A passion to help another
“It’s got to be bipolar disorder! It’s got to be bipolar disorder!”
“Julia, shush, you’re yelling.”
“Oops, sorry, Dad, but I know it’s bipolar disorder! He has all the right symptoms; he will go through weeks of depression, which will then lead to a few days of acting really excited and energized, like when he goes looking for his wedding video so eagerly, and can't seem to calm down or stop…”
“Julia! If you keep talking, we’ll never know!”
“But I do know! That’s what I’m trying to tell you!”
“Shhhh…”
You have Bipolar Disorder, Pat Solitano
Although I really wouldn’t call this a diagnosis, this correct guess I made was what made me believe in my own way that I could be a psychologist. Movies, television shows, books, and even plays depict different variations of mental disorders and the psychology surrounding them. All of these different genres depicting psychology in media are really what allowed me to develop a passion for psychology. They are the reasons that I spent the past five years taking as many psychology classes as I could, allowing me to learn all that I could on mental disorders and psychology as a whole. One day I hope that I can educate the public, because of the many misconceptions and awful stigma that have been attached to psychology and mental disorders. Each of these genres have showed me such different aspects of psychology, and given me more and more passion for this field. Its through these different genres, that my lifelong goal would be to be a psychologist and help as many people as I can that are suffering from mental disorders, just like Pat Solitano.
2011- Lie to me
I first saw Lie to Me on Netflix, when I was streaming for movies. I saw it had five stars, and I thought I would give it a try because I was really bored at the time. So I clicked “Episode 1” and began watching, and by watching, I mean binging.
After watching six episodes or so, I sat back and took it all in with wide eyes and a newfound excitement.
This show is so cool! How have I not seen it before? An organization helps to solve crimes by observing and analyzing micro-expressions! Do these micro-expressions really exist? Can this really help to catch criminals? What field of study would this even be under? Could I be able to figure out someone’s micro-expression?
My mind was bursting with thoughts and questions about the show. I wasn’t even sure why this show stirred up something within me. I had to figure out not only the answers to all the questions, but also what about this show gave me such a reaction. At this point, all I knew was that Cal Lightman, the deception consultant, was able to determine micro-expressions. One example of a micro-expression includes disgust and the giveaway facial changes include the raising of the upper and lower lip as well as the nose wrinkling. All of these expressions last for only a part of a second, but they can very telling as to what their hidden motives and feelings are, which is how Cal Lightman caught criminals. I needed to know more, so I spent a few more hours reading all I could on what I could find about micro-expressions. I spent quite a few hours holed up in my room that day.
These micro-expressions, I learned as I read further and further, were truly fascinating. They peaked my interest in psychology as a field and for the first time I wondered if I could have a career in this field, and if this field would be one of the things that gave me joy in life. I had to find out, because something about this show gave me the desire to give psychology a try. This genre showed me my first glance of what psychology is and how it can benefit so many people. I was mesmerized and I had to know more. The following school year was my first year in high school and I signed up for the beginning level psychology class.
2013- Silver Linings Playbook
My dad and I were looking through the stacks of movies that were piled from floor to ceiling in the now extinct Blockbusters store. We were looking for something to watch that night that we could both agree on and we stumbled across Silver Linings Playbook. It looked interesting enough, and we had been there for quite a while at that point, so we shrugged and took it home. As we began watching, I immediately became consumed by the film and the different antics the main character, Pat Solitano, was up to. The movie ended up being about two different people with mental issues coming together and learning to cope with their individual problems.
As I watched more of the movie, it became increasingly clear that Pat had bipolar disorder, and I sat there thinking of all the symptoms the movie had presented the audience with.
He has to have bipolar disorder. It’s so clear. He gets so upset and depressed for periods of time, as if there is nothing to live for. After that he gets really happy and excited.
What was that called again?
Not maniac… Mania! That’s right! He goes through periods of mania where he has to do something specific at this very moment and is super energized, just like in that scene where he needs to find his wedding video. He has bipolar disorder. I’m sure of it.
“It’s got to be bipolar disorder! It’s got to be bipolar disorder!”
Watching this movie really made an impact on me because of that simple semi-diagnosis. This genre showed me the application of the fascinating information that I had learned in my two psychology classes from the past two years. It also proved to myself that I could be a psychologist, and that it wasn’t worlds away like I had always thought. It was a goal that I now believed that I could attain, all because I “diagnosed” a disorder that a fictional character had.
