Portrayal of Depression and Therapy Accuracies The movie paints a realistic portrait that individual from all walks of life can suffer from depression. Craig’s problems were average, and is something most adolescents and young adults experience. As mentioned by Craig, he wished he had a good reason for being depressed but his life was not a tragedy. He did not get sexually abused, nor did he have an adverse upbringing. He was a normal teenager who was simply unable to cope with the pressure from his academia, social life, and parents. Thus, Craig’s problems were realistic and accurate in showing that anyone can be susceptible to depression. This could aid movie-goers in learning that depression need not stem from a horrific event, and that …show more content…
The cognitive aspect aims to change one’s negative, hopeless patterns of thinking. It focuses on specific problems by first helping clients to discover the negative thoughts that they have, and to gain an understanding of the link between their thoughts and depression. For instance, Craig’s therapist asked him if there were any reasons behind why he was feeling depressed. He answered that he wanted to get into the Franklin Gates Summer Semester but he had not even started on his application so if he did not get in, he would be unable to put it on his college applications, which would lead to him being unable to get into a good college, then he would not be able to get a good job, such as being the president. This would lead to him being unable to afford a good lifestyle, and thus, not be able to find a girlfriend. The next step of CBT is to help challenge the client’s negative thoughts. This can be achieved by using a series of questions. Craig’s therapist asked him what questions along the lines of “How do you know that you are definitely right?”, thus helping him consider alternative ways of thinking. This also helped him recognize the deeper beliefs that could have fueled his depression and to question if he truly wanted to base his life on