glorified on the silver screen? You know, does the alcoholic get the good- looking woman . . . the high paying job . . . that sort of thing?
DW: Not too often. One exception is Arthur, in which Dudley Moore is drunk through much of the film, but still manages eventually to win the love of Liza Minnelli. The scenes in which Moore is driving his Rolls Royce on the freeway while drinking champagne are especially troubling, and the character presents a terrible model for young people. Likewise, Jimmy Stewart played a happy drunk in Harvey. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong made a career out of promoting the use of marijuana in movies such as Up in Smoke. The recent film Ray shows Ray Charles functioning at a high level despite his addiction to heroin, and of course, Easy Rider is the classic film glorifying the drug culture and the use of hallucinogens. Alcohol abuse is almost a staple part of the western genre; I discuss this problem in some detail in an article in the Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education (Wedding, 2001).

HR: In general, do movies portray addiction as a disease, a moral deficit, or a lack of willpower? Moreover, any thoughts as to whether this has changed over the years?
DW: The disease model is probably the most common presentation, and it is one that is almost automatically associated with any film that portrays alcoholics benefiting from participating in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (e.g., When a Man Loves a Woman and Drunks). One of the most interesting portrayals of someone recovering from alcoholism is Robert Duvall’s character in Tender Mercies. These portrayals have not really changed much over the years.

HR: Are there gender differences in the way men and women addicts are typecast?
DW: Most cinematic presentations of alcoholism and drug addiction involve men (as they should since we know the prevalence of drug use and abuse is higher in men). The best role illustrating alcoholism in women is Meg Ryan’s character in When a Man Loves a Woman. And of course, Katherine Hepburn was magnificent as a woman addicted to morphine in Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

HR: Now let’s talk about treatment. When the individual has a problem with an addiction is it generally treated with meds, 12-step groups like AA, classical Freudian analysis, cognitive therapy, or family therapy on the big screen? Do you see any patterns here?
DW: Twelve step programs are routinely presented as the treatment of choice for alcoholism and drug abuse (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous). The use of medications like naltrexone are almost never portrayed, despite their documented efficacy as an adjuct to therapy. Methadone: An American Way of Dealing is a little known film that is highly critical of the use of methadone in the treatment of addiction.

HR: I’ve noticed that in some movies such as Final Analysis starring Richard Gere, as a shrink, or Prince of Tides, starring Barbara Streisand as a psychiatrist, the helper is involved in an unethical dual relationship. Do you have any insights regarding ethical guidelines and the psych flicks? I’m just thinking that in the real world if Richard Gere, got it on with Kim Basinger and Barbara Streisand had a fling with Nick Nolte, they could have their professional licenses yanked from under their couches.
DW: Psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors are routinely portrayed as being all too willing to become involved in dual relationships, most often sexual ones (e.g., Prince of Tides, Final Analysis, Mr. Jones, The Butcher’s Wife, etc.). This has a profound effect on the public image of mental health professionals. Even good films like Good Will Hunting and Antwone Fisher show mental health professionals behaving unprofessionally. The myth that sexual acting out is a routine part of psychotherapy is one of the myths that we address in Movies and Mental Illness.
HR: Finally, let me slip into my therapist’s role for a moment. How does it make you feel when you go to some big Cinema 18 or whatever and they charge you over four dollars for a pint-sized bottled water and nearly four bucks for a microscopic hit of candy, popcorn or other junk food?
DW: Exploited, of course. However, I do most of my movie viewing at home, taking advantage of Netflix or the local Blockbuster. This gives me some control over the cost of popcorn and junk food that I probably shouldn’t be eating anyway.

HR: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your knowledge and expertise with our readers!

Howard Rosenthal, EdD, MAC, is a frequent contributor and is Professor and Program Coordinator of Human Services at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. He is the author of a number of books including the academic bestseller the Encyclopedia of Counseling and the Human Services Dictionary.

Danny Wedding, PhD, MPH, is a clinical psychologist who is trained in neuropsychology. He also later spent two years working for the U. S. Congress. He is the author or editor of numerous books, and is the editor for PsycCRITIQUES: Contemporary Psychology — APA Review of Books. A filmography of movies addressing mental illness and substance abuse can be found at Danny’s website, www.mimh.edu/danny_wedding.

References
Wedding, D. (2001). The portrayal of alcohol and alcoholism in the western genre. Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education, 46, 3-11.
Wedding, D. (2005). Popular films on mental disorders. In G.P. Koocher, J.C. Norcross & S.S. Hill (Eds), Psychologists’ Desk Reference (pp. 497-501). (2nd Edition). NY: Oxford University Press.
Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R. (2005). Movies and mental illness: Using films to understand psychopathology. Ashland, OH: Hogrefe & Huber.
Wedding, D., & Niemiec, R. (2003). The clinical use of films in psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology/In Session, 59, 207-215.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, October 2005, v.6, n.5, pp.36-40.

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