Coraline, a stop-motion film released in 2009; among many stop-motion fans, it was a hit and a cult classic. Coraline was on the verge of controversy, similar to most of Tim Burton's works. Now, one might ask, why had he remained on the brink of controversy? Simple, Coraline crossed the line with its chilling imagery and internal meanings. For some it was nothing more than a children's film, but for others it was a frightening depiction of mental illness found in a young teenager, no less. For some it affected a lot, while others turned a blind eye because it meant little or nothing to them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the opening credits, hands are seen recreating a button-eyed doll from what can only be identified as sewing needles. A doll made to look like Coraline Jones, our dear protagonist. Coraline, an adventurous 11-year-old girl, had just moved to Ashland, Oregon with her family from their hometown of Pontiac, Michigan. Much like many teenage girls, Coraline did not appreciate being uprooted from her parents at such an early age, much less forced to live in a form of split apartment living. Over the course of the film he meets his new neighbors, who all seem to represent a form of mental illness and the entire film leaves you wondering what reality really is. Understanding the definitions of wellness and illness has changed from the mid-20th century to modern times. , moving from a diagnostic-focused definition of mental illness to a person-centered definition of mental illness, and from an “absence of illness” model to one that emphasizes the positive function of mental health. Wellbeing currently refers to the degree to which you feel positive and enthusiastic about yourself and life, while illness refers to the presence of an illness. These concepts refer to both physical and mental health and well-being. In Coraline's case, initially, her mindset seems to be mostly in the sense of normal behavior. The childish imagination she displays, however, is consistent with children engaging in imaginative play during isolation, or abandonment, in Coraline's case. It is increasingly clear as the film progresses that Coraline is nothing more than a neglected child with disillusionment with what a better life could be. Interestingly, Coraline plays a textbook example of fantasy gaming after she returns to the afterlife for the first time and takes part in a tea party; very similar to that of the Mad Hatter in the Alice in Wonderland film. But Coraline's experience is not age-appropriate as she is only 11 years old. Therefore, imaginative play and imaginary friends should not lead to severe anxiety or disability. Thus, Coraline's childhood memories stem from abnormal behavior. Because of the distress these experiences cause her, we can conclude that Coraline is in disarray. Coraline's disorder and anguish indicate nothing other than the disease of schizophrenia. Some of the signs of this condition are cognitive impairment, paranoia, amnesia, perception that an ordinary event has a different and personal meaning, assumption that one's feelings are not one's own, disorientation, memory loss, mental confusion, slowness of action, or false belief of superiority. All of this touched Coraline and her experiences during the stop-motion film very deeply. For example, the belief that an ordinary event has a special, personal meaning comes into play when a strange, little door opensfound in his house, perhaps thinking there was some sort of tunnel leading to an 'other world'. More disillusionment. It could even be argued that every single event that takes place in the film is nothing more than a hallucination dreamed up by our dear Coraline. It is difficult to say whether what we see is truly an illusion or reality. Although, for many, they take it as a real-life scenario, it is difficult to sustain its experience as reality. In most cases she would be labeled as sick. All of the above examples indicate the presence of mental illness, however, it could also be argued that Coraline is nothing more than a girl struggling with a debilitating drug addiction. Although it is much more far-fetched, this could definitely be the story of a drug-addicted girl, who goes on the journey of her life, but suddenly stops because she is afraid of being discovered by her parents. The entire film could be nothing other than a psychedelic trip; one moment everything is dreary and boring and the next it's crazy and incredible. Maybe, just maybe, it's all just a bad trip, but it's a little less believable when you compare the events of the film to the drug theory. It is much more likely that the film is subtly hinting at the presence of a mental illness rather than that of a serious drug addiction. Reconnecting it to disillusionment and hallucination, as Gillian Rose put it best, when she was in simulation (or hallucination in this case), "it was no longer possible to make a distinction between real and unreal; the images had detached themselves from any certain relationship with the real world." (Gillian Rose, 8) Much like the simulacra of Coraline Jones Stuck in her head, Coraline makes the distinction between her reality and her dream, Coraline knows that the reality that is presented to her throughout the film it can't be true, her mother never cooks, her father never pays her any attention, but they do in her disillusionments Being an obviously damaged girl, Coraline has a good way of telling the audience , Coraline must enter a door, a door that her mother and father cannot enter, nor can her neighbors or a friend, Wybie. Only Coraline is allowed entry during the film, and this entry occurs only by night when no one else is present. Unable to prove the existence of the other world, she must face it herself. The Other Mother, the main antagonist of the film, begins as a loving and wonderful woman just a normal mother. One that Coraline is convinced she deserves. Delving deeper into our diagnosis of schizophrenia and the mental confusion it brings with it, it is painfully obvious how severely Coraline suffers from it. It is his belief that the "other world" truly exists outside of his imagination, that it is reality. He continues to visit this "other world" and soon realizes that it may not be all it seems. There is a level of fear that develops as she deludes herself. Which tells us something about reading Stuart Hall: as with the study of hysteria, could this be solved with hypnosis? Hypnosis is a type of “psychoanalysis”. (Stuart Hall, 53) It is the “question of representation”. (Stuart Hall, 53) Psychoanalysis is a form of mental health treatment. Collection of theories and methods related to the study of the unconscious mind, psychoanalysis is a discipline established by the well-known Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis is a controversial discipline, contested for its validity as a science. However, within psychiatry, it continues to have a strong influence, in some circles more than others. It's no secret that there were problems with Coraline Jones, anyone from the outside couldsee it. That is, except for his own parents. For some strange reason