The Breakfast Club: Social Anxiety Disorder

 

[opening narration immediately after the title sequence]
  "Brian Johnson: Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."

"Andrew: We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."

INTRODUCTION:

The Breakfast Club (1985) which was written and directed by John Hughes is a film set inside a high school library where five very different students are to serve their Saturday detention. Little do they know, that they will soon discover that they have much more in common than they would have ever thought.

High school for many individuals is an extremely awkward and difficult time especially socially. As human beings, we are still trying to find ourselves meanwhile navigating life through some extremely tough 4 years. This film touches upon the fears of being scrutinized and judged by others that many suffer from today which is known as -Social Anxiety Disorder (or SAD).

SAD is chronic mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety. It is a common disorder in which roughly 200,000 individuals are medically diagnosed with SAD in the US alone [per year]. 

Typically discovered at the age of 13 years of age where 36 percent of people with SAD report symptoms for over a decade or more years before seeking help in some form or another. Roughly 15 million American adults have SAD. Typically, SAD begins in childhood or adolescence and children are prone to clinging behavior and tantrums.

 "John Bender: Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place."

 "Richard Vernon: [From his office] Jesus Christ Almighty! What in God' s name is going on in here? What was that ruckus?

Andrew Clark: Uh, what ruckus?

Richard Vernon: I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus.

Brian Johnson: Could you describe the ruckus, sir?"

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Although individuals with SAD recognize that this fear is unreasonable and excessive, they are powerless against their anxiety. The terror in the possibility of humiliating or embarrassing themselves is too overwhelming. They also have deep concerns about offending someone. These feelings of fear and depression along with anxiety, palpitations, social isolation, or sweating are some of the psychological symptoms [B].

Such symptoms are at times so extreme that they disrupt normal functioning in daily life. The anxiety from this social phobia causes these individuals to have few to no social or romantic relationships adding to their feelings of powerlessness, loneliness, or feelings of shame [A].
Treatments for SAD is a combination of talk therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy and 

psychotherapy) and antidepressants to help increase confidence and improve ability to interact with others. Cognitive behavioral therapy is therapy focused on modifying negative thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses associated with psychological distress. Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental or behavioral disorders through talk therapy. [B]

Medications include SSRI's (which stands for: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), antidepressants (prevents or relieves depression and elevates mood), and sedatives (causes drowsiness, calmness, and dulled senses. Some may be addictive). Specialists can be clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, and primary care provider. [B]

"John Bender: Uh, Dick? Excuse me; Rich. Will milk be made available to us?
Andrew Clark: We're extremely thirsty, sir.
Claire Standish: I have a really low tolerance for dehydration.
Andrew Clark: I've seen her dehydrate, sir. It's pretty gross."

RESEARCH:

It is no surprise that today social phobia is the most common anxiety disorder since most of our social interactions take place through social media and electronics. Children born into the modern era are not building their social skills through schools like past generations did.

Currently, patients that diagnosed with SAD are treated with a combination of cognitive therapy and medication which is thought of as the most effective approach. Hans M. Nordahl [professor of behavioral medicine at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)] and his team of doctors and psychologists [some from University of Manchester in England] set out to examine which approach of medications, talk therapy, or a combination of these approaches to treatment is the most effective.

The study compared the most common methods of treating social anxiety disorders using over 100 patients. Divided into 4 groups: group 1 received only medication as treatment, group 2 received only therapy, group 3 received a combination of medication and talk therapy, and group 4 received a placebo pill. As time passed, all 4 groups were compared along the way, and a year after the treatment ended, a follow-up assessment was conducted for each group.

During treatment and right afterwards, group 2 and 3 managed equally well with their treatments. After a year, group 2 who received only cognitive therapy fared the best results. With only the aid of cognitive therapy did researchers manage to effectively improve the rate of recovery by 20-25% in comparison to the norm for this group.

[John Bender is absently tearing up books]

  "Andrew Clark: That's real intelligent.

