How a psychologist thinks about your favorite Film & TV characters.
Dr. Rice didn’t get Hannah at all. Season 2, It’s Back, leaves Hannah obsessively counting in 8’s. She needs a different kind of help. If Hannah was in therapy with me, I’d listen closely to her conflicting and ever-shifting feelings. To her “I need your help. No, I’m fine.” “I’m sad. No, I’m not.” This …
Hannah needs help. But Dr. Rice’s failure leaves her alone to manage feelings that are confusing, hated, and at odds with what she believes is normal. She doesn’t have any methods but counting 8’s to get troubling thoughts out of her head. And, then in Season 2, Episode 9, On All Fours, there’s the Q-tip …So, …
Have you ever wondered what’s on a psychologist’s “don’t do” list for a session with a patient? Go to Girls, Season 2, Episode 8, “It’s Back”, and re-watch Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) consultation with Dr. Rice (Bob Balaban). I know this is a comedy. But, in this post on Girls OCD #2 Dr. Rice’s Failure I …
This is the first in a series of 4 Posts. What’s in Girls & Hannah’s OCD? The word OCD is tossed around too casually in our contemporary culture – as in “I’m so OCD” to mean “I’m a perfectionist.” Or “I like to have things organized and controlled.” Sure, those things can be true of people who …
As a psychoanalyst who treats OCD, I want to chime in here. I certainly don’t think Lena Dunham’s Selfie on Instagram intends to give the impression that exercise is the answer to anxiety, OCD, or depression. Not with her years of struggle with disturbing thoughts that lead to OCD. There’s no question that exercise helps …
