Girl Interrupted Essay

Girl Interrupted Essay
GIRL, INTERRUPTED by Susanna Kaysen (New York: Turtle Bay Books, 1993)
1. Author:
Susanna Kayson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1948 where she still lives.
She is the author of books which are in some parts related to her personal experiences.
She worked as a free–lance editor and proof reader until an introduction to an agent set her career in motion.
Her novels:
The novel that caught the agent's attention, Asa, As I Knew Him, was published in 1987 and people were very interested in it. Kaysen followed up
the success of her first book three years later with her second novel, Far Afield. Kaysen's third and as far as I know last book, Girl, Interrupted has been
hugely acclaimed in America and Britain.
2. Subject of the book:...show more content...
She was sent to McLean because of that where she was, as mentioned before, treated for depression and Borderline Personality. But apart from that, we
learn almost nothing about her family, friends, or her past. She mentions that one boy liked her so much that he remained in contact with her even
while she was in hospital; on one of her visits to him – she had to leave the hospital– he asked her to marry him and she accepted it. This comes as a
total surprise to the reader. She mentions that the marriage did not last, and that she has had a number of lovers. Susanna decided to have no children.
She wanted to be a writer, and she succeeded.
As it is an autobiography it is very hard to find some other important characters.
But there are the several doctors, nurses and other clients. There is Lisa Rowe who thinks she is hot shit, and if she could have any job in the
world,she would be a professional Cinderella. She is wildest and most hardened of the bunch. She always runs off. "SheВґd had beautiful nails, which
she worked on, polishing, shaping, buffing. They said her nails were sharps."
"She rarely ate and she never slept, so she was thin and yellow, the way people get when they donВґt eat, and she had huge bags under her eyes."
Georgina Tuskin, SusannaВґs roommate, who comes in swiftly and totally, during her junior year at Vassar. She was in the theatre when a wave of

blackness broke over
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Girl Interrupted
Ali Albishr
Paul Cady
Dec 15, 2014
How Public Resident Hospitals Are Different From Such Privately Hospitals?
The film "Girl, Interrupted", is about a girl who gets admitted to a mental asylum for a rare mental illness named, 'borderline personality disorder'. The
film is about how during her eighteen–month stay at the privately–run hospital, the protagonist befriends some of the girls suffering from other various
mental illnesses, and finally recovers from her illness. The film screens how the patients with a rich background are given treatment from the moment
they enter the asylum. I chose finding out the differences between the services offered by the two kinds of hospitals, the state–run mental asylum and
privately owned mental hospitals...show more content...
According to these sources as the public hospitals which have survived over the years have an advantage of widespread experience of maintaining
quality with given limited resources, funds and capital. It is these hospitals which have managed to survive in this competitive environment alongside
government regulations. Hence, the dynamics of their learning experience could be integrated with the extensive funds available to the private
hospitals to achieve a higher social health. Moreover, the public hospitals have an edge over private hospitals in communicating, coordinating and
taking care of patients at a community level. If the private and public hospitals join hands, both of them will enjoy the gains and benefits from each
other's comparative advantages. This will lead to the welfare of the society on the

Girl Interrupted Psychology
The last movie I watched was Girl, Interrupted. This movie is about a girl that takes a large quantity of Aspirin, but denies the desire to kill herself,
stating that she had a headache. She self–commits to a psychiatric facility. There, she discovers she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder,
as well as depression, and makes a friend with a girl that is diagnosed as a sociopath and rooms with a compulsive liar. She soon learns that these
people she first thought were weird could be great friends. She discovers one of those friends after she had committed suicide and faces the
consequence of what she not so long ago tried. She also learns that self–committing wasn't going to be a vacation and can't leave until she completes
treatment.

Movie Analysis: Girl Interrupted
Girl, Interrupted Reflection Questions Girl, Interrupted was a very intense, gripping example of the experiences of a patient in a mental institution in
1970's. Within the story of Susanna Kaysen, it was tragic to see the conditions that these people lived in. I can relate to their condition, having been
admitted into a mental ward myself twice. It made the experience of watching this film even more close to home for me, but it was one that was very
beneficial for me. Looking into Susanna Kaysen's story, there are many things I can learn about diagnosis and living conditions in mental wards from
this film. Susanna Kaysen was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which defined by Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Richard P. Halgin's
Abnormal Psychology as, "A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of poor...show more content...
This was exemplified by her meeting the psychologist before she was admitted into the hospital, she replied to the question of how she was feeling
by stating that, "I don't know what I am feeling" (1999). This seemed to be a consistent problem, displayed by her flat affect throughout portions of
the film. She denied that her suicide attempt was designed to kill herself, stating that she wanted to, "make the shit stop" (1999). This is known as a
parasuicide, and can be taken as one of two things, a call for attention from her love interest (whom rejected her suicidal discussions) at the time, or
as an attempt or "derive a feeling of reality from the physical pain the act causes" (Whitbourne, Halgin, 2014). Along with all of this, during her initial
intake meetings with the psychologists she had a tendency to view every relationship in her life in extremes, with a focus on the negative aspects of
all of them. Having met at least five criteria of this disorder, it seems logical to diagnose Susanna with Borderline Personality

The Portrayal of Mental Illness in "Girl, Interrupted"
The film "Girl, Interrupted" is a true story adapted from the original memoir by Susanna Kaysen. Set in the 1960s, it relates her experiences during her
stay in a mental institution after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder following a suicide attempt. Many films include characters with a
mental illness; the actors who play these characters have the immense challenge of staying true to the illness they portray. The main character in "Girl,
Interrupted," Susanna Kaysen, played by Winona Ryder, was diagnosed withborderline personality disorder. According to the DSM–IV–TR (2000)
borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability in relationships,...show more content...
Her parents became embarrassed by her condition and were anxious to know when she would be released from the hospital, most probably so they
would not have to explain to people where she was and what had happened to her. Lisa Rowe, played by Angelina Jolie, was diagnosed withantisocial
personality disorder which, according to the DSM–IV–TR (2000) is a pattern of disregard for and violation of rights of others. People with antisocial
personality disorder, or sociopaths, fail to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behavior, they perform actions that are grounds for arrest such
as destruction of property, harassing others, stealing and pursuing illegal occupations (DSM–IV–TR, 2000). They are deceitful, manipulative and
repeatedly lie and con others to gain personal profit or pleasure. They display impulsivity and fail to plan ahead; they make decisions without
consideration of consequences to self or others. Sociopaths are irritable and aggressive; they get into fights and assault others, for reasons other than
self defense. They are extremely irresponsible and engage in sexual behavior, substance abuse or other behavior that has high risk of harmful
consequences. They show little or no remorse

Susana Kaysen is a fictional character in the movie, Girl, Interrupted. She is an 18 year old young adult, who suffers from mental illness. Susana
had multiple behaviors that can be defined as abnormal. Susana's behaviors can be grouped into four categories. The first one is deviance, which
is defined by behaviors that differ from society's norms. Susana was known to be promiscuous and have multiple sexual relationships. One sexual
relationship she had was with an older man, and it happened to be a teacher. Another behavior that can be seen as deviance is her unwanted desire
to attend college. At her age and in the time of the movie, it was an expectation to attend college and receive a degree. However, Susana did not
want to attend a university. Another deviant behavior is Susana's substance abuse problem with alcohol, cigarettes, and pills. Susana also displayed
deviance by not following the rules in the ward. She would not take her medication and she would sneak out. At one point she even escaped for
several days. These deviant behaviors were Susana's ways of acting out. Susana's mental illness caused much distress in her life. At one point she had
an episode of being frantic and kept repeating that she had no bones in her hand. During this time, she was taken to the emergency room because of
her attempted suicide and the doctor noticed bruises on her wrist. In the ward, she completely went into a rage and was screaming at the nurse. These
episodes are very common for

Girl, Interrupted Essay
Girl, Interrupted Part I: Critical Analysis Author: Susanna Kaysen. Girl, Interrupted: New York Division of Random House. Inc 1993.
1.     What is the author's topic? The author's topic is about a teenager name Susanna Kaysen. At 18 she voluntarily
turned herself into McLean Hospital. 2.      Identify the author's main idea(s). In other words, what is the main point
the author is attempting to make about the book?      The author's has 2 main points; one point is about her two–year
stay McLean hospital. The second main point talks about how she handles and gets treated for being depressive and suicidal....show more content...
     There isn't really a tone in the book. The author writes as if she was more informational. I think the book is
actually a little bit suspenseful because when I read it I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Part II: Summary The book Girl,
Interrupted is about a teenage girl Susanna Kaysen. At the age of 18 she voluntarily sent herself to the McLean hospital. In the beginning of the book
the Susanna was talking to a psychiatrist she has been seeing for awhile, she has had a couple of suicide attempts so she started seeing that doctor. The
doctor had recommended Susanna to go to McLean to help her be anti–depressive and help cure her borderline personality. Susanna ended up being in
the hospital for 2 years. In the first year, Susanna meets all the girls in the ward and tries to get treated for her symptoms. There are a lot of girls
that Susanna mentions. The first girl she mentions about is Polly. Polly had sent herself on fire, and burned brutally. She has never once complained
in the hospital, but she always listened to the other patients. The next girl is Lisa she is a sociopath. Lisa is always trying to escape the hospital.
Daisy was a different girl; she had a thing for roasted chicken and laxatives. "Daisy was a seasonal even", she came in during thanksgiving and stayed
until Christmas, and also sometimes come on her birthday in May. On the other hand there was something peculiar about

Essay On Girl Interrupted
For this assignment, I chose the movie Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, and Whoppie Goldberg. It is set in the 1960's and is
about a young woman, Susanna Kaysen, who is diagnosis with borderline personality disorder. In the beginning the movie, she'd attempted suicide
using aspirin and vodka, though she insists she just had a headache for most of movie. She is persuaded to go to a nearby mental hospital, Claymore,
where she begins her stay and treatment. In the facility, she meets quite a few other young women with different issues as well. An anorexic, a
compulsive liar, a sociopath, and a disfigured woman with the mental age of a much younger child. While Susanna initially dismisses the diagnosis, she
does display...show more content...
Language is the process and ability of learning knew words and sounds via observation (a baby saying its first words) or actively learning new words
later on (like cognition or plethora). For children, it is more like pointing to a chair and saying 'chair'. They knew what the chair was before, they
just did not know the word and so they are able to connect this new information with the information they already had. Perception is gaining new
information around one and processing that into something useful to the mind. Hearing someone sing, seeing a dog, smelling something nice,
thinking something and forming it into words. People perceive things around them all the time, perceive their own posture, the attitude of others
around them, the rain falling from the sky. Cognition and the process of it can be changed through ones environmental and biological factors.
Things such as the type of schooling a child goes to or the level of education they reach can be environmental factors. Placement into special needs
classes if needed can slow down all the information being thrown at a child that just needs a little more time to adapt and listen to the information as
well as placement into higher education classes for those who are smarter can keep the pace going for those that can process things faster. These
examples can help shape the cognition process by trying to match what level the child might be at. How a child's home life is can help or hinder as
well. Do the parent's read

Girl Interrupted
Ali Cox
Psych 350
Steve Illardi
15 November 2012
Applied Paper For this applied paper I chose to read the novel Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. In her biography she writes about her time at
McLean Hospital, a residential psychiatric facility in Massachusetts. She tells about the experiences she had there, the people that she met, and most
importantly her diagnosis; Borderline Personality Disorder. Through reading her novel I was able to see what caused her diagnosis, the symptoms that
she portrayed, and the treatment she received to have the status of recovered.
Through out the novel, Susanna portrayed a number of abnormal behaviors that interfered with her ability to function. The first symptom, and probably
the most...show more content...
(4) impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self–damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). (5) recurrent
suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self–mutilating behavior. (6) affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic
dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days). (7) chronic feelings of emptiness. (8) inappropriate,
intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights). (9) transient, stress–related
paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms" (Disorders | BehaveNet). Susanna displayed the first symptom, "frantic efforts to avoid real or
imagined abandonment" through her fear and depression from her childhood. She felt that she could not make satisfactory decisions through out her
life because of the lack of communication with her parents and their lack of understanding. Some of her depressive behaviors come from that fact that
her parents sent her to the mental hospital without notice and did not say goodbye. She states that the reason she was in the hospital is because of her
family and that they are absent from her hospital life. She displays her fear of abandonment through the question she constantly poses; is she as absent
from their lives outside as

