Nell

Spoiler alert!

llustrates the importance of due process in civil commitment to avoid involuntary hospitalization of someone who does not suffer from a mental disorder.

Country doctor Jerry enters the room in a psychiatric hospital where psychiatrist Paula Olsen watches through a one-way mirror as some kind of therapist works with a young male patient. (1:12)

Sheriff Todd Peterson comforts his wife Mary after she has been found sitting in front of the store crying. (0:16) Do you think she suffers from a mental disorder?

Paula and Jerry find Nell pacing, moaning unintelligibly, and crying. (0:17) Is she grieving the loss of her mother?

Paula and Jerry discuss Nell with psychiatrist Alexander Paley in a psychiatric hospital. Jerry corrects him when he refers to her as a "wild child." (0:19)

Paula and Jerry argue about whether Nell can give informed consent since she does not speak intelligible English and no one can interpret for her. (0:24)

Paula and Jerry argue Nell's case in front of a judge, apparently at a commitment hearing. (0:24)

A group of psychiatrists including Paula and Alexander watched a video recording of Nell taken at her home and discuss what they see. Paula says, "I've never seen such a perfect projection before. That's 'may,' 'me,' in the mirror. You'd think it would be the other way around but that's 'may' out there almost like she's displacing herself."
When another psychiatrist asks about (psychometric?) testing Paula replies, "We'll have to run competency tests before the court hearing..."
Explaining her speech Paula notes, "The mother was aphasic." (0:35)

Realizing why Nell refuses to leave the house during the day, Paula hypothesizes that Nell's mother Violet didn't want anyone to see her daughter, "Well that could be all that's keeping her from coming out in the daytime, a deliberately implanted phobia."
"So, what do we do with phobics? Get them to face what they're afraid of. Neutralize their fear. (0:51)

To combat Nell's phobia Jerry entices her out of the house with popcorn. (0:56)

Nell leads Paula and Jerry to the remains of the real May, her twin sister. (1:01)

Having realized that they can no longer insulate Nell from the outside world they take her to a psychiatric hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. The experience appears to shock her into a state resembling catatonia. (1:28)

Paula, Alexander, and Jerry discuss what to do about Nell in a conference. (1:31)

While Paula reads to Nell, Alexander, Jerry, and others, apparently psychiatrists, watch her from behind a one-way mirror. An unidentified psychiatrist says, "This isn't lower-level autism. That's for sure." (1:32)

Another hearing before a judge. Psychiatrist Alexander, on the witness stand, says "She displays many of the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome." (1:40)

Bereavement | civil commitment | competence | informed consent | phobia | psychiatric hospital | psychiatrist