words or concepts
Psychodynamic formulation of STPD
Scene 10: Curbside Cuckold
Dangerous absence of insight
Ideas of reference
Scene 11: A Word with Wizard
DSM-IV-TR criterion A(8) for STPD: Lack of close personal relationships
Inability to reach out to mental health professionals
Scene 12: Running into Iris
Ruminative cognitive style
A psychologically variant theme
Diminished desire for intimate contact
Biosocial formulation
Impaired reality testing
Scene 13: Easy Andy
Psychodynamics of a stalker
Scene 14: Henry Krinkle
Sinking lower into derangement
Odd appearance
Social skills deficits
Cumulative effect of ideas of reference
Scene 15: You Talking To Me?
Out of his mind
Scene 16: Market Robbery
Metaphors become different characters
Permission for violence
Scene 17: Late for the Sky
Last bit of reality
Scene 18: Dear Father and Mother
Those most vulnerable to stalking
Idiosyncratic phrasing and construction
Impaired reality testing
Familially of STPD-psychodynamic, biosocial, interpersonal
Scene 19: TV Critic
Intensity of the stalker’s emotions
Scene 20: Looking for Action
Affective style of a person with STPD
Inattentiveness to social conventions
Scene 21: A $10 Room
Diminished desire for intimate contacts
Inability to deal with sexuality
Scene 22: Breakfast with Iris
Impaired reality testing
Ideas of reference
Fearful and dismissing attachment style
Verbal episodic memory deficits
Scene 23: Dancing with Sport
Imagining his rival with Iris
Danger when reality conflicts with distortions
Scene 24: The Palantine Rally
Odd, eccentric and peculiar appearance
Pharmacology for STPD
Scene 25: Suck on This
STPD: Stability vs. psychosis
Scene 26: Shooting Gallery
Psychotic violence
Scene 27: Bang, Bang, Bang.
STPD: Most are not dangerous
Scene 28: Dear Mr. Bickle
Madman vs. sane man
Normalcy does not last
Insight-oriented psychotherapy
Supportive psychotherapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Family and group therapies
Introducing medication
Diagnostic Note
Travis meets DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for STPD
Introduction: Schizotypal Personality Disorder
With the movie, TAXI DRIVER, Martin Scorsese and Columbia Pictures provide an opportunity to learn about schizotypal personality disorder (STPD).
This disorder is included in the range of conditions from those with milder symptoms, i.e., schizotypal and schizoid personality disorders, to the most severe forms of schizophrenia, known as the schizophrenia spectrum. It is a disease of the brain that involves mostly negative and cognitive symptoms such as, discomfort with or incapacity for social relations, apparent indifference to others, and emotional inexpressiveness . STPD also implies eccentric to bizarre beliefs, habits, and appearance. This disorder may look similar to earliest stages of schizophrenia, prior to the first psychotic break and probably reflects a similar hereditary vulnerability (with variably interrelating genes or environmental influences) (Harvard MHL, 2006, p. 20). STPD has a relatively stable course, with only a small proportion of individuals going on to develop schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder. Its prevalence has been reported to occur in approximately 3% of the general population (APA, 2000, p. 699).
STPD is grouped with paranoid personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder to comprise the “odd or eccentric cluster” in the DSM-IV-TR. It first appeared in DSM-III to be distinct from (1) borderline personality disorder, which had originally been too broad in its inclusion of affective instability and schizophrenic-like symptoms and (2) schizoid personality disorder which had been broadly defined to characterize individuals with enduring psychotic-like symptoms (Sperry, 2003, p.239).
This guide will assist the reader, while viewing the movie, in learning about this illness and its effect on people who have it.
To make the best use of this guide:
1.VIEW THE FILM IN ITS ENTIRETY, then
2.READ THE GUIDE, SECTION BY SECTION, AS YOU REVIEW THE CORRESPONDING SCENE FROM THE FILM.
Scene 1: Start
This first scene is short. It displays the names and roles of the actors. However, this is accomplished with
