
Within the movie a number of treatments were used on Bob. The use of pills and extensive knowledge of them represents his frequent biological treatment. In the beginning of the movie, Bob describes his feelings as good, wonderful and great to highlight his state of mind as a response to a form of cognitive therapy (Rupke, Blecke, & Renfrow, 2006).
How realistic is the treatment of Bob in the movie?
· Dr. Marvin useless a simplified model of cognitive behavioral therapy on Bob, which is indeed a highly effective treatment method (PSU Lesson 14 & Adler, 2012). Additionally, exposure therapy goes on throughout the film, which is quite effective for reducing fear disorders (Rockstroh & Elbert, 2010).
How can CBT help Bob with his anxiety disorder?
· Therapeutic techniques: What About Bob? is based on Freudian symbolism, but at the beginning of the movie, an humanistic technique is seen, the client-centered or person-centered therapy, when Bob begins talking about his problem, and Dr. Marvin makes him to explain what he is saying and what he means by saying, “Talk about it.”
What is Bob’s disorder?
· Dealing with Bob’s agoraphobia could also be helped by CBT. This process would work by teaching relaxation techniques to deal with the anxiety that is provoked by leaving the “safe place”. Relaxation techniques that are often used are breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation (Peterson, 2006).
How does Bob become dependent on his doctor?
· Treatment Plan for Bob: Diaphragmatic Breathing Guided Mental Imagery Progressive Relaxation

What is Bob's diagnosis in What About Bob?
As Bob describes it, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, hypochondria, multiple phobias, as well as a very dependent personality.
What symptoms does Bob show of being a hypochondriac?
Bob: "I worry about diseases so I have trouble touching things." "I get dizzy spells, nausea, cold sweats, hot sweats, fever blisters, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, blurred vision, involuntary trembling, dead hands, numb lips, fingernail sensitivity, pelvic discomfort." Somatization Disorder?
What is the plot of What About Bob?
Before going on vacation, self-involved psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) has the misfortune of taking on a new patient: Bob Wiley (Bill Murray). An exemplar of neediness and a compendium of phobias, Bob follows Marvin to his family's country house. Dr. Marvin tries to get him to leave; the trouble is, everyone love Bob. As his oblivious patient makes himself at home, Dr. Marvin loses his professional composure and, before long, may be ready for the loony bin himself.What About Bob? / Film synopsis
What is Bob's fish's name?
Answer: gold Gil is a goldfish that Bob takes everywhere with him.
How do you get someone out of a catatonic state?
Doctors usually treat catatonia with a kind of sedative called a benzodiazepine that's often used to ease anxiety. Another treatment option is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). It sends electrical impulses to the person's brain through electrodes placed on their head.
Is OCD a disorder or disease?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
What happens in the end of What About Bob?
Text at the end reveals that Bob went back to school and became a psychologist, then wrote a best-selling book titled Death Therapy, for which Leo is suing him for the rights.
Where was What About Bob's filmed?
It was during our annual Bill Murray film festival that a movie buff in the group made a startling announcement: The 1991 comedy, “What About Bob?” starring Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, not Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
What does Bob Wiley do for a living?
Spoilers (4) For the scene in which Bob accidentally blows the house up, producers used a 3/4-sized model replica of the actual house that they detonated on a nearby lot. The film's closing epilogue states: "Bob went back to school and became a psychologist. He then wrote a best seller: 'DEATH THERAPY'.
Where is the What About Bob House?
But what most of us probably remember is his vacation house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, right? The movie was actually filmed at a house in Moneta, Virginia, on Smith Mountain Lake.
What is the name of the bus driver in What About Bob?
Brian Reddy as Carswell Fensterwald, M.D.
Why is What About Bob Rated PG?
Parents need to know that this movie contains a mild amount of profanity, much of it delivered in scenes mocking Tourette's Syndrome. The profanity is silly, with insults like "testicle head" and "barf-breathed douche mouth" predominating; nonetheless, it may be too much for some kids and parents.
What is the best treatment for anxiety in Bob?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (C BT) could be utilized for treating Bob’s severe his anxiety (The Pennsylvania State University, 2014). Some methods for using CBT to treat anxiety include restructuring negative thoughts and establishing a relationship between such thoughts, feelings and actions (Endo, 1998).
What is Bob's personality?
