what mental disorders does bob have
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micaofboca-1 — 17 years ago(March 02, 2009 10:38 PM)
Bob's neuroses are all psychosomatic, that is they're brought on by a fertile imagination. They're imaginary in nature and rather than having a genuine foundation in psychology his problems are remedied much easier than non-psychosomatic disorders. Virtually none of his disorders are genuine other than his being a pathetic shmuck. Any diagnosis by Dr. Marvin suggesting a rapid recovery is groundless. He'll continue to be a pathetic shmuck until the positive effects of his marriage to Leo's sister set in and he becomes "normalized" like everybody else.
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VeirsTallis — 16 years ago(May 03, 2009 06:10 PM)
He's a neurotic for sure. I think he has obsessive-compulsive disorder and shifts between different obsessions: cleanliness, agoraphobia, fear of ______ happening so _____ actions are performed (like cursing to fight off developing Tourette's).
His biggest problem, however, is that he's obsessed with treatment. Maybe he came in for one thing and became one of those people who become more troubled with therapy and keep finding more and more things wrong with themselves. He's not a bad person, or even a narcissist like his doctor supposes. Neurotic people tend to become completely self-absorbed with their problems. That's why being with his doctor's family was likely his inadvertent cure: he was able to get out of his own head and remember there were other people in the world. -
Promontorium — 11 years ago(July 08, 2014 01:55 AM)
None. They all magically disappear for the convenience of the plot to make the doctor look like an ass hole and make the family love him and betray their father.
In real life he wouldn't have been able to go 15 minutes with them without one of his characteristics becoming an obvious hindrance to their "fun". He would scream uncontrollably, he would fall down crippled by his fears on occasions, he would not be functional outside, nor would he use or trust anything they owned or handled.
But to make this idiotic film work he is magically 100% OK around them, and a perfect father/son/brother to the family members in exactly the right ways at all times. Because that makes sense. A dozen doctors quit after dealing with Bob, but it was always their fault. Not Bob. Bob is perfect. -
ShannonTriumphant — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 08:22 AM)
Despite the fact that this is one my favorite movies, I'd never recommend it for a psych class, UNLESS I was analyzing Leo! He's the real mess here. His narcissism and lack of compassion are almost crippling. As for Bob,as someone pointed out, his disorders would have crippled him to the point where he could not even leave his house and if he did get them treated, it would take much longer and require a particular type of therapy that Leo doesn't practice (Cognitive Behavioral, or better, the relatively new ACT (Acceptance-Commitment Therapy), based on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness. The so-called "Baby Steps" approach (really Systematic Desensitization) would have marginal success, but probably not with Leo.
Bob is plagued with agoraphobia overall, caused by panic disorder that is triggered by other phobias, such as germ-phobia (but directed at very specific situations). He is also a hypochondriac. Someone said he might have Asperger's but I don't see it. You can have trouble with social interactions for other reasons but Bob's problems in that area seem only to stem from his inability to GET to other people. Once he's with them, he does quite well with conversation, maintaining interest in them and having compassion for themsomething that's usually difficult for a person with Asperger's. If you asked Leo, he would probably say that Bob does
too
well with othersremember how he calls him "human Crazy Glue"! Bob seems to bond with almost anyone, even random people (which could be because he's starved for companionship, living alone most of the time).
I would add a bit of Narcissism, but not so much that he can't relate to others. Also, as someone pointed out, he does seem to be addicted to therapy, which sounds odd but is real. Therapy can become just as much of a crutch for those with problems like Bob's as other coping mechanisms like drugs, compulsive shopping, working all the time and so on.
For me, this film was not really about Bob's various neuroses and phobias, but a slam at the traditional psychiatric style that Leo follows; it can often be very distant and cold, focusing more on publishing and building a reputation than developing a rapport with patients/clients.
Don't get me wrong
It might be unbelievable,
But let's not say so long