Donnie Darko Schizophrenia

Many films today go beyond simple dramas and acts of heroism. A recent interest in the individual and why each person does, acts, lives the way they do makes for wonderful film adaptations of the tortured human soul. Cult films like Donnie Darko received a very strong following due to its strong portrayal of a young man dealing with psychological issues, the question of God, feeling alone, and death. More than any teenager should have to deal with but considering our day and age, it is not surprising that the following Donnie Darko has earned through beautiful portrayal of a tormented soul is made up of mainly adolescents. In the film, Donnie is said to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as: "a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental illness characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality, most commonly manifesting as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction". Paranoid schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia. In Donnie Darko, many of the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia are obvious in Donnie and the events that happen are easy to believe are staged in the mind of an individual suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

Onset of Schizophrenia is usually late adolescence to early adulthood, and specifically in males most of the time schizophrenia appears in males in their late teenage years and early twenties; specifically 16 to 24. Thus, in Donnie Darko it is very reasonable in its portrayal of paranoid schizophrenia in young Donnie Darko. Although in the film fantasy plays a role which oftentimes overshadows the psychological aspect, Donnie's behavior is typical of paranoid schizophrenics. Symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia in teenagers differ from symptoms in adults. Obviously paranoid schizophrenics hear voices that are not real, and exist solely in their minds. They also have varied paranoia of many different things. This may be manifested in extreme phobias, running away, turning on family members and friends, etc. Because of their paranoia and the nature of their psychological disorder, paranoid schizophrenics suffer from severe anxiety, moodiness, confusion, delusions and acting like very young children. Other symptoms include a much skewed view of reality. Some have difficulty separating their dreams and television from their own reality. Teenagers suffering from paranoid schizophrenia must deal with typical adolescent issues in addition to the difficulties this psychological disorder places upon these issues such as making and keeping friends, growing up and leaving home, and travelling outside of one's comfort zone (both figuratively and literally). In the film, when Donnie is hypnotized in therapy or when he speaks with Frank he speaks like a child, giggling and pouting or curling up into himself, hugging a teddy bear and crying into his therapist's shoulder. This behavior stands in stark contrast to his normal behavior. He is usually well-spoken and intelligent although cynical and oftentimes rude.

Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common type of schizophrenia is many parts of the world. In order to diagnose paranoid schizophrenia the symptoms of schizophrenia must be present along with the following symptoms: prominent hallucinations and delusions, trouble with will and affect of speech and "catatonic symptoms must be relatively inconspicuous." The delusions are specifically of "persecution, reference, exalted birth, special mission, bodily change, or jealousy" while hallucinations most often deal with voices that threaten, give commands, or whistling, laughing, and other human noises that do not involve speech. Also, paranoid schizophrenics often of hallucination of smell, taste, sexual and other sensations. Visual hallucinations such as the ones presented in Donnie Darko are also possible occurrences or symptoms but are rarely the main hallucinations individuals suffer from. In the film, Donnie hears a voice command him to wake up and he follows the voice until he reaches the place he is supposed to reach. At that point his hallucination takes visual form. Other times as well he either hears his hallucination, "Frank", or sees him, or both, oftentimes having conversations with him. Further, Donnie realizes near the end of the film that he has a special mission he must complete which is to die in order for members of his family and his girlfriend to live.

Treatment of paranoid schizophrenia includes medication, psychotherapy, hospitalization, and other forms of therapy. Outside of the western world some communities help the individual suffering from schizophrenia with group based activities and some have seen positive outcomes for the individuals, sometimes more so than individuals treated in the western world with therapy and medication. In Donnie