2014- next To normal
Reading and seeing plays, especially musicals, is also a thing I enjoy doing with my time. I suppose one wouldn’t call me the most exciting person ever. One day during my junior year in high school, I began reading a play called Next to Normal, which was written by Brian Yorkey. I just picked it up in the library and decided to try it, and hoped it would be good. I was in for a shock! It was such a good play, and it revolved around psychology, which I didn’t expect or plan at all. I was so excited, and although the book cover didn’t portray it, the play was deep, meaningful, and it was about my favorite subject in the world. I was really excited.
The play revolves around a woman who lost her son to an accident, and becomes so overwhelmed with grief that she begins to hallucinate her son, alive. The audience and readers get to see how she copes with her new mental illness and the loss of her son, how her family copes, the relationship she has with her psychiatrist, and the stigma of having a mental illness. This play really allowed me to appreciate how much I had grown to love psychology because as I read the last scene, tears were falling from my eyes and I realized how much this play touched me. It was beautiful.
People are going to see me crying… but wait, I really don’t care. This was such a wonderful musical. Why isn’t this more popular? How have I not heard about this before? I mean… Chicago is on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera is on Broadway, and even The Lion King is on Broadway! How is Next to Normal not on Broadway and more famous? It’s touching and wonderful, and has psychology! Most importantly though, it was a musical with songs referencing psychology!
Next to Normal Soundtrack List
(By Various Artists):
1. Just Another Day
2. Everything Else
3. Who’s Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I
4. Perfect For You
5. I Miss The Mountains
6. Its Gonna Be Good
7. Superboy and The Invisible Girl
8. I’m Alive
9. A Light In The Dark
10. Seconds And Years
11. After Shocks
12. How Could I Ever Forget
13. The Break
14. Maybe (Next To Normal)
15. Light
This play opened my eyes to the relationship between a psychologist and their patient and how it can either benefit the patient by helping them cope with the mental disorders, or hurt them and make things worse. I want to be able to help those who suffer from these illnesses, and work with them to create a life that is more manageable and that they are happy to live. Nothing in the world would give me greater joy and pride, than to be the one to help people live their lives happy and healthy.
2015- My photography portfolio
I entered my senior year of high school with AP Photography as one of my classes.
I walked into the class on the first day and discovered that the entire class for the whole year was based around creating a themed concentration portfolio, consisting of twelve photographs. As it was my senior year, I really wanted to make my portfolio special. I wanted to embody one of my passions into my pieces, so I decided to create a portfolio of portraits, in which each portrait would represent one mental disorder that I had learned about in the past 4 years. I wanted to try to incorporate my knowledge from taking a different psychology class every year that I had been in high school into my photographs and represent what each mental disorder is actually like and not what the public commonly misconceives it to be.
"Dyslexia" By Julia Gorday
“Anorexia” By Julia Gorday
“Bipolar Disorder” By Julia Gorday
After I finished my portfolio, I was really proud of all the photos that I had created. It was almost like a public statement of what I was going to do with my life and what I loved so much. I was sure of my passion for psychology. This genre allowed me to finally showcase my passion and take ownership of this passion. One of my pieces within this portfolio actually made it into an art museum, and this was one of my proudest moments because my message of the importance of accurate representations for these disorders. This was my message to share with the public, just as one day it will be my career to help those who suffer from mental illness.
Each of the different genres that I used represented different and distinct points in my life where I became more and more aware that psychology was the path that I wanted to take. The different genres were all very different in how I came across these revelations, whether it was when I was curled up in a library reading a play or just looking through Netflix for something to watch, each of these events were all very impactful on who I am and why I decided to study psychology. These genres all affected me in a different way and helped my passion grow in different ways, including forming my career and lifetime goals. Without these genres, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
The choices I made were all aimed to let the reader understand why I love psychology so much. I wrote the essay based on a chronological order of events because I wanted the reader to discover different genres of media involving psychology, as I discovered them. This would allow the reader to understand how through the years, I have grown from barely knowing what the subject of psychology was to creating my own photographic portfolio with psychology as my concentration theme. I also made the decision to provide a dialogue as the opening of the essay, from the second event. I believe this dialogue was the best way express the excitement that this field gives me. I referenced the dialogue as I was talking about the second event, to avoid repetition, however this dialogue stood out from my memories as important whenever I think about why I have a passion for psychology. Psychology is a part of who I am today, and without all of the key events that just wouldn’t be the case.