Rachel+Charlie+Fineman

Psychological disorder is defined as a behavioral pattern which occurs in an individual. These are thought to cause distress and disabilities that are considered as abnormal within the culture. Therefore, is an individual expresses maladaptive, abnormal behavior, it is most likely that they suffer from a behavioral disorder. A person with a behavior disorder is prone to mental health problems "with a focus on behaviors that both identify emotional problems and create interpersonal and social problems for individuals within the society. " (University of Virginia)

Within the movie "Reign over Me", the protagonist Charlie Finman is diagnosed with a behavioral disorder noted as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. He was a victim of the horrors of terrorism, and had to see his family killed right in front of his eyes. Charlie's repressed hate towards those around him made him prone to random emotional outbursts, often resulting into violence and aggression. PTSD is defined as a "an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events that threatened or caused grave physical harm." PTSD does not last forever, and is often limited to a minimum of six months. Diagnostic symptoms of this disorder includes re-experience (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance and hate towards the stimuli of the related trauma, insomnia, anger, and hyper-vigilance.

In order for Charlie to live a successful, ordinary life, it would be the most efficient treatment for Charlie to have someone to talk to, like shown in the movie. Although Charlie at first shows aggressive behavior towards others in the beginning of the movie, he had finally opened up and acknowledged his problems through peer therapy. It is very difficult for a friend to soothe someone who has been through extreme stress and trauma, like Charlie. However, if I was his friend, I would try to talk to him about his troubles and make him understand that the world is not such a bad place.