they were blind to the fact that Coraline had underlying issues with her mental health and needed treatment to combat her ever-increasing problems. Could this all stem from his parents' negligence? Can it be argued that the root of all her problems and development of mental illness is due to the way her parents raised her? In many cases, this can be considered true, but the exact cause of most mental illnesses tends to be unclear, although research suggests that several factors may be involved, including heredity, genetics, psychological trauma and stress environmental. Leaving room for a strong case surrounding Coraline's childhood as a factor in her developing mental illness. As his hallucinations continue, his schizophrenia sets in as his perception and paranoia worsen. Coraline believes that the Other Mother residing in the alternate reality could actually harm her physically. This is where the connection to suicide comes into play. Suicide is not itself a mental illness, but a serious potential consequence of mental disorders that in most cases can be treated. In fact, signs of suicidal behavior include excessive sadness or moodiness, hopelessness, insomnia, sudden calm, social withdrawal, changes in personality or even appearance, dangerous behaviors that could lead to self-harm, and recent trauma. Unfortunately for Coraline the description of suicidal behavior fits her perfectly. Let's see why he does it. First comes the excessive sadness and bad mood, which can be seen in the first twenty minutes of the film; Coraline is a moody teenager with a subtle vibe of sadness radiating underneath. She's upset about the move and misses her friends. Being suddenly forced into a new life can upset almost anyone. Secondly, desperation. Towards the end of the film, when Coraline believes in the potential harm of the Other Mothers, we witness her feeling of desperation. At one point in the film she believes that the Other Mother has stolen her parents and is keeping them in a scary snowball; Unaware that these are not really her parents, Coraline loses all hope. Third, we welcome his insomnia. As previously mentioned, our protagonist can only enter the realm of the alternate universe at night through a small door otherwise filled with bricks. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. It is difficult to say whether or not this affects his perception of reality. Twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation can lead to similar symptoms of schizophrenia in healthy individuals like Coraline Jones. Hallucinations and delusions are synonymous with loss of contact with reality in psychosis. This also leads to thought disorders and misunderstandings. Psychosis is actually one of the most serious mental illnesses to date in terms of category. The filter that our brain usually puts in place doesn't work the longer you go without sleep. Sleepless nights result in increased deficits, deficits, or perception, leading these individuals to fear what they believe to be reality. The unselected flow of information leads to chaos in our brain. The functionality is abandoned and we are left with what Coraline shows in Tim Burton's film. Tim Burton's films are known for their underlying meanings; it just depends on whether you can locate and decipher them or not. Returning to suicidal behavior, we find ourselves in a sudden calm. There are many points in the film where Coraline suddenly becomes calm even in the scariest situations. A perfect example of this is when his neighbor Wybie comesintroduced by the Other Mother into the alternate reality. Wybie is a social butterfly, over-sharing personal information, and yet, in this reality he is nothing but silent, but not by choice. His mouth is sewn shut, which Coraline doesn't seem to mind much. In fact, she's quite happy with the boy's silence. Why? Because Coraline is going through a form of social withdrawal. Social withdrawal is also a sign of suicidal behavior and can lead to a level of social isolation where contact with even close family and friends is avoided. Our dear Coraline also goes through many personality changes throughout the film, one moment she is an adventurous girl with no fear, the next moment she is desperate and scared. He also displays many dangerous behaviors, as does the Other Mother. The Other Mother doesn't want Coraline to leave her, she wants her to stay, to build another life of dominion in her. Instilling the fear that she will never be able to return to her reality, Coraline collapses. He goes into survival mode and looks for every possible way out of his difficult situation. His dreams of a better life quickly turn into nightmare fuel. Nightmares from which he struggles to wake up and look beyond. All of this can be linked not only to his continued abandonment, but also to his sudden move from Michigan to Oregon. Unable to accept change, he begins to lose it. Now let's talk about the film and how it relates to the underlying issue of his mental illness and another important life lesson. Coraline is a young girl and to the untrained eye her home life seems nothing more than average. He considers many things wrong in his family like most preteens. His mother doesn't know how to cook and his father's cooking leaves much to be desired. Both parents are too busy with their work and neglect to give her the attention she wants. One day, Coraline finds a small secret door in the wall while exploring her new home in Oregon. Once he opens it and enters, he inhabits an alternate universe, with seemingly perfect versions of his parents. Everything in this parallel family revolves around Coraline's desires and appeals to her tastes. Her new mother cooks only the little girl's favorite dishes. Her new father plays the piano alone for her and plants a beautiful garden that resembles Coraline's head from above and with a spectacular circus show the neighbors entertain her. Yet, as it turns out, this magical world is completely false, the opposite of what it initially seems. It is the creation of an evil witch who lures people by preying on their dissatisfaction with reality and promising them a life worth living. In reality, this evil witch only wants to suck the living soul of her victims, which, in this case, is Coraline's. Why? Because she likes to dominate others and play with the minds of innocents. But, as in children's films everything usually ends on a happy note, Coraline survives just in time to save herself and her family. He realizes that the imperfections of a real life with loving people are far better than any illusory ideal created by those who want to control and destroy you. Psychopaths, as Coraline also illustrates, don't just lie by omission and commission. More fundamentally, they lie about who they are and what they intend to do with you once you are emotionally attached to them and invested in whatever they originally promised you. Their entire identity is a deception and their good intentions are so. They are based on the fundamental deception in every relationship. With the illusion of love and compatibility, they attract you only to repeatedly stab you in the back. They act as if.