Ryan C. W. Hall: Star Wars as a Teaching and Diagnostic Tool

As one of the most popular movie franchises in history, Star Wars has reached a wide range of people across the globe. Some have seen ways to apply lessons from the movies to help in the diagnosis of mental health patients.

Ryan C. W. Hall, MD, a professor at both the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida, discussed this topic during the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting (APA 2016) in Atlanta, Georgia. Hall said that using pop culture in teaching is nothing new, whether in medical education or in the general population, but added that there are lessons that can be learned from the science fiction classic films.