Jason+Park+Charlie+Fineman

Reign Over Me opened the door about the truth of mental illness. Charlie Fineman is a very interesting person, and his past plays a very large role to his mental illness. The movie exhibits how social connections are important, as well as family. The movie depicts Charlie Fineman as an extreme victim of isolation, but it also shows the importance of being in touch with those around you.

Fineman’s behavior is quite erratic in respect to his frequent bursts of unpredictable violence for apparently no reason. It is only later in the film that his behavior is explained; he drops hints that his emotional outbursts are associated when he remembers qualities of his deceased family, a family in which Fineman love very much. Fineman tries everything to forget about the tragic past, most notably the large headphones and his loud music in order to block out his painful past. This serves to show how painful recalling these memories are to him. He also utilizes the use of video games, primarily to block the reality he's in. He is often confused, but is still conscious of the world around him. In the film, Charlie is also prone to long periods of loneliness, ever since his family's death. Dr. Johnson later serves as his only companion and one to socialize, and eventually release his feelings to. Intentionally, Charlie attempts to forget his memories at dental school, fully portrayed in Dr. Johnsons first encounter with Charlie. Dr. Johnson finds himself to be quite baffled, when Charlie doesn't approve of remembering him. Fineman is afraid of social rejection, because his family were the only ones that loved him so dearly. He finds his family to be irreplaceable, thus leading to his mental collapse.

Charlie Finemans mental disorder can be classified under dissociative disorders, and more specifically, dissociative amnesia. If forced to choose, the best method to treat dissociative amnesia could be any of the following three: transactional analysis, reality therapy, or existential therapy. All three connect and therefore meet the aim of giving the patient a way to connect to reality and accept the nature of life. In Fineman's case, if any of the three therapies are applied, they must be done in a gradual and cautious manner. An unexpected turn in treatment could result in aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Despite the fact that many treatments exist to help get rid of dissociative amnesia, personally I propose another plan. I believe that Charlie, or any patient that suffers from dissociative amnesia should be simply set free. Forced therapy always has its risks, and attends to tight schedules. Instead of being given treatment by professional individuals, being set free allows patients such as Charlie Fineman to gradually get better with their own pace. It must be accepted that even though doctors, more specifically psychiatrists, are the most knowledgeable and wise in their decision making, they cannot read their patient's minds and therefore cannot directly pinpoint the perfect solution. With being set free, one might oppose the idea by bringing up the potential event that Fineman might not even become better. The simple fact is that just like in the film, patients that suffer from the same mental disorder as Charlie Fineman, need a companion to avoid isolation and being disconnected from society. The very attractive Ms. Ramer eventually becomes (or it is assumed), Charlie Finemans companion. It works out even better for Charlie because as mentioned before, he sees his beloved wife and daughters in other womens faces such as Ms. Ramer. Even more significant, is the role of Dr. Johnson. His role as Charlies only friend after Charlies long and tedious period of isolation, has a massive impact on Charlies behavior. One more important point that I would like to point out is that Charlie does indeed improve when it comes to relating with other people and talking with them. In the film, the first time Dr. Johnson and Charlie go into a bar, Charlie violently lashes out when Dr. Johnson mentions his family. But later after Charlies encounter with Angela, he reveals his feelings and thoughts about his family to a very shocked and pleased Dr. Johnson. This change shows definite improvement in Charlies relations within society. Simply put, being there for him, whenever Charlie is in need, is the only and most beneficial service you could do for him: love him as you would to one of your own.