Everyone will experience some sort of mental illness in their life, some more severe than others. We can define mental illness as a health condition that drastically affects a person's emotions, behavior and social interactions in very different ways. Anyone suffering from a mental illness is embarking on a journey to recovery that is very different and completely subjective. The experience of the disease can be very different from that of another person since there are many risks and protective factors that the person is exposed to. The film Silver Linings Playbook directed by David O. Russell highlights the illness experience of bipolar disorder through the main protagonist Pat Solitano Jr. In the film, Pat has just come out of a psychiatric hospitalization for 8 months and is determined to get his his ex-wife. after discovering that she had cheated on him (Russel, 2012). Bipolar disorder is described as a mood disorder that the individual experiences, ranging from extreme manic episodes, hypomania to major depression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Healthcare providers must understand the importance of an individual's distinctive illness experience. This can be done by investigating the biopsychosocial risk and protective factors to which one is exposed. Everyone is exposed to different factors that make their journey to remission and/or recovery unique. The World Health Organization defines risk factors as when there is an increased likelihood of developing a disease or injury through factors such as an individual's environment, certain characteristics, or exposure ("WHO", 2019). Some of the risk factors that Pat is exposed to are non-adherence to medications, stress from a traumatic experience, and a family history of mental illness. Protective factors are the opposite, they are factors that reduce the undesirable outcomes of a risk factor (Baltes et al., 2001). Supportive relationships, physical activity, and access to health care such as psychotherapy are examples of protective factors. Patients are more likely to have an increased risk of relapse and increased hospital admissions due to a lack of supportive relationships and stress. Compliance with medications and participation in psychotherapy sessions are associated with a more positive prognosis of bipolar. To improve and maintain the life of a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder, pharmacological intervention is necessary. Medication nonadherence can be defined as a patient not complying with and not taking the prescribed medication, agreed upon and administered by the prescriber. This is a major and serious barrier to a patient's path to recovery and impacts how healthcare teams can effectively treat bipolar (Li et al., 2014). This concept of non-adherence is highlighted in the film through the main protagonist Pat, through his journey to deal with this mental illness. Non-adherence to medications can cause debilitating effects to the patient as it significantly increases the risk of relapse, suicide attempts, hospitalization leading to a lower chance of remission and recovery (Jawad, Watson, Haddad, Talbot & McAllister-Williams, 2018) . This has a negative impact on their experience of mental illness. It can cause depression and mania if mood stabilizers such as lithium are suddenly stopped (Jawad et al., 2018). Non-adherence is completely subjective and varies from person to person, on the one hand a patient can be completely adherent or completely not (Jawad etsl., 2018). A patient may not comply due to several factors such as negative side effects, elaborate treatment regimen, poor awareness of the disease, and unhealthy relationship between psychologist and patient. Bipolar medication side effects are a common reason for noncompliance and impact the patient's experience of mental illness. Pat faces negative effects from the drug and therefore does not take his medications (Russel, 2012). The drugs make him “fuzzy and swollen” and “not as sharp” (Russel, 2012). It describes the fight against side effects as it has a great impact on normal functioning which dissuades people from taking it. Non-adherence also increases the risk of violence and suicide rates. The research states that “plasma levels of prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications suggest that 3 of 24 were non-adherent to antipsychotics and 10 of 10 were non-adherent to antidepressants at the time of suicide.” In the film, Pat goes through episodes of extreme violence with his family and friends. This is explicitly shown in the film when Pat hurts his parents during manic episodes. Throughout the film, the audience is shown Pat's irritable mood, agitation, and difficulty controlling his emotions, which affects his recovery. Poor understanding and awareness of this disorder is a common factor for noncompliance (Jawad et al.,2018). It would be difficult to understand the disease without adequate knowledge of the disorder. Relatedly, patients who do not comply with their medications have a lesser understanding of their disease and what it entails (Jawad, et al., 2018). The stigma placed on mental illness contributes to this denial and lack of understanding that contributes to this risk. The protagonist denies his illness and thinks he is fine, so he doesn't take his medicine. He is trying to overcome his illness by being optimistic, but this is not possible. This demonstrates his lack of understanding of his illness which affects his daily life and recovery. Engaging in physical activity of any kind is one of many ways to improve a person's experience of mental illness. A variety of mental illnesses can be prevented and treated with physical activity. This is a protective factor that is a recurring theme in the film, highlighted through Pat. Research shows that people experience fewer depressive symptoms when they are involved in physical activity, which results in a better quality of life (Ho et al., 2009). Patients with bipolar disorder are typically more sedentary, and low levels of exercise are related to lower quality of life, higher depressive symptoms, and poorer functioning in various aspects of their lives. Due to the inactive lifestyle, this has direct implications not only on their mental health but also physical health (Hearing et al., 2016). Bipolar individuals who are more physically active have better functioning in all areas of life such as work, cognitive functioning, financial management and social interactions which have a positive impact on their illness experience (Melo et al., 2019). There is a greater risk of obesity, stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These are linked to a sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity has a profound positive impact on cardiovascular endurance and quality of life (Melo et al., 2019). It also reduces the risk of suicide attempts. The disease progresses less because physical activity increases “levels of neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, beta-endorphins and cortisol (Melo et al., p. 101)”. Exercise significantly improves mood and reduces depression, anxiety and levels of