Research: Schizophrenia

In my previous post I had come to the conclusion that I wanted the main character to battle with an inner conflict, which would appeal to my target audience. Expanding upon that, I revisited tsl in search for a sub genre that closely fit this particular idea and found that psychological thriller would be a good route to take. Psychological thrillers incorporates a theme of drama and suspense that comes from the mind, rather than a physical threat. Because of their nature, psychological thrillers tend to cross over to horror, which is something I need to avoid.

I think the best way to go through with this idea is to give my main character a mental illness from which different conflicts and mysterious elements can stem from. I turned to the internet to find a psychotic disorder that would most likely fit with what I want. I found a WedMD article with all there is to know about schizophrenia. One of schizophrenia's symptoms is hallucinations, which involves perceiving sensations that aren't real, such as seeing things that aren't there, and hearing voices that may comment on the person's behavior, insult or give commands. The article goes further to emphasize that schizophrenia is nothing like it is portrayed in movies. However, representing the disorder in a scary and, for lack of a better term, crazy way gives the film a more authentic mysterious and suspenseful feel. 

With all this information in mind, I have decided to diagnose my main character with schizophrenia. Some symptoms that will be most evident during the 2 minute opening will be:

• Hallucinations
• Shifting quickly from one thought to the next
• Having problems making sense of everyday sights, sounds, and feelings
• Laughter 

I decided to dig deeper and watch YouTube videos on the topic of schizophrenia. I found two interesting videos.

This first video is an interview of a schizophrenic man in US asylum in 2008. He suffers from hallucinations, and is very calm, monotone and particular about his actions. His random bursts is somewhat creepy and confusing, which adds to the tension of the video. I found it particularly interesting when he mentions that the things he sees and the voices he hears are of demonic nature, and that they are present during the interview. The man also mentions he is receiving antipsychotic medication which helps him differentiate from whats real and not real, however it does not make the hallucinations go away. 

This next video I found was interesting because it gives insight to a schizophrenic patient's auditory hallucinations. The viewer can hear the voices that go off inside the patient's head as the interview is being conducted and see how they interfere with his concentration. I think this video is extremely helpful because it can help me  to accurately depict hallucinations and get a feel of the psychological realm I am venturing into.

Sources:
Buffam, Noelle. "Genre: Thriller." The Script Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/thriller>.

"Schizophrenia: An Overview." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/mental-health-schizophrenia#2-4>.

ThePactProject. "TRUE STORY - Interview with Schizophrenic Man." YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4b-_bNsajY>.

Psychiatryteacher. "Hearing Voices - Patient's Perspective." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh06HsxBXqI&t=420s>.