Disorders As Depicted In The Film: Raymond Babbitt
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1.) Please select one character from the film. What disorder/disorders were depicted?
The character in this film with a disorder is Raymond Babbitt. He is an autistic savant.
2) Describe some of this character’s behaviors (2-3) that are indicative of “abnormality” or “impairment” (for the individual and/or others).
Raymond shows signs of pretty severe autism. For example, he needs to stick to his routine or else he begins to panic. This caused many problems for he and his brother to go about living normal day to day life, thus manifesting in dysfunction. A specific instance was when he needed to watch The People’s Court, but they were on the road. This caused them to have to pull over the middle of nowhere and knock on the door of the only house for miles to see if he could watch it there, getting them even more behind schedule. Raymond also showed signs of dangerousness, such as when he tried to take the wheel from the passenger seat on the highway. He doesn’t seem to understand potential consequences of his…show more content… Some people argue that mental illnesses are less real, or to be taken under less consideration. This is simply not true. In the case of this film, the autism portrayed was worse than any kind of flu, or broken bone, that I’ve ever seen. It is also consistent in it’s distressing nature. I think myself, and everyone who has seen this film, gained a new appreciation for the serious nature of mental illness, if not just autism. Furthermore, similar to the discussion we had in class, this film strengthens my belief that individuals with a mental illness should not go through the same jail system as those without. If someone like Raymond ended up in prison, which would probably be for something he didn’t understand, he would be under more distress than ever (though he might adjust to a new routine, seeing how scheduled prison