Movie therapy

Problems at school? Finding it difficult to get on at home? The answer to these problems could be as simple as sitting down to watch a DVD. At least, that is what the psychotherapist and film fan Bernie Wooder believes. He is so passionate about the healing power of films that he is pioneering the use of ‘movie therapy’ in Britain, and has just written a book explaining how it works. It involves finding a film that relates to someone’s problem, then discussing the feelings it causes.

Movie therapy is so powerful because it access feelings and emotions quickly, bringing them to the surface like a magnet, explains Wooder. "Films provide role models, clarify relationship issues, identify problems and solutions, inspire and motivate."

Wooder, 68, has prescribed films such as Rocky (to help a businessman overcome his insecurity) and Gohst (to come to terms with death). One of Wooder’s patients who responded very well to film therapy was Bette, a woman in her thirties who, 【小题1】 lived in a permanent state of depression and she felt she wasn’t good enough for anything. So, 【小题2】, she went to Wooder. He advised her to rent a DVD of Afred Hitchcok’s psychological thriller Rebecca.

Htichcock’s film tells the story of a shy woman who marries a wealthy, sophisticated man called Maxim de Winter, and finds herself living in the shadow of his first wife, the beautiful, lively Rebecca. The second Mrs. de Winter feels increasingly lonely, unattractive and out of her depth, 【小题3】

After watching the film several times, Bette realized she had always felt second best — first to her younger sister, and more recently to her husband’s first wife.

Bette persuaded her husband to watch the film with her in order to show him how she felt. They were really able to communicate, 【小题4】

Wooder feels that film therapy has plenty more to offer. ‘We’re only at the beginning of what movie therapy can really do,’ Wooder says. ‘It could be used on everyone, 【小题5】

But which films should you watch? ‘Old black and whites are very good at calming people down because they conjure up nostalgia and innocence,’ says Wooder. And it’s not just about the feel-good factor. ‘That ends when the film is over,’ says Wooder. ‘It’s what the film leaves you with that counts.’

Artificial intelligence is almost twice as accurate as a biopsy (活组织检查) at judging the aggressiveness of some cancers, experts say. Cancer kills 10 million people globally every year, according to the WHO. But for patients the disease can be prevented if detected instantly and dealt with quickly.

A recent study suggested an AI algorithm (算法) was far better than a biopsy at correctly grading the aggressiveness of sarcomas (肉瘤), a rare form of cancer. Researchers hope AI will improve outcomes for patients by giving doctors a more accurate way of grading tumours (肿瘤). Because high-grade tumours can indicate aggressive disease, the tool could help ensure those high-risk patients are identified more quickly and treated instantly. Low-risk patients could also be spared unnecessary treatments, follow-up scans and hospital visits.

Researchers say the algorithm could be applied to other types of cancer in future. The team specifically looked at retroperitoneal sarcomas, which develop at the back of the abdomen and are difficult to diagnose (诊断) and treat due to their location. They used CT scans from 170 patients with the two most common forms of retroperitoneal sarcoma — leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma. Using data from these scans they created an AI algorithm, which was then tested on 89 patients in other countries. In grading how aggressive the tumour was, the technology was accurate in 82% of the cases, while biopsies were 44%.

AI could also recognize leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma in 84% of sarcomas tested, while radiologists were able to identify them in 65% of the cases. Christina Messiou, the study leader, said: “We’re incredibly excited by the potential of this state-of-the-art technology, which could lead to patients having better outcomes through faster diagnosis. As patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma are routinely scanned with CT, we hope this tool will eventually be used globally, ensuring that not just specialist centres can reliably identify and grade the disease.”

Richard Davison, chief executive of Sarcoma UK, said the results looked “very promising”. He added: “People are more likely to survive sarcoma if diagnosed early. One in six people with sarcoma cancer wait more than a year to receive an accurate diagnosis, so any research that helps patients receive better treatment and support is welcome.”