In the book Marbles by Ellen Forney (2012), the author talks about her experience with being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The novel starts off with the author Ellen getting a tattoo at a tattoo parlor as she talks about the comics she writes as an author. Throughout the book, Forney goes through an adventure trying to discover how to cope having bipolar disorder and tries to find herself in society. After being officially diagnosed with her therapist Karen she tries to find the best way to balance her medication while enjoying life. The novel definitely grabs the audience’s attention and makes them want to know more as the story goes on. Forney also provides examples of social construction and oppressions in society, along with intersectionality. …show more content…
Since Ellen has bipolar disorder, she tends to have trouble opening up to friends and family since being bipolar is frowned upon in society (Forney, 2012, p.63-64). Ellen feels like she is a minority in social situations. With Ellen being an artist and being bipolar, it causes her to think of herself as a crazy artist, thus believes she is mentally ill and is unable to be creative (Forney, 2012, p.22). After she does some research, she discovers on her own how society is wrong about artists having bipolar disorder and realizes that being an aberration is just a stereotype which has formed over time (Forney, 2012, p.40-42). Another oppression that affects her intersectionality is the drugs she has to take being bipolar, society thinks when artists’ are diagnosed they go crazy (Forney, 2012, p.22). This assumption causes Ellen to resist being diagnosed for a while to fit into society and not be an outcast. Therefore, displaying the social construction of society today (Forney, 2012, p.25). All in all, Forney establishes intersectionality multiple times throughout her story affecting how she fits into
To the urban lifestyle of growing up in the ghettos and the hardships. She depicts the usages of drugs, gang, crime, poverty, teen pregnancy and mostly how it effects the community. But also shows how the outside violence comes into the home and can devastate the natural order of the household.
In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the film Girl, Interrupted directed by James Mangold authors both look at American psychiatric institutions of the 1960s and explore the idea that the hospitals act as microcosms for society. A microcosm is a small universe representative of a larger one thus suffers the same problems of conformity and rebellion, prejudice against minorities and authority figures ruling absolutely. Both authors use stylistic techniques to position the audience to respond to ideas common in both texts.
Many people seem to get entangled into society's customs. In the novel Anthem, the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, lives a period of his life as a follower. However, Equality eventually, tries to distant himself from his society. He is shaped to be a follower, but eventually emerges in to an individual and a leader. On his journey, he discovers the past remains of his community. Ayn Rand uses Equality's discoveries of self to represent the importance of individuality in a functional society.
She searches for people that are like her to show her that she has a sense of normality. She feels as though she is alone in this transition in her life and does not know how to cope. She compares herself to a number of different artists that she, now, has a feeling of connection with. She names many successful artists that have all sorts of mental disorders and thought about how they may have become successful partly because of their disorder. This connection to the artists allows Forney to have a sense of not being alone in the world and that there is hope for her in this life.
The two texts emphasized in this essay include Elyn R. Saks’ The Center Cannot Hold : My Journey Through Madness and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces. “There were many days when I believed I was nothing more than the Lady of Charts - a crazy woman who’d faked her way into a teaching job and would soon be discovered for what she really was and put where she really belonged - in a mental hospital” (Saks 263). Saks entire life was a struggle because of the mental illness she had since a young age, schizophrenia. Most of her younger years were lived being misunderstood by her parents and peers alike. She turned to options like substance abuse and self harm to cope with her deteriorating situation in life. There came a point where she realized that she was better than her illness and was able to overcome it with the help and guidance of a few mentors. Now, Saks is a very successful assistant dean, as well as a professor of law, psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences at the University of Southern California Gould Law School. Saks also went on to receive the award for MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and write her book. Joseph Campbell was also very successful in the same way because he wrote a book that is very complex and still relevant in this day and age. Campbell made the mold and Saks’ life fits it
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a psychopathology that affects approximately 1% of the population. (1) Unlike unipolar disorder, also known as major affective disorder or depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by vacillating between periods of elation (either mania or hypomania) and depression. (1, 2) Bipolar disorder is also not an illness that remedies itself over time; people affected with manic depression are manic-depressives for their entire lives. (2, 3) For this reason, researchers have been struggling to, first, more quickly diagnose the onset of bipolar disorder in a patient and, second, to more effectively treat it. (4) As more and more studies have been performed on this disease, the peculiar occurrence between extreme creativity and manic depression have been uncovered, leaving scientists to deal with yet another puzzling aspect of the psychopathology. (5)
Innocence, happiness, success, and optimism, are all characteristics of human kind. A cure for cancer is superior to the elimination of physical abuse and suicidal death’s. A result to have all people treated equally appreciated and loved. Is it a possible gesture? It may not happen in our lifetime, but if powerful and caring individuals join forces, it is possible to draw conclusions. To live the dreams and allusions each identity performs and has a reality to people and society. Within the three novels, Ellen Foster, A Virtuous Woman, and A Cure for Dreams, all written by the author Kaye Gibbons, each character from different novels struggles to face reality and find the correct path that will lead them to the right direction in life. While coping with the endless pain, Ellen, Jack, and Betty have only hope to lead them into the direction they encounter to approach. A fate in their lives can change forever. In addition, keep their “depressing days” only a memory so that they will become successful. All characters are determined to overcome their obstacles and misery through hope, courage, and inspiration.