  John Bender: You're right. It's wrong to destroy literature. It's such fun to read. And

[examines title]

  John Bender: Moe-Lay really pumps my nads.

Claire Standish: Moliere."

"Allison Reynolds: When you grow up, your heart dies.

John: So, who cares?

Allison Reynolds: I care."

"John Bender: YOU ARE A BITCH.

Claire Standish: Why? 'Cause I'm telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?

John Bender: NO. 'Cause you know how shitty that is to do someone, and you don't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell them you're gonna like who you wanna like."

"Andrew: What do you need a fake I.D. for?

Brian: So I can vote."

RESULTS: 

After 10 years of research, the Norwegian team and British researchers believe that they have found the cure for SADs. They discovered that cognitive therapy on its own has a much better effect in the long term than just drugs or a combination of the two. The results of this research are published in the journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. [C]

The results are encouraging and is now the best study conducted on SADs thus far. Almost 85 per cent of the study participants significantly improved or became completely healthy using only cognitive therapy. (Cognitive therapy is a treatment where the therapist works with the patient to accept their fear(s), encourage enter challenging situations, and shift their attention to what they want to accomplish in those situations. In other words: Accept inwardly and focus outwardly.)

 

"John Bender: Sporto.

 Andrew Clark: What?
 John Bender:You get along with your parents?
Andrew Clark:Well, if I say yes I'm an idiot, right?
John Bender: You're an idiot anyway. But if you say you get along with your parents, well, you're a liar too."

CONCLUSION:

SAD is a public health problem with major negative consequences for the individual and overall for society. Nearly twelve per cent of the population will be affected by this illness during their lifetime. Many physicians and hospitals combine medications with talk therapy when they treat patients with SAD. This approach works well with depressive disorders, but has been found to show the completely opposite effect in individuals with SAD. Not many health care professionals are aware of this. [C]

Not only this, but many individuals do not get adequate treatment and most of these patients receive only drug therapy. This hidden disorder, leaves individuals difficult to communicate their struggle with healthcare providers.

Nordahl and the team of researchers started to improve the standard cognitive therapy. They have been developing and adding new processing elements, which have shown greater effectiveness. They use “metacognitive therapy” which is the process where they work with patients' thoughts, their reactions, and beliefs about those thoughts. This specific type of therapy focuses on addressing their excessive worry and ruminations of how they perceive themselves functioning in social situations. By regulating their attention processes and training the mentality are new therapeutic tools that carry enormous potential for patients.

"Patients often rely more on the medication and don't place as much importance on therapy. They think it's the drugs that will make them healthier, and they become dependent on something external rather than learning to regulate themselves." [C]

 

In the future, the goal is to further develop standardized cognitive therapy further for patients struggling with SAD. Medications such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serve as an external solution whereas patients must learn and develop skills to regulate themselves in social situations.

The medication camouflages a very important patient discovery: that by learning effective techniques, they have the power to handle their anxiety themselves. The consequences of reducing the consumption of SSRI’s will leave patients experiencing the very same flushed, shivering, and nauseating feelings associated with SADs/social phobia whenever in social situations. Patients often end up in a state of acute social anxiety again. [C]

  "Brian Johnson: [closing narration] Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...
Andrew Clark:...and an athlete...
Allison Reynolds:...and a basket case...
  Claire Standish:...a princess...
  John Bender:...and a criminal...
  Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club."

Links:

[A] https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/social-anxiety-disorder 

[B] mayo clinic.com/SAD

[C] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161221090117.htm

*Please note! These images are not mine. They were found on various tumblr, pinterest, google image sites! If any are yours please let me know so that I can give you credit for them! Also the people in the images have no relation to the diseases, illnesses, or cancers I write about. Thanks so much & enjoy~

*Quotes by:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088847/quotes

*Screen caps by: http://kissthemgoodbye.net/movie/thumbnails.php?album=89