He goes to meet a new therapist named Dr. Marvin, who seems to practice a combination of psychotherapy and exposure therapy. He is described by Dr. Marvin as a “multi-phobic” personality.
How to help Bob with agoraphobia?
Dealing with Bob’s agoraphobia could also be helped by CBT. This process would work by teaching relaxation techniques to deal with the anxiety that is provoked by leaving the “safe place”. Relaxation techniques that are often used are breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation (Peterson, 2006). Other methods include systematic desensitization and exposure therapy. Both of these techniques are employed to create a sheltered environment to explore anxiety causing situations. In the film “What About Bob?” these techniques were used, but not by Dr. Marvin; instead they were introduced by the Marvin family as ways to help, not only Bob, but also the Marvin children, who suffered from anxiety disorders, as well. As is the case with all CBT treatments, the goal is to address negative thoughts, feelings and actions, replacing them with positive thoughts, feelings and actions (Endo, 1998).
What is psychotherapy therapy?
Psychotherapy, from a psychoanalytic perspective, is talk therapy that places the onus of an individual’s problems, whether personal, social or psychiatric, in the patient’s personal history. This type of therapy aims to release pent up or repressed emotions by “working through them” with the therapist (Endo, 1998).
What about Bob?
In conclusion, What About Bob? is a very comical film that effectively pokes fun at the world of therapy and disorders by exaggerating the effects they can have on a person’s life. However, by watching this film, it provides an opportunity to become better acquainted with the reality of disorders and phobias and helps us realize that real people do struggle with these issues.
What is Bob's anxiety disorder?
According to Myer’s, generalized anxiety disorder is when a “person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal,” which perfectly describes Bob’s character. He has a difficult time leaving his house, riding the elevator and performing simple tasks.
What is Bob's phobia?
Another mainn specific phobia is Bob’s nosemaphobia, the fear of illness, accompanied by spermaphobia, the fear of germs. We see other examples of these phobias throughout the movie such as Bob’s constant use of Kleenex to touch things and spraying disinfectant on telephones and other public areas.
What is Bob's fear of Marvin?
Along with many other issues, Bob has a fear of germs, fear of elevators, and fear of sleeping unless pointed in the proper direction according to a compass along with more serious issues such as anxiety disorders and specific phobias.
What about Bob movie?
What About Bob is a comedy film that is not only enjoyable to watch, but also provides some perfect examples of psychological disorders characterized through the star, Bob Wiley. While being somewhat ridiculous and exaggerated, this film is also able to convey the reality of these disorders and the often extreme affects that they are associated with. While there are many other characters that could be assessed and diagnosed with some condition, the most pertinent character in regards to this study is Bob Wiley and due to the fact that he portrays so many different disorders, I will focus solely on his interesting and outrageous character.
What personality disorder does Bob Wiley have?
According to Dr. Marvin, Bob has a “multi-phobic personality characterized by acute separation anxiety.”.
Why is Bob afraid of so many things?
Because he is afraid of so many things, he is constantly in a state of panic and anxiety. Additionally, Bob is characterized by a collection of phobias, a phobia being “an anxiety disorder in which an irrational fear causes the person to avoid some object, activity, or situation,” according to Myers.
What about Bob movie?
The movie ‘What about Bob’ is a hilarious movie that has the viewer cringing every time you see Bill Murray’s character, Bob Wiley; pushing his boundaries with his therapist and outright disregarding them in his pursuit of ‘recovery’. Bob is a patient who has almost no concept of boundaries between himself and a therapist and believes ...
Who is the judge in Bob and Leo?
After a mini Q and A session between Bob and Leo ends, Dr Marvin becomes judge, jury and executioner. He pronounces a judgment verbally to Bob about his various dysfunctions. It almost seems like this therapist is taking a type of pleasure and self worth from being able to ‘diagnose’ a client so quickly.
Who is Bob's therapist?
Exhausted by Bob's high-maintenance conditions and invasions of personal boundaries, his current therapist refers him to the egotistical Dr. Leo Marvin, who believes his recently published book Baby Steps will make him a household name. Bob feels good about their initial session, but Dr. Marvin dismisses Bob in a rush to his long-standing, month-long family vacation. Unable to cope, Bob tracks Leo to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Leo is annoyed, but sees Bob's desperation and tells him to "take a vacation" from his problems. Bob seems to have made a breakthrough, but the next morning, he tells Leo that he will also be vacationing at Lake Winnipesaukee as a guest of the Guttmans, who hold a grudge against Leo for purchasing the lakeside home they had been saving for years to buy.
