Teaching psychiatry through movies: the PTSD in Brothers: film analysis

This article originates from the work of students who participated in the "Psychiatry in Cinema" course, offered annually to medical students at the University of Geneva. An introduction to psychiatry is carried out through the visual support offered by cinematographic works, which have the advantage of depicting psychiatric symptoms in a concrete way to facilitate the teaching of semiology by giving substance and materiality to sometimes abstract theoretical concepts, while also addressing certain stigmas and stereotypes linked to the mental illnesses portrayed in these films, even before students begin their clinical rotations. This article presents their work and reflects their ongoing learning by highlighting the identification of symptoms in the film and matching them with the criteria defined in theoretical reference manuals. Brothers is an American film that tells the story of a soldier named Sam, who returns from the front and struggles to readjust to family life. As a result of the horrors he witnessed, he develops posttraumatic stress disorder.

This article discusses posttraumatic stress disorder as depicted in this cinematic work. The different clinical signs that contribute to the diagnosis will be discussed. Secondly, a critique of the staging and the manner in which the protagonist's internal experience is portrayed will be presented. By reading this article, the reader will understand whether the representation of this disorder is consistent with psychiatric diagnostic manuals, as well as with the subjective experience of patients. Thirdly, the social representation of the disorder proposed by this film will be addressed. Does this film offer a stigmatizing image of PTSD, and how might this influence the public's perceptions of patients suffering from this disorder? Finally, the representation of psychiatric care will be addressed; indeed, this point is particularly interesting in the context of American soldiers returning from combat profoundly affected by their traumatic experiences of war.

This film raises an important political question regarding the therapeutic care of soldiers who have not always been treated in an appropriate, understanding, and integrated manner upon their return. The methods used by the director to highlight this issue will be discussed and commented on extensively at the end of this article.