“Girl, Interrupted” by Susanna Kaysen is a memoir, in which the author describes her experience as a patient in the psychiatric hospital. Susanna was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I chose this book because I come from a challenging upbringing and have often thought about writing my own memoir. Moreover, the book challenges the readers’ ideas and knowledge of mentally ill people. I think that such books are of great importance for society as they give us an excellent opportunity to become aware of what mental disorders may be, how people experience their disorders and what treatment measures may be applied.
We should not ignore the problems and needs of mentally ill people as they have sensitive nature and they can’t cope with outer world without special help. I have revealed a lot of new facts about people with mental disorders; I became aware of their world, what they experience and how they behave. Susanna Kaysen was admitted to McLeon Hospital after attempting a half hearted suicide. Susanna denied that it was a suicide attempt, but psychiatrist suggested that she took time to re-group in the hospital. According official reports, more than 70% of mentally ill people are not aware of their illness and they don’t think they have problems.
The Essay on Girl Interrupted World Susanna Disorder
It's 1967, and a compulsive writer 17 year old girl named Susanna Kays en (Winona Ryder) is like a lot of American teenagers of her age; confused, insecure, struggling to make sense of the rapidly changing world around her. But she had suicide intent, she mixed a bottle of aspirins with vodka, so pressed by her parents, she went to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist she meets with, however, gives to ...
The same situation I observed with Susanna as she suggested that sanity was a falsehood constructed to make healthy people feel normal. I have revealed new facts how doctors treat mentally ill people, how they treat the mind and brain. Susanna described her disorder as “a way station between neurosis and psychosis: a fractured but not disassembled psyche”. (p. 15) The subject of the book is intense, but author’s humour and sincerity softens tragic situation as mental disorder is not a comedy – it is hard and tragic reality.
But I think that such sincerity seems to amplify the heartbreaking situation of the girl’s interrupted girlhood. We see that Susanna’ reflections are deep intelligent and it doesn’t seem that the girl had problems with psyche. Therefore, I can say that the book challenges my views on people with mental illnesses. Moreover, Susanna Kaysen has changed my attitudes and outlooks. For example, I like the way the author highlights the themes of mental illness versus conformity. Susanna Kaysen says she was coping with difficult times in the hospital and she really doubts the validity of her diagnosis.
Susanna doesn’t view her behaviour as non-conformist. Susanna talks about mental conditions of other patients and fails to relate them to her own psychological disorder. One more moment to mention is that I changed my views on hospitalization as effective treatment method. Kaysen shares her thoughts with the readers how mental disorders are treated. I agree with Susanna that costs for hospitalization are very high, although hospitalization doesn’t prove to be the most effective way of treatment as other factors do matter: involvement of relatives, support of society, etc.
Unluckily, one of the reasons why the family decided to hospitalize a person with mental problem is that it will be easier for the rest to distance from the existing problem. I think that modern society isn’t ready to except people with mental problems and in many cases families rely on hospitals instead of put their own efforts on treatment. Many people tend to avoid and distance from the problem rather than to try to solve it. Susanna thinks that the whole family must be hospitalized because “an excuse not to look at one’s own problems which explains the willingness to pay the high financial costs of hospitalization”. (p46)
The Term Paper on Understand Mental Health problems
1.1 The main types of mental ill health according to the psychiatric (DSM/ICD) classification system are as follows; Adjustment Disorder- A significantly more difficult adjustment to a life situation than would normally be expected considering the circumstances. For example; Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety and Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct. Anxiety Disorder- ...
The next interesting moment is that Susanna discusses treatment of the brain and the mind. I see that Susanna distinguishes treatment of the brain and mind and she even opposes them. Mind reacts to one’s senses, whereas brain processes and evaluates the results of reaction. In Susanna’s view, mental illness is the failure of the mind to correctly dismiss interpretations of the brain. Psychiatric therapy aims at treating the mind, but mental illness should involve treatment the brain. I think such idea is innovative and lays the foundation for further research in the field. The issue of freedom is also addresses by Susanna.
Susanna is restricted by the set of the rules, but she is free from the expectations of her parents and society. Nevertheless, the hospital is described as a womb you can’t get of: “And the wall is made of light- that entirely credible yet unreal Vermeer light. Light like this does not exist, but we wish it did. We wish the sun could make us young and beautiful, we wish our clothes could glisten and ripple against our skins, most of all, we wish that everyone we knew could be brightened simply by our looking at them, as are the maid with the letter and the soldier with the hat”.
(p. 145) Actually, the memoir is truly a great writing, being spare, coherent and jagged. The positive moment of the boo is that Susanna is very insightful with her borderline disorder, she compensate lack of great craftsmanship with a daring approach to the memoir. Susanna recalls on her sexual precocity and argues how many partners it is allowed to have. Summing up, the book is exciting and informative depiction of what it means to be mentally ill person.
Susanna helps us to understand better the needs and desires of ill people; she stresses the importance of parent involvement and that medical treatment is not always the most effective way of treatment. “Girl, Interrupted” is a very good work and it is the example of what memoirs should strive to achieve. Susanna’s observations about hospitalization are deftly rendered and they are often darkly funny. The book challenges conventional thinking about what to consider normal and deviant.
The Essay on Book Banning 4
Tony Ballantyne once said, “The Unprepared will eventually be destroyed; ignorance is no hiding place. ” With this he meant that ignoring certain topics in life sets a person up for failure. This is exactly what is happening in public schools by banning books and limiting a child’s variety of reads. Banning books stunts the expansion of the creative and intellectual mind while withholding ...
References
Kaysen, Susanna. (1994).
Girl, Interrupted. USA: Vintage Books.
