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1. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 1
Anxiety and Phobia Paper
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Course
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January 18, 2022

2. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 2
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are one form of mental illness in which a person feels anxious more
often, making it challenging to get through the day and routine tasks. OCD and phobia are
types of anxiety disorders. In this research paper, the analysis of a character that presents
anxiety disorder and phobia symptoms was performed in detail. For the study, I have selected
Howard Hughes’s character from the movie “The Aviator.” He was a patient with obsessive-
compulsive disorder (OCD) that can be explained as repetitive behaviors or/and obsessions or
unwanted perceptions that occur persistently. The treatment, diagnostic method, and model for
OCD and phobia are also presented in the research paper.

3. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 3
Introduction
Anxiety is the normal emotion through which our brain helps us to react to stressful
situations. It alerts us to any danger or threat that is likely to occur. If a person feels anxious
occasionally, it is normal; however, anxiety disorders are quite different. Anxiety disorders are
one form of mental illness in which a person feels anxious more often, which makes it
challenging to get through the day and person’s routine tasks (Janardhan et al., 2017). The key
symptoms of anxiety disorders include panic, fear, and nervousness. These emotions also lead
to other signs such as increased heartbeat rate and sweating. Typical treatment of anxiety
disorders includes cognitive behavioral therapy and medications or other treatment
demonstrated by the therapist.
One type of anxiety disorder is a phobia which makes the affected person experience
irrational and extreme fear of any place, thing, person or living creature, or condition. People
with phobia mold their lives to assist them in avoiding that condition (Moody et al., 2017). In
this research paper, the analysis of a character that presents anxiety disorder and phobia
symptoms will be performed in detail.
Analysis
For the analysis, I have selected the Howard Hughes character from the movie “The
Aviator.” The character was played by an American actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. The character
of this movie (Howard Hughes) was a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that
can be explained as repetitive behaviors or/and obsessions or unwanted perceptions that occur
persistently (Lee et al., 2019). OCD is the type of anxiety disorder, and it occurred to Hughes
as he was challenged with progressively intrusive symptoms of OCD (Janardhan et al., 2017).

4. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 4
Hughes was so phobic to germs that he tried to avoid germs all his life. There are many
actions carried out by him in the movie which depict his phobic and anxious side. For instance,
he used to burn his clothes if someone having contact with him became ill. To protect his feet
from germs, he used to wear tissue boxes on his feet. It caused him a lot of trouble and made
life challenging for him. His mental illness negatively impacted his physical health,
deteriorating the health of his heart. He is a potential example of a patient with phobia and
OCD (Lee et al., 2019).
There are many irrational behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs visible in his character. One
example of this is lying naked in bed in dark rooms of a hotel, taking them as germ-free zone
towards the end of his life. His phobia and compulsive behavior increased his fear causing him
to do irrational actions.
As he grew older and older, his fear of germs progressed. Along with his phobic
behavior, he also developed symptoms of obsessive-compulsion while making efforts to
safeguard himself from germs (Lee et al., 2019). One interesting example that applies to this
condition is his enlistment of the steps to open a can of peaches which he mentioned in the staff
manual. These steps included the direction for removing the label of the can, rubbing the can
till it was plain metal, washing it after rubbing, and transferring the contents of the can into the
bowl while ensuring that the can do not touch the bowl.
However, later in life, he did not care about his hygiene as he rarely brushed his teeth
and bathed. It is related to his irrational belief that he would be affected by other people. He
was convinced that the germs would come from outside, not from him. Many film critiques
demonstrate his progressive addiction to codeine to his mental condition, which also
contributed to his death by heart failure.

5. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 5
The diagnosis of OCD is based on the analysis of the presence of obsessions or
compulsions which occur recurrently, up to one hour a day (Nazeer et al., 2020). It impairs the
social life and routine of patients due to significant distress. Patients are observed by healthcare
practitioners, and based on their behavior, symptoms, and condition, they are diagnosed and
treated accordingly. It is the only way of diagnosis under DMS-V as there is no test for OCD.
It is presented that in the United States, around 2 to 3% of the people are affected by OCD. It
occurs predominantly in adults, with a higher prevalence in women as compared to men
(Nazeer et al., 2020).
Phobia is diagnosed by analyzing the patient’s mental condition; for instance, inquiring
the patient about the presence of persistent and marked fear, which is irrational and progressive.
These symptoms are usually stimulated under the anticipation of a specific condition or object.
Under DSM-IV TR criteria, this is the diagnosis process of the patients with phobia.
Unfortunately, there is no test for phobia like OCD. Mostly, anxiety disorders are diagnosed
by observational and behavioral analysis that is usually carried out by mental health
practitioners (Nazeer et al., 2020).
As presented in multiple researches, the cognitive behavior model best explains OCD.
Cognitive behavior therapy is taken as one of the most efficient psychological therapies used
as a treatment for OCD. One of the most vital insights of the cognitive-behavioral model is
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Moody et al., 2017). This is because it gives an
understanding of the intrusion which drives the maladaptive responses and anxious behaviors
in the people. Although in many people, the invasive and disturbing doubts, images, and
perceptions are common and occur normally. However, in OCD, the condition is different, as
explained by the cognitive-behavioral model. For instance, in OCD, the emotional power to
the intrusions is given by the meaning that patients assign to these intrusions.

6. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 6
Based on this model, the most common treatment of OCD and phobia is cognitive
behavior therapy and medication. A type of CBT, i.e., Exposure and Response Prevention
(ERP), is more specifically given to the patients of OCD as enormous evidence supports the
effectiveness of this therapy for treating these patients. Patients are also given SRI or serotonin
reuptake inhibitors as medication along with therapy.
The process through which Exposure and Response Prevention therapy is carried out
involves the licensed mental health professional. This professional can be any mental health
counselor, social worker, or psychologist in the outpatient setting. The patients are given an
appointment with the doctors at a particular time in a week. The counselor analyzes the
condition of the patient and provides the treatment.
Conclusion
Anxiety disorders are one form of mental illness in which a person feels anxious more
often, making it challenging to get through the day and routine tasks. The key symptoms of
anxiety disorders include panic, fear, and nervousness. OCD and phobia are the types of anxiety
disorders discussed in this research paper. Howard Hughes’s character in the movie ‘The
Aviator” presented the symptoms of OCD and phobia. There is no diagnostic test for these
disorders; however, they can be diagnosed by evaluating the symptoms and behavior. The
cognitive-behavior model best explains this disorder and CBT as its potential treatment.

7. ANXIETY AND PHOBIA PAPER 7
References
Janardhan R. Y. C., Sundar, A. S., Narayanaswamy, J. C., & Math, S. B. (2017). Clinical
practice guidelines for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Indian journal of
psychiatry, 59(Suppl 1), S74–S90. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.196976.
Lee, L. O., Rouse, S., & Mlinac, M. E. (2019). Home-Based Assessment and Treatment of
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms to Reduce Unnecessary Emergency Room
Usage in an Older Adult. Journal of cognitive psychotherapy, 33(1), 82–94.
https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.33.1.82.
Moody, T. D., Morfini, F., Cheng, G., Sheen, C., Tadayonnejad, R., Reggente, N., O’Neill, J.,
& Feusner, J. D. (2017). Mechanisms of cognitive-behavioral therapy for obsessive-
compulsive disorder involve robust and extensive increases in brain network
connectivity. Translational psychiatry, 7(9), e1230.
https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2017.192.
Nazeer, A., Latif, F., Mondal, A., Azeem, M. W., & Greydanus, D. E. (2020). Obsessive-
compulsive disorder in children and adolescents: epidemiology, diagnosis, and
management. Translational Pediatrics, 9(Suppl 1), S76–S93.
https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2019.10.02.