Symptoms I see in Precious are...
- Low self-esteem: Toward the beginning of the movie, when Precious was getting ready to leave home, instead of seeing herself for her true obese figure, she saw herself in the mirror as a slender blue-eyed blonde. Being overweight left her feeling vulnerable to taunts by classmates, boys on the street, and her mother.
- In addition, Precious is also constantly around her mother's violent and demeaning put downs, which did not help with Precious' self-esteem.
- She also made statements about herself saying, "The other day, I cried, felt stupid." She also stated while crying, "Nobody love me" after she told her classmates that she is HIV positive.
- Recurrent distressing flashbacks of sexual abuse: In the movie, through Precious' memories, her father is glimpsed briefly in flashbacks of his assaults on her.
- Dissociation of having an actual fantasy identity: Every time Precious falls as a victim to someone's abuse from her mother, father, or strangers, Precious phases out into a place in her mind where she is a celebrity, feeling happy and loved by an attractive boyfriend, her fans & the paparazzi. By dissociating, Precious could mentally comes to a place that was safe, beautiful, and free.
Possible Diagnoses: Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder