Mental Illness in Film (Essay Sample)

Mental Illness in Film: Alzheimer’s disease in Iris (2001)
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Introduction
Iris is a film released in 2001on the real-life story of British philosopher and novelist, Irish Murdoch. The R-rated movie lasts for 90 minutes and documents the life of the couple and the descent of Iris to Alzheimer’s disease. The movie with no doubts offers an intimate feel of the impact of the psychopathology on the couple’s relationship as the disease advances. To the relevant stakeholders involved in understanding mental disorders, this is a perfect film to watch for key themes such as dementia, stages, progression and risk factors. Besides, the film offers a perfect platform for the society to visualize Alzheimer’s disease effects on the patients and their primary caregivers.
Based on a pair of books by John Bayley (Iris Murdoch’s husband), the movie shows how the couple met at their college days in Oxford (Bayley, 1999). Iris has an arch personality, artistic talent and libertine spirit that made her standout amongst many. Their marriage had its highs and lows and after several years, the couple enjoys the comfort of their home. Iris began experiencing dementia that came in as the ultimate challenge to their relationship. The condition is characterized by her memory loss as her husband struggles to offer care services.
The film portrays the patient as deprived of the ability to recognize their suffering whereas the caregivers are left with relentless pity for their spouses. Bayley is depicted as a frustrated caretaker who feels worse as Iris’ condition regresses further. Iris relays on how familial love is important in cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
The movie provides an insight of how the ability of the brain to recall things and make new memoirs fades gradually. Iris, in this case, reached a point where she could not dress, feed, bathe or visit the toilet. In reference to Hardman (2009), one of the major signs of Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss that ends up destroying normal life. As human beings age, the degeneration of neurons takes place giving these signs and symptoms. For the healthcare professionals, the case of Iris Murdoch proved to be a complicated one to deal with since the disease manifestation in her case was gradual, prolonged and acute at the very end. The film also educates professionals that the patient’s lifestyle affects the efficiency of palliative care. Such is reflected in the vibrant lifestyle of the character that did not complement the palliative setting.
Causes of Alzheimer’s disease
In reference to Oltmanns & Emery (2015), the condition develops as an interplay of several factors such as lifestyle, genetic and environmental. Like in most types of degenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s is characterized by the progressive apoptosis of brain cells. Shea (2012) argues though not testable on the living brain, autopsies on Alzheimer’s patients report the presence of inclusions in the neurons called plaques and tangles. It is, therefore, most likely that these have something to do with the development of the condition.
Plaques are clumps of the beta-amyloid protein that destroy the brain cells through obstructing the cell signaling mechanisms. The brain processes stimuli and sends signals to the relevant cells via the nerve cells. The presence of these plaques prevents efficient transmission of signals thus explaining memory loss.
For proper functioning of the brain cells, an internal transport and support system is required to carry the necessary materials and nutrients. A protein known as tau is therefore required to maintain the normal structure of these extensions. Tangles within these long extensions obstruct nutrient supply throughout the brain thus disease development (Engdahl, 2013).
Journal Article
Dong, S., Duan, Y., Hu, Y., & Zhao, Z. (2012). Advances in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease: a re-evaluation of amyloid cascade hypothesis. Translational Neurodegeneration, 1(18), 1-12.
Dong et al. (2012) state that Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia in which progressive deterioration of memory occurs. Its pathogenesis includes histopathological changes that introduce extracellular deposition of amyloid-beta peptides that form senile plaques. Other changes include the intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of the hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the brain. The article focused on recent developments concerning amyloid cascade hypothesis; it offers details on the synthesis, metabolism and the clearance of amyloid-beta.
In addition, the review provides the advances made in terms of neuropathology, genetics and pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease (A...