What about Bob?
What About Bob? was a financial success. Made on a $39 million budget, it grossed $64 million domestically during its original theatrical run, Buena Vista's highest-grossing live action film of the year.
Why is Bob Wiley divorced?
Bob Wiley has great work ethic and treats people well, but he suffers from multiple phobias which makes it difficult for him to leave his apartment and is divorced because his ex-wife likes Neil Diamond and he doesn't. Despite regular therapy, he makes little progress and his fears compel him to seek constant reassurance from his therapists.
Where was What About Bob filmed?
What About Bob? was filmed in and around the town of Moneta, Virginia, located on Smith Mountain Lake.
Who does Bob marry in Death Therapy?
Some time later, Bob marries Leo's sister, much to the latter's dismay. Upon their pronouncement as husband and wife, the still-catatonic Leo finally regains his senses and screams, "No!", but the sentiment is lost in the family's excitement at his recovery. Text at the end reveals that Bob went back to school and became a psychologist, then wrote a best-selling book titled Death Therapy, for which Leo is suing him for the rights.
Who criticized the movie "It's too predictable"?
Lou Cedrone from The Baltimore Sun criticized the film: "It is too predictable and deals with a situation that is more irritating than amusing".
Who does Bob help in the movie?
He helps Sigmund (Dr. Marvin’s son) overcome his fear of diving and he flatters Fay (Dr. Marvin’s wife) increasing her self-esteem. As the movie progresses Bob continues to severely annoy and aggravate Dr. Marvin. Bob has a lack of boundaries and that seems to be okay with everyone except Dr. Marvin.
What about Bob?
“What About Bob?” is a comedy starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray’s character, Bob Wiley, is a “multiphobic personality in a constant state of panic.” We see this from the beginning of the movie when Bob has to go outside of his apartment. Most presentable is germaphobia, but he really fears just about anything. He is very neurotic and easily forms extreme attachments to people and things he gets comfortable with.
What does Leo do when he sees Bob?
When Leo hears everyone leave from outside his room, he sneaks out of the house and goes into town. He breaks into a general store, where he steals 20 pounds of explosives, rope, a rifle, and various other things. Leo finds Bob. While pointing the rifle at him, he leads Bob into the woods. He then ties Bob up and places the two coolers around Bob’s neck with explosives and a timer. Again, Bob thinks it is another type of therapy, “death therapy”. Leo leaves Bob there and on the way home practices his speech he is going to give to the family about Bob’s “passing”. Bob, however, is talking himself through the “therapy”. The ropes represent that he is all tied up inside with emotional knots and if he doesn’t untie those knots he will explode. The baby step is to untie the knots. He frees himself physically and emotionally from the ropes and runs back to Leo’s with the bombs still around his neck. He is now cured.
What about Bob Wiley?
What About Bob is a great, and comedic, example of a dysfunctional and inappropriate patient-psychiatrist relationship. Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) has “problems” and Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) did not know what we he was getting into when his colleague asked him to take Bob on as a patient. As Bob describes it, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, hypochondria, multiple phobias, as well as a very dependent personality. This dependent personality, anxiety, and multiple fears cause Bob to go above and beyond (i.e. faking emergencies, lying about his suicide) to seek help from his psychiatrist, Dr. Marvin, who is away on vacation with his family.
What does Leo try to commit Bob to?
First, Leo tries to commit Bob to a psychiatric facility, but they do not think Bob is crazy. We actually see Bob charming the staff with psychiatric jokes. Now, Leo is not just looking like a schmuck to his family but to his colleagues. He then tries to ditch Bob in the middle of nowhere.
What does Leo give Bob when he meets Bob?
When Leo meets Bob he gives him his book “Baby Steps”, and then sends him on his way. Bob feels great about his initial session, he has hope and for the first time in his life he has found someone that can truly help him. This initiates Bob’s attachment to Leo.
What is Bob's personality?
With his witty personality and humor, Bob charms everyone in Leo’s life. To Leo’s family, Bob is kind, fun, and sensitive, like a breath of fresh air. Whereas, Leo is seen as uptight and dull. Bob goes sailing with Anna, teaches Siggy how to dive, and raves about Fay’s cooking. Leo feels he is losing his family to Bob.
