Girl, Interrupted is a memoir written by Susanna Kaysen about her internal struggle with borderline personality disorder and the reality of life in and out of a mental institution. I have noticed extensive differences in how mental illness is displayed through major media outlets and the unfiltered reality from people who have dealt with it first hand. These differences also occurs a great deal in the movie adaptation versus the book; to appeal to a wider audience the movie in linear characters are changed and mental illness is no longer the main focal point. Susanna Kaysen's book came out in 1993 when the stigma against mental illness was even stronger than now; her coming forward with this personal narrative paved the way for other authors. Around that time and still today mental illness is considered a taboo topic and people would rather push it into a corner than address it. Kaysen took a leap of faith with her book and put her experiences, feeling and thoughts out to the world. The book was adapted into a movie and released in 1999 with Winona Ryder
She gets mentioned in a few chapters throughout the book mainly when another girl named Lisa arrives at the hospital and her true symptoms of being a sociopath is shown. Lisa is played by Angelina Jolie, Susanna develops this dependence for her which doesn't happen in the book. Lisa and her run away together, and her and the girls go bowling in an underground tunnel beneath the hospital while 60s music is being played. Lisa in the movie also stole her diary and threatened to kill her. It would've been impossible to sneak down and go bowling at night because in the book Kaysen goes over the rules of the hospital and most of the girls get checked on every fifteen minutes. There would be no need for these strange additional events and playing up of Lisa’s character if the movie stayed true to the
Although Susanna Kaysen’s rebellious and self-harming actions of coping with her psychosis are viewed by some critics as pushing the boundary of sanity, many people have a form of a “borderline personality” that they must accept and individually work towards understanding in order to release themselves from the confines of their disorder. Kaysen commits to a journey of self-discovery, which ultimately allows her to accept and understand herself and her psychosis.
This frustration acted as a vehicle for her to gain a desire to be more
However, these thoughts are not always true all the time. Sometimes Hollywood makes films to show the audience the truth contained in the movie. In the movie “Girl, Interrupted,” the filmmakers have balanced the grim realism of the book with audience-pleasing elements of entertainment in order to make the film more comfortable. The graphic representation of mental illness makes audiences feel its realities, while the use of attractive actresses captures the attention of the audiences and makes it easier to relate to the story.
"When Eliza, Lindsay, and I all finally stood up to walk to the ambulance to get bandaged up, the crowd stood and gave us a standing O. We went on to win the game bug, but my topple made everything else anticlimactic."
Little Girl Lost is an autobiography written by actress Drew Barrymore. When this book was written Drew was around the age fourteen. Drew Barrymore is the grand-daughter of actor John Barrymore. Most people know Drew from the hit movie E.T where she captured the hearts of thousands of people. Sadly, during this time, all of the fame got to her, she began partying which led to drinking. Drinking led to doing drugs like marijuana, and eventually cocaine; she was only twelve years old (Barrymore 1). Drew’s parents separated when she was young, her father left and she stayed with her mother. Drew and her mother were not very close, her mother was always working trying to provide for them, and so she was stuck either with a nanny or by herself. When Drew Barrymore began to spiral down into drugs and alcohol her mother did not even notice. Her mother finally realized what was happening when the tabloids reported stories and pictures of her partying and getting out of control. Her mother decided it would be best for Drew if she went to rehab. The first time Drew Barrymore went to rehab she ended up relapsing fairly quickly and her drug addiction became worse. This happened a few times. By the end of the biography Drew had just gotten out of rehab and was doing well. She states, “I think about that every day. All addicts do. You are never without the fear of returning to your old ways and losing everything that you’ve gained. When you’re sober, you don’t forget what it was like to use. It’s hard, really hard, and you take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. That’s the way it’s going to be for as long as I’m alive. But at least I’m alive” (Barrymore 260).
Lisa Genova, the author of Still Alice, a heartbreaking book about a 50-year-old woman's sudden diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is a member of the Dementia Advocacy, Support Network International and Dementia USA and is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer's Association. Genova's work with Alzheimer's patients has given her an understanding of the disorder and its affect not only on the patient, but on their friends and family as well (Simon and Schuster, n.d.).
