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The Machinist (2004) gives us a look inside the mind of a man suffering from several different psychological ailments. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a bone-thin factory worker. Reznik is introduced as an apparent insomniac with no explanation for his inability to sleep. He is found responsible for a machine accident that leaves a coworker of his without his left arm. As the movie progresses, Reznik begins encountering a new co-worker at the factory named Ivan, who no one seems to know but him. With time, Trevor’s body becomes increasingly emaciated as Ivan’s role in the movie becomes larger. Trevor regularly eats at a diner late at night and befriends a waitress with a small boy named Nicholas. At the end of the movie we find that Ivan, the waitress, and her son are all figments of Reznik’s imagination, and the source of his insomnia is revealed. Trevor, a year before, accidentally ran over a child and fled the scene. The waitress he created was the mother of the boy he ran over. The symptoms Trevor experiences are a result of the posttraumatic stress disorder he develop after he was unable to cope with the horrible death of the young boy. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the more severe anxiety disorders. It can most easily be explained as impairment in psychological function that occurs after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event or stressor (DSM-IV). This psychological impairment results from an individual’s inability to cope with a certain overwhelming event. In The Machinist, Trevor Reznik flees the scene of the terrible accident resulting in the death of a child. Trevor tries to repress the memory, but his inability to deal with the event leaves him unable to sleep or eat very much. His lack of sleep leaves him delusional and detached from reality. What Trevor is experiencing is a sort of snowball effect as a result of his PTSD. His hallucinations can be explained as a type of positive

psychotic symptom of PTSD. A positive symptom is one where an individual adds something to their lives that does not exist. For example, sufferers of PTSD might believe someone is following them when they are not, or see thing that others cannot see, just as Trevor Reznik creates Ivan. To lessen the severity of these symptoms there are several types of treatment. Anti-depressants such as Zoloft or Paxil are drugs classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), which can help the brain adjust for a lack of serotonin. Other PTSD patients have used things such as group therapy to lessen their symptoms through telling their own stories to others and learning to cope together (Mayo Clinic). Hollywood has been known to embellish psychological disorders in certain cases. For example, 50 First Dates details a “Ten Second Tom” who suffers from anterograde amnesia. This portrayal focuses more on the comedic potential of the character and not on the validity of the disorder. In contrast, Trevor Reznik’s PTSD is crucial to the plot of the story. His hallucinations, denial, and insomnia can be explained by the severity of his stressor. Although the source of his insomnia is unclear throughout most of the movie, the revelation of Reznik’s past pieces together the symptoms of PTSD. Brad Anderson’s The Machinist does give an accurate portrayal of PTSD, but it takes certain additions from Hollywood to create a storyline. For instance, Anderson does not give an explanation for Trevor Reznik’s insomnia until the end of the movie. If he had given away this information, there would be nothing for viewers to hope for. With this lack of information, viewers are torn between the likely conclusions of schizophrenia, the eventual answer PTSD, or some other unexplained supernatural phenomenon. The movie also does an excellent job of detailing the type of trauma that

induces posttraumatic stress disorder. It takes severe trauma to warrant such a severe reaction. The type of trauma Reznik endures matches the criteria for trauma likely resulting in PTSD. What can be said about Hollywood’s portrayal of psychological disorders is that directors use exactly what they need to drive a storyline. The accuracy of the portrayals depends solely on what the plot necessitates. The Machinist shows that mental disorders do not have to be sensationalized to drive the plotline of a movie. cacaniihttp://www1.appstate.edu/~hillrw/PTSD%20CBT%20TX/PTSD/Pages/DS MPTSD.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stressdisorder/DS00246/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs