The Black Swan is a psychological thriller documenting a prima ballerina's descent into madness. Nina Sayers is a dancer in a New York City ballet company. Her mother is a very domineering former dancer whose career ended when she became pregnant with Nina. After forcing his current principal dancer into retirement, Thomas Leroy, the company's director, is looking for someone worthy enough to play the Swan Queen in his next production. Despite his doubts about his ability to successfully dance the role of the Black Swan, he gives the role to Nina. However, Nina fears that Lily is trying to steal her role as Swan Queen, especially when Leroy becomes Lily's replacement for Nina. As they progress through the production, Nina's pursuit of perfection with the Black and White Swan roles causes a slow decline in her mental state. Using a variety of expressionistic techniques, director Darren Aronofsky uncovers Nina's worsening psychosis. (Huggo) OCD is an “anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualized behaviors that one feels compelled to perform” (Segal and Smith, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Symptoms, Behavior and treatment"). This disorder occurs when the brain becomes obsessed with a specific action or thought. Uncontrollable, recurring thoughts and images, known as obsessions, can divert attention from more important matters. Compulsions consist of actions and rituals that one is forced to perform repeatedly. (Segal and Smith, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Symptoms, Behavior, and Treatment”) Nina's obsession is perfection. She repeatedly states that she "just wants to be perfect" (Aronofsky). His compulsion is practice. No matter where...... middle of paper......psychiatrists-diagnose-natalie-portmans-represent-psychosis/history?id=12436873&page=1>.Schoenstadt, Arthur. "Bulimia." Bulimia. September 23, 2008. Web. May 22, 2012. .Segal, Jeanne, and Melinda Smith. "Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Effects and Treatment." Helpguide.org. May 2012. Web. May 15, 2012. .Segal, Jeanne and Melinda Smith. "Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): symptoms, behavior and treatment". Helpguide.org: Understanding, preventing and solving life's challenges. April 2012. Web. May 10, 2012. .Segal, Jeanne and Melinda Smith. "Understanding Schizophrenia." Helpguide.org. January 2012. Web. 10 May 2012. .