Grace+Charlie+Fineman

Behavior disorders are a group of mental problems identified by emotional or social problems, which keep one from fitting into the norms of society. There are various types of behavior disorders; one of these disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, describes the problem Charlie Fineman suffers from in the movie //Reign Over Me//. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms appear in many people who suffer from great losses, such as the death of a loved one, or any terrifying experience. Shell shocking experiences lead the patients into a very cautious mental state in which they display unusual behaviors as they try to disconnect themselves with society. In the movie, Charlie acts as if he had never met Alan before and refuse to answer any questions that deal with his family life. His stress over the death of his family in the 9.11 crisis, has made him cut ties with Sugarman who had been his once been great friends with him. He also develops a habit of remodeling his kitchen often, unable to let go of the last conversation with his wife which had ended in an argument over the remodeling of the kitchen. Charlie enjoys his time with Alan as he feels as if he were back in his college days when he did not have a family yet and was carefree. The memories of the tragic event haunt him until he is forced to face the truth and come back to society. Alan was a great advisor and friend when he came to helping Charlie. He did not push Charlie too hard into accepting reality, but just enough to let him want to tell his story on his own. His advice to go see Dr. Oakhurst was also nice in that Alan was able to get another person enter Charlie's closed world and eventually gain his trust even though at first the sessions did not go along so well. However, Alan was unaware of the fact that depression puts on its worst side when the "lows" are almost over. As a result, Charlie attempts suicide. However, overall Alan did the best he could of his abilities by introducing him to a psychiatrist and helping him gradually open his mind to other people. Though some attempts of rescue may turn to failure, people with behavior disorders do need to be comforted with close friends who can help them re-enter the real world. PTSD kept Charlie from acknowledging reality and made him create a new world full of past memories before the traumatic incident. Alan may not have been attentive to the symptoms of PTSD, but he still proved himself a notable friend.