Girl Interrupted Case Study
Cecil Frederick
Psych 2515*51
Julia Besser
27 October 2015
Expression of a Psychological Disorder: "Girl Interrupted" Memoire
18 year old Caucasian woman by the name of Susanna Kaysen was voluntarily admitted to a Psychiatric Hospital after an overdose of aspirin and
alcohol. This young lady explained that she was not intentionally trying to harm herself, but was only trying to get rid of a headache. It was later found
out that Susana had frequent thoughts of death and suicide, and usually appeared introverted and disconnected from her surroundings. She often would
stare into space and lose sense of time. She seems detached from self. She also had a hard time explaining her suicidal attempt. Susanna felt as though
she had no control over

Movie Review : Girl Interrupted
Introduction–What is the disorder
The movie I have chosen to do my psychological film disorder assignment on is Girl Interrupted which is a psychological drama directed by James
Mangold. The movie takes place in a mental institution for troubled women. All of the characters in this movie suffer from one or more mental
illnesses such as depression, borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia. The movie gives us an inside look on how poorly these women are
being treated and how they are treated as if they are abnormal because they are in this institution. Similarly the women are faced with their own
personal and outer issues within the institution. The director gives us an inside look on how the patients are being treated poorly are...show more
content...
This person may also have a come and go attitude which is what we discussed in class as someone who is social and quickly becomes anti social
because they do not know what they truly want or they simply do not know how to interact with certain individuals or how to react in situations. Many
people who suffer from this disorder may have suicidal thoughts, bi–polar disorder and also depression .Upon her arrival at the institution she meets
some of the patients who she quickly starts to connect and develop a bond with especially with one of the patients named Lisa who is diagnosed
as a sociopath. Psychiatrists and psychologists states that a sociopath is someone with a personality disorder who "displays antisocial tendencies
that are ascribed to social or environmental factors." Other definitions include "A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of, the rights of
others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood." (Dr.Axe, 2017). With this being said anyone could suffer from a
personality disorder and majority of the time it goes unnoticed because we end up blaming other people for the way we feel or react to certain
situations. As the movie goes on we are introduced to another woman named Daisy she suffered from compulsive eating disorder, obsessive
compulsive disorder and also self harm.
Why are the patients diagnosed with these disorders?
Therefore the character I have

Social Norms In Girl Interrupted
The study of mental health has always been a challenging topic. As a society, we are quick to judge individuals who don't conform to social norms,
especially when there is not a distinct line between insane and indifferent. The movie, Girl, Interrupted examines the challenges of a young woman who
has been diagnosed as having a borderline personality disorder. The lead character, Susanna, has been faced with depression and attempts suicide upon
graduating high school. The suicide attempt proves to be unsuccessful and her family seeks out the help of a family psychiatrist to persuade Susanna in
seeking help at a mental health facility. At the beginning of the movie we see Suzanna reluctantly agree to self–admit herself to the facility, but protest
...show more content...
A constant underlying theme throughout the movie and something that is definitive in our own culture is the need to constrain individuals within
conventional social norms, while at the same time, not understanding the full risk of that action. Additionally, Susanna questions how her hospital stay
will impact and stigmatize her in society. We can assume that Susanna, despite her normal appearance, feels burdened by her disorder, which ultimately
leads to her exclusion. Moreover, she is another victim of how society's norms can hurt individuals. Girl, Interrupted doesn't spend too much time
highlighting the influence of the Vietnam War during the 1960's, but it's important to note that the war created a deep divide in American culture. The
Vietnam War was a huge turning point because it sparked outrage due to the battle footage that emerged from it. Furthermore, protests became
prominent and young people marched protesting the draft system. The protests enabled violent confrontations with police and in the midst of the
chaos, we witnessed the hippie movement, which celebrated a new movement in American culture. The hippie movement embraced many
nonconventional things, but it signified a huge turning point in society. During this same time frame, many witnessed the movement of elevating
women's equality. For the first time, social restrictions on women were shifting in US culture. This newfound awareness pathed the way for
recognizing other social injustices. We have witnessed many turning points in American culture, but change is a slow progression and the themes
presented in Girl, Interrupted are still relevant

Girl Interrupted Analysis Essay
Girl, Interrupted (1999) directed by James Mangold is largely based on a semi– autobiographical book by the same title. The movie chronicles eighteen
year old Susanna Kaysen's experiences surrounding her stay at a mental institution. It is 1967, a time of social change and unrest. Susanna makes a
half–heart attempt at suicide, ingesting a bottle of aspirin and chasing the pills with a bottle of vodka. She is taken to the emergency room, her stomach
is pumped and she survives. Afterwards she meets with a psychologist who explores her more recent feelings and experiences. The psychologist
concludes, with her parents assent, that she would benefit from a stay at Claymore, a private mental institution. The next year and nine months forever
At the end of the movie the two girls make peace and Susanna leaves wanting an eventual full recovery for Lisa. This serves as the best example of "a
pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation".(2) A subpart
of this particular criterion is "markedly and persistently unstable self–image or sense of self".(2) Susanna self image is not only unstable, but also
largely negative. She alternates from moments of self acceptance and goal orientation to times of a general depression and a pervading sense of
confusion. When asked by her high school guidance councilor what she wishes to do with her life, Susanna replies with a high degree of certainty
that she wishes to be a writer and not a housewife like her mother, yet at the same time she has no interest in college and has no actual plan for
achieving her goal.
Susanna can be seen, as was popular and socially acceptable at the time, smoking cigarettes throughout the entire movie. She can also be seen
experimenting with marijuana and drinking social. More significantly she can be seen engaging in casual sex with a number of different partners.
Susanna has relations with a professor who was also the father of one of her high school classmates. She can be seen having casual sex with a boy that
she meets and befriends at a party and then again when he comes to visit her at the institution. She develops

Analysis Of The Book ' Girl, Interrupted ' Essay
Suzanna Kaysen, the author of the memoir "Girl, interrupted" found herself questioning the notion of normalcy after being admitted to a psychiatric
ward due to a suicide attempt in 1967, Kaysen insists she was misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. After reading Kaysen's narrative, I
concluded that the diagnose was indeed inadequate, although Kaysen exhibited symptoms of mental illness, she wasn't suffering from borderline
personality disorder, as she there was a lack of evidence to support such claim. Kaysen was a "normal girl" who was temporality interrupted by her
mental illness.
Kaysen argues that one of the symptoms is "compulsive promiscuity" which is more commonly diagnosed in women" How many girls do you think a
seventeen–year–old boy would have to screw to earn the label "compulsively promiscuous"? Three? No, not enough. Six? Doubtful. Ten? That
sounds more likely" (158). Where is, the line drawn for women? The symptom "compulsively promiscuous" is vague at the least, and sexist at most,
which is the reason Kaysen brought young teenage men to the argument as an illustration of society's double standards. Uncertainty of life issues,
lovers, long term goals, and career choices is another symptom of the disorder which Kaysen refutes "I still have that uncertainty. Is this the type of
friend or lover I want to have? I ask myself every time I meet someone new. Charming but shallow; good hearted but a bit conventional" Kaysen goes
on further" I guess I've had

Girl, Interrupted (adapted from the original book Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen) takes place in the 60's. The main character, Susanna, is
eighteen years old at the start of the movie. The film gives viewers a deeper look into the day to day life of patients in a mental hospital. Susanna
which at the start seems to be somewhat relieved to be "taking a break" at Claymoore Hospital eventually realizes how horrible it is to be in there,
and decides to try to get better after an awful series of events. Susanna's parents send her to Claymoore because she allegedly attempted suicide by
swallowing a full bottle of aspiring and vodka, but she denies it, and argues that she was just trying to stop her "headache". At first glance Susanna
looks like...show more content...
She is rude to the other patients, but after getting to know her, she is nice to Susanna. Daisy seems really unstable because she is an incest victim,
agoraphobic and self–harmer. Daisy shows a lot of different symptoms and I believe she suffered from more than one mental illness. Daisy seems to
hate the other patients at Claymoore and she never allowed anyone inside her private room. She only lets Susanna in because she offers her
laxatives, which Daisy seems to be addicted to. Daisy suffers from sexual abuse from her father, and this leaves her extremely scarred. She states
that there is nothing else she can eat beside the chicken from her father's rotisserie because anything else makes her vomit. Agoraphobia is a type of
anxiety disorder in which you avoid situations that make you feel embarrassed, scared or helpless (M.H). In the movie Daisy is always in her room,
and does not come out unless she wants laxatives. She also cuts herself. The self–harm could be a result of the sexual abuse she suffers, since a lot of
times people that have gone through traumatic events use self–harm as an escape (R.O). Daisy is eventually released from Claymoore because she
supposedly got better, but when Susanna and Lisa visit her, they find deep cuts in her

Reflection Paper: Girl, Interrupted
Reflection Paper: "Girl, Interrupted" 1.Based on the movie and real life, do you think we need other people to help us understand and solve our
problems? Why or why not? Absolutely. Without the presence of other people, there would be no social point of reference as to what would be
considered "normal". In order for an abnormality to exist, be it physical or psychological, there must be a widely accepted concept of "normalcy". If
a certain individual is said to be suffering a problem (in this case, mental or social), it implies that there is some sort of deviation or inhibition of a
societal "correctness". The only way to determine this correctness is by comparing the so–called problem with social norms, defined by the majority of
If your idea of death was peaceful and peace brings you comfort, doesn't it make sense that you would want it near? "When you don't want to feel...
death can seem like a dream"– Susanna It was symbolically appropriate that Susanna was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition
to defining her clinical symptoms, it also concisely describes her location in the spectrum of "sanity"–teetering between "playing by the rules" of
society (sanity) and the complete disregard of it (insanity), knowing that it is based only on social constructs. I struggle with this often. I constantly
find myself furious at how society has installed institutions, belief systems, and "truths" that I am to abide by in order to subsist in this world. For
example: School. Somehow, the entire world has gotten it into their mind that formalized education defines the worth of a man. Being thus, I am
now forced to attend a school with useless, specific steps to graduate with a diploma. And for some reason, the world will now accept that I am more
valuable than another man without this piece of paper. More often than not, the job that I will achieve through this degree will not use ANY of the
information I learned during school. It makes no sense, yet a "sane" person would go through this institution in order to be perceived as "successful". It
would abnormal or "insane", however, to go against this social understanding and say that college isn't important. I feel this is where

Girl Interrupted is about a young woman who has no idea what is going on in her head. Susanna is rushed to the hospital at the beginning of the
movie. After talking with the psychiatrist and discussing with the doctor it is determined that Susanna attempted suicide. She has delusions, and is
having an affair with the husband of her parent's friend. She denies everything and it is suggested that she spend some time at Claymoore, a private
mental hospital full of noisy crazy people. Georgina is a pathological liar, Polly was scared in a fire, Daisy won't eat in front of people, and Lisa is a
sociopath, and the biggest problem for the staff. Susanna winds up caught in Lisa's trap, running away and causing trouble. She however does find
The two that stuck out the most were Lisa, the sociopath, and Susanna with borderline personality. Both of these disorders were portrayed very well.
Susanna I think however was the best. She was a good portrayal of borderline personality. One of the symptoms of this is identity disturbance "such as
a