The Day the Voices Stopped is a “Memoir of Madness and Hope,” written by Ken Steele (Steele & Berman, 2001, p. 1). As a reader, my experience of this book was like a rollercoaster and I found myself very emotionally invested. When terrible things happened to Ken, I truly felt sick to my stomach while reading them; but when good things happened, I also felt like there was still hope left. Ken Steele’s memoir described how stigma is extremely prevalent in mental illness and individuals are forced to overcome massive obstacles in their lives.
For as long as man has walked the earth, so has evil. There may be conflicting moral beliefs in this world, but one thing is universally considered wrong: serial killers. Although some people may try to use insanity as an explanation for these wicked people, they cannot explain away the heartlessness that resides in them. As shown in The Stranger Beside Me, infamous serial killer Ted Bundy is no exception to this. Even though books about true crimes may be considered insensitive to those involved, the commonly positively reviewed book The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule handles the somber issue of Ted Bundy’s emotionally destructive early life and the brutal crimes he committed that made people more fearful and aware of the evil that can exist in seemingly normal people well.
When Victoria finds Lisa, she is in the room with her sister. During this time family secrets are brought into the light for Lisa who knew nothing about them. The first secret that was told was about the trust fund. The second secret was deeper and more disturbing.
In “The Stranger Beside Me”, by Ann Rule, she discusses the once loving man Ted Bundy who suffered from a series of events in his early life causing him to develop into one of the most deadly and fascinating serial killers known to man. In the Washington and Oregon state area, Bundy went on a killing spree throughout the 1970’s, targeting young college women who fitted a specific look. He would visit populated areas and prey on victims, killing for the thrill of pleasure. During the book Ann Rule discusses the damage that Bundy had caused to so many families and people during his reign of terror. I’ll be examining the reasoning and motives that caused Bundy to react in such a psychotic and violent way.
Mental illnesses are one of the most frightening medical conditions to fall upon someone, as there are not any ways of curing such things and end up changing who the effect one is as a person. Due to how devastating mental illnesses are, it not only affects the person directly but also all those around them in various ways. Miriam Toews’ shows how mental illness effect people differently in her novel The Flying Troutman, a story about a family stricken by a members mental illness and their journey of coping with it. She displays this idea through the four characters of Hattie, Min, Thebes, and Logan Troutman as they go through their daily routines and interactions with one another.
Sanity is subjective. Every individual is insane to another; however it is the people who possess the greatest self-restraint that prosper in acting “normal”. This is achieved by thrusting the title of insanity onto others who may be unlike oneself, although in reality, are simply non-conforming, as opposed to insane. In Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted, this fine line between sanity and insanity is explored to great lengths. Through the unveiling of Susanna’s past, the reasoning behind her commitment to McLean Hospital for the mentally ill, and varying definitions of the diagnosis that Susanna received, it is evident that social non-conformity is often confused with insanity.
Girl, Interrupted is a personal memoir from Susanna Kaysen, who narrates the story of her diagnosis with borderline personality disorder and psychoneurotic depression in the mid-sixties. She is voluntarily confined in Claymore Hospital after attempting suicide with a bottle of aspirin and alcohol after engaging in an illicit relationship with her past high school teacher. Miss Kaysen is a detatched emotionaless young girl of eighteen who comes from a well off family, but is emotionally conflicted. She had casual relationships with the opposite sex and not many female companions throughout her high school years. Her family finds her odd and believes she needs help from a psychologist because of her unsocial interactions with young adults her
It tells the story of a person, family and community in which individuals suffer from mental disorders much the same way as people do in the real world. Not only did I find this movie quite accurate concerning mental illness but I also established some important messages concerning mental illness in today’s society. The film takes into account that mental illness is a part of society and overall has a positive outlook on it. Their illnesses don 't define their identities nor are they even the main point of the story. In coming together, the characters find the mutual support that enables them to approach their struggles and redirect their lives in a more positive direction. To some degree, this film addresses stigma and the fact that persons with mental illness should be allowed to participate in society over being kept in a hospital, in other words, it gives
Girl Interrupted is a film about a young woman, Susanna Kaysen, who voluntarily enters a psychiatric facility in Massachusetts. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a portrayal of psychiatric care in the 1960’s. The film is based on the memoirs of Susanna Kaysen and her experiences during an 18 month stay at a mental institution. During her visit, Susanna is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The film depicts psychiatric care, diagnoses, and treatments from a different era.