Aiming to gratify others has a tendency of making people act in ways other than their usual self. As one begins to act the way others want them to they begin to lose distinctiveness and individuality. For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange is about a specific set of women, who aim to please a certain man or different men. Each woman is hurt in some way by a man and as they progress throughout the series of “choreopoems”, they alter themselves in different ways to cause an effect upon the various men they associate themselves with. As the women describe their experiences, it is obvious that they make drastic changes in themselves. These women lose purpose and become confused, bitter, scared, and frustrated about their lives. Consequently, the ladies have negative outward reactions that are similar to each other, making the women easy to stereotype. The women in For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf have the opportunity to narrate their own stories; however, they choose to emphasize the influence of men in their lives, thus illustrating how susceptible they are to stereotyping and making them weakened as individuals.
Bipolar disorder involves going from a state of extreme happiness or concentration to a major depressive state and back to “normal.” Depending on the individual in question, the three states may come in various orders and lengths. For example, the upward swing or the elated feeling of bipolar disorder can last from a week to a few years. The same can be said about the major depressive part of bipolar disorder. The exact length of each state of mind varies amongst each individual. For those who have manic episodes, this can involve intense feelings of being on top of the world or they may indulge in spending recklessly with a lack of consideration of friends and family. Therefore, the bipolar person’s friends and family may feel the need to pay off his or her debts. Unlike manic episodes, people with hypomanic episodes experience extreme concentration and have personal insight. Hypomanic people have the capability to listen to their friends and family. For example, people in a hypomanic state may have the energy to write a book in a single night. Over the last five years, bipolar disorder has been on the rise in the media. More and more stories about bipolar are being published in the newspaper, films, television, and online videos, and passed on through word of mouth. More often than not, these stories involve people who are exhibiting bipolar traits. Although bipolar disorder does have some negative parts to it, the stories portrayed in the media often involved only the most severe bipolar cases. Therefore, messages in the media often involve myths. Certain sources do not involve myths but have the potential to cause misinformation. Media messages can become biased. There are many bipolar disorder myths that come from word of mou...
Marya is a successful author commonly noted for her publication of the popular book called Wasted recounting her venture through eating disorders. Soon after Wasted, she released her book Madness: A Bipolar Life which tells her life story from beginning to her current life. Marya was diagnosed with Ultra Rapid Cycle Bipolar disorder which is considered to be the most severe type of bipolar disorder (Hornbacher, 2008). Although this diagnosis happened later in her life and there were several years of distress and confusion leading up to and even after the diagnosis. Before anyone can fully understand Marya’s story and tribulations we first have to get a basic understanding of her Mental illness.
...essive was just someone who sat alone and talked to themselves in a psychiatric ward. Society categorizes this type of people as bipolar but no one truly understands the struggle they are going through until they are in their shoes. I would have never thought that finding help would be so difficult for a person. Like Diane in the story, I would have also thought the person was having a “phase” in their life. My family has no history of anyone having a mental illness. If this were to occur to any family member of mine “Manic Depression” would have been the last thing to cross their minds. My family would have ignored it and possibly even punished the person for their unexplainable behavior. Thanks to this book I have learned you can’t have your life for granted and that anyone, at any time in their life’s can become a victim to the mental illnesses in this world.
Crowe, M. (2011). Feeling out of control: A qualitative analysis of the impact of bipolar
...the reasons behind her commitment to McLean Hospital, and partial definitions of Borderline Personality Disorder (the diagnosis which Susanna was submitted to), it is unequivocal that social non-conformity is often confused with insanity. Ultimately, non-conformity can surface in many fashions. People who possess this trait can range from misfits, rebels, and troublemakers, to ones who simply perceive the world differently. These non-conformists can be disagreed with, glorified or vilified, but the only thing one cannot do is confine them indefinitely. Creativity which emanates from non-conformity transforms society. And while some may see these individuals as “the crazy ones”, they will always play a critical role in pushing the human race forward, one “crazy” idea at a time.
...e becomes a misanthrope who considers suicide and withdraws from the company of others. Through these fictional characters, the readers can understand the importance of choosing the healthy ways to cope with terrible events that happen in their lives instead of the dysfunctional ways that the characters chose.
The film, Of Two Minds, is based on real life accounts of individuals living with bipolar disorder. Before watching this film, I had an idea of what bipolar disorder is , but after viewing this film I was completely mistaken. Previously, I thought being bipolar was going from a “normal” mood to an angry or sad mood in a matter of seconds and could be simply fixed by taking medicine. But my previous thoughts were completely wrong and bipolar disorder is very serious and complicated. I didn’t know the severity of this disease and I think a lot of the general public is uneducated about bipolar disorder as well as mental illness. Terri Cheney describes having bipolar disorder as, “Take the best day you ever had and multiply it by a million, it 's like a flu but one hundred times worse. It 's having flu in your mind."