Identify the American Psychos

Today was the final day of class and I gave my students a quiz. Cruel? No. It wasn't officially graded, and the winners received prizes: first place, a Freud bobble-head doll; second place, Van Gogh's ear in the form of a key chain. See how you do!

1. Identify the Celebrity who most exemplifies the following disorders. Please Note: It is not recommended that you use these definitions to diagnose your friends, family members, or favorite celebrities. As should be clear, these definitions are not scientifically accurate. (But then again, one could argue that neither is the DSM.) Some are adapted from Vanessa Grigoriadis’s “Celebrity Psychos,” an article that appeared in the July 25, 2005 issue of New York Magazine.

A. Exhibitionism: "Celebrities with an exhibitionism disorder tend to favor halter-tops, tattoos, even bare feet." Celebrities who suffer from this disorder often seen more memorable in amateur films than in professional ones.

Brad Pitt Lindsay Lohan Paris Hilton Jennifer Aniston

B. Dissociative Behavior: "Celebrities with dissociative-behavior disorder tend to act in outlandish ways with no knowledge that others perceive these behaviors as out of the ordinary." They are usually oblivious to the fact that others see their behavior as bizarre and remain confident that they know best how to handle any given situation. This disorder is most often seen in megastars with extensive entourages.

Angelina Jolie Tom Cruise Emeril Legasse Gweneth Paltrow Susan Sarandon

C. Dependent Personality Disorder: is often characterized by a tendency to passively allow others to assume responsibility for major areas of one’s life. It often results from a severe lack of self-confidence or lack of ability to function independently.

Liv Tyler Katie Holmes Heath Ledger Keira Knightley Orlando Bloom

2. Which one of these celebrities does NOT embody the following disorder.

A. Body Dysmorphism: "Body dysmorphism often develops in celebrities due to excessive media attention to the celebrity’s secondary sexual characteristics (breasts, buttocks)." The pleasure of the subsequent weight loss often turns to guilt when the media then focuses on the celebrity’s extreme thinness, and on the bad example the celebrity is setting for the nation’s children.

Nicole Richie Lindsay Lohan Mary-Kate Olsen Kate Winslet

3. What famous film depicts the grotesque crimes of a narcissist discusses the artistic merits of Huey Lewis and the News and Whitney Huston, completes a thousand crunches a day, and performs a daily beauty ritual that involves at least eight brand-name hair products? What is the name of the film’s protagonist?

4. In As Good as It Gets, Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), an unfriendly novelist, attempts to control the world around him with a rigid daily routine and as little human interaction as possible. From which of the following disorders does Melvin seem to suffer?

A. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

B. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

C. What disorder? He’s just an asshole

D. Dissociative-Identity Disorder (DID)

5. Jack Nicholson has built a reputation for playing “crazy” people. Name three films that showcase Nicholson’s ability to play such roles.

6. In Copycat, Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver), a criminal anthropologist, helps discover who is responsible for a series of “copy cat” murders. Unfortunately, her own psychiatric disorder makes it difficult for Hudson to leave her apartment. Name the disorder from which she suffers:

claustrophobia xenophobia agoraphobia arachnophobia

7. When gangster Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) seeks medical help for heart attack symptoms, Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) diagnoses Vitti with an anxiety disorder. Soon, Vitti becomes so wracked with anxiety that he cannot perform everyday tasks—like offing his enemies. What are the names of the two films that depict the interactions between Vitti and Sobel.

8. In Girl, Interrupted, Lisa is diagnosed as a ______________ and Susanna is diagnosed with _________________.

9. Vincent van Gogh seemed to embody the myth of the “crazy” artist, producing incredible paintings during his lucid periods and residing in sanatoriums during his manic episodes. He’s also famous for the following memorable action: lopping off his own _____________.

10. Some social critics claimed that Larry and Andy Wachowski’s 1999 film, entitled ________________, inspired the “crazy” acts that led to the Columbine killings. On the other hand, Michael Moore’s 2002 documentary sarcastically encourages us to blame the murders on the following recreational activity: ________________.

11. Which of the following authors or artists did NOT (reportedly) suffer from depression?

Sylvia Plath Curt Cobain Pablo Picasso Virginia Woolf Charles Mingus

12. Which U.S. president had a sister who underwent a lobotomy?

John F. Kennedy George H. Bush Jimmy Carter Lyndon B. Johnson

13. What actress appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with Postpartum Depression, a disorder that, according to the DSM, often includes “depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to a baby's needs, and delayed bonding.”

14. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Norman Bates suffers from what disorder?