BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Film by Milos Forman
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest showed how life is inside a mental institution. It started
with the arrival of Randle McMurphy, a man who was recently charged with statutory rape of a
fifteen-year-old girl. Rather than spending time behind bars, he decided to have himself declared
insane in order to be transferred in a psychiatric hospital as he expected life in it would be more
comfortable and easier. However, things didn’t turned out the way he wanted for upon meeting
other people including the staff, he soon discovered that life is not so great in an asylum.
The most evident conflict throughout the movie lies between patient R.P. McMurphy and Nurse
Ratched. Randle McMurphy was free man. He values freedom so much that he was willing to
disrespect other people, and go against the system. He acted based on his own personal definition
of things. Nurse Ratched was the opposite of the former and was a by the book individual. Her
methods of treatment were so prescribed by rules and regulations. She believed that what she’s
doing is for the betterment of the patients. Despite the differences; the two still have something
in common. They both yearned for authority. It was shown during one of their group therapy
session. The latter wanted the men to proceed on their daily routine however the former insisted
for a change and watch a world series instead. McMurphy didn’t like having someone order him
around. He’s against of those that will make him feel weak. On the other hand, Nurse Ratched’s
good intentions might be just a smokescreen for her desire for absolute control.
Randle McMurphy had caused troubles inside the ward for several times and these lead him
to some severe treatments; Electro Shock Therapy and Lobotomy. McMurphy was forced to
induce shock therapy for breaking into the nurse’s station however I doubt whether the treatment
he received was the right one. Rather than a treatment, it seems to be more of a punishment,
which soon turned out to be ineffectual to treat his misconduct. At the last part of the movie,
he was lobotomized after attempting to kill Nurse Ratched. Lobotomy was a welcome treatment
based on the premise that symptoms of mental illness were caused by faulty connections between
the frontal lobes and the thalamus. The idea was that severing those connections and regrowing
them could treat symptoms of the mental illness. In his case, lobotomy has caused more
problems than it was worth. He wound up being a swollen vegetable. He lost all his capabilities
that he’s no longer McMurphy. What happened to McMurphy was another case of flawed
treatment. The doctors failed to recognize the complexity of the brain. The success to some does
not guarantee the success to others. Moreover, it was also an occurrence of patient’s abuse and
exploitation. They knew that he was not really mentally ill, but they decided to go with
lobotomy. And they did it for their own sake, to bring back the so called peace inside the ward.
Psychological or social care is as important as medical care to a patient with mental illness.
Medications doesn’t equate to a total cure. It only treats symptoms, so upon stopping taking
them, symptoms may return. Also, despite having its benefits, it also has its risks. Depending on
medication may cause harm to the body. And lastly, medications often help the most when
they're part of an overall treatment program. Humans are not just biological beings. We also have
our psychological and social needs. And such needs can only be fulfilled with actual help and
support from other people, more importantly, from the people that matters to them.