Mental Illness In Hamlet

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It’s clear that the characters in Hamlet are suffering from some kind of mental illness. Some more serious than others, but given all of their backgrounds, it’s clear to see why. Having to deal with things like murder, your uncle becoming your father, and the girl you love killing herself becomes a lot to handle. The story begins with King Hamlet’s funeral where we later find out that Prince Hamlet’s uncle is marrying his mother and claiming the throne as his own. Months pass and Hamlet is still noticeably upset about his father’s passing and he’s been acting very strange. He’s then visited by the ghost of his late father, when he learns that his uncle killed his father. Prince Hamlet swears to his father that he will get revenge for his untimely …show more content…

Borderline personality disorder affects about 1.6% of the entire u.s. population (Salters-Pedneault). BPD is five times more likely to occur in a person if they have a close family member that already has the disorder (National Institute of Mental Health) . An example of a close family member would be the person’s mother or father. Symptoms of BPD consist of unstable relationships with their family, friends and loved ones. The person will swing from extreme closeness and love to extreme dislike. The person will also experience impulsive behaviors that are not safe. They have intense mood swings and have inappropriate, intense anger that they have a hard time controlling. A person struggling with BPD will also experience stress-related, paranoid thoughts (National Institute of Mental Health). Another mental health disorder is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a non genetic disorder that affects 7-8% of the u.s. Population (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). The disease develops in people who have experienced an immense emotionally shocking or dangerous event. The events can range from near death experiences to sudden, unexpected deaths of loved ones. Symptoms of PTSD usually start within three months of the shocking or dangerous event. PTSD sufferers can experience flashbacks, feelings of guilt or blame, angry outbursts, negative feelings about the world, and a loss of interest in enjoyable activities (National Institute of Mental Health). Another mental health disorder is Schizophrenia. People suffering from this disorder experience hallucinations and delusions that they believe to be real (National Institute of Mental Health). They also experience a reduction in expressed emotions and reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life, such as increased difficulty to begin and sustain activities and a reduction in the amount of speaking the

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