DeeDeeCharlieFineman

In regards to the character Charlie Fineman, how would you classify his behavior? What sort of treatment should he be getting? What could you be doing for Charlie if you were his friend?

Charlie Fineman is suffering from a disease called Post traumatic Stress Disorder. From the movie, all his family died from the 911 terrorist attack including his parents, siblings, wife and his dog. This unfortunate trauma shocked him immensely, for his behavior toward himself and other people changed. Throughout the movie we can see that he lost his temper easily whenever something reminded him about the past. For example, in one of the scenes of the movie, when his college roommate Johnson asked Charlie if he missed going to dental school, Charlie suddenly got emotional and started to use violence; he started to choke Johnson as well as throwing all the things that surrounded him. Not only was he different from other people for using violence, but also showed a different mentality than other people. Another example would be that Charlie was trying to make up for what he did Johnson by saying a million dollars to him. Charlie’s behavior physically and verbally showed that he was suffering from a disorder called PTSD from the sudden loss of his family.

Because Charlie is can be overly emotional all of a sudden, he needs to be practicing his temper and emotions. If he continues emotional breakouts, it can be hazardous to his health as well as his mental mind. Some therapies that might help him control his emotions are relaxation or breathing, which will definitely calm him down. He might not like it at first, but as he get used to getting treated by those therapies, he will learn to be calm.

If I were Charlie’s friend, instead of avoiding what he is scared of, I would help him to face his anxieties. Although he might not like it and cause tantrums, it would be the best for him for getting adjusting to what he is not used to. Sooner or later, Charlie would have to face his anxieties and the longer he waits to avoid it, the worse the pain he is going to get. And as a friend, I would be always there for him no matter what trouble it might cause me. As long as he is going to get over his tantrums, there is nothing more than a friend can be happy about.