The Horror!: A Creative Framework for Teaching Psychopathology Via Metaphorical Analyses of Horror Films

The Phantom of the Opera: A Case Study of Severe Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Features

“…The syllabus for our Psychopathology course has been previously described [1]. For the Depressive Disorders didactic, residents are encouraged to read selected chapters from the required textbook [3].…”

“…At our medical school, the psychopathology curriculum for PGY-1 and -2 residents (Reviewing Mental Disorders with a Reverent Understanding of the Macabre, Red rum) is taught through reviewing various works in the horror genre [1]. To meet our objective to enhance learning through creative discussion of psychopathology portrayed in film and literature, Red rum is broken down into three modules:…”

Horror films and psychiatry

“…Tobia and colleagues describe Michael’s silence after killing his sister as conversion disorder. 1 Voyeurism and autistic spectrum disorder are other considerations.…”

“…Shelley’s Frankenstein and Polidori’s Vampyre came soon thereafter. 1 Horror stories and films have been analysed from a psychoanalytic perspective for decades. For instance, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (of which there are multiple film adaptations over the past century), could be seen as an example of a person whose ego is unable to integrate his superego and id drives, resulting in dissociation.…”

“…2 Trainees have much to learn from films, 2,3 and horror films including Halloween, Friday the 13 th , and Nightmare on Elm Street have been utilized in a model curriculum. 1 Horror films may also be useful in psychotherapy; Friday the 13 th and Nightmare on Elm Street were used in psychotherapy of a teenage boy with behavioural disturbances and a history of loss. 4 This article explores portrayals of psychiatrists and psychiatry in horror films, as well as psychiatric disorders in demonic possession, zombie, and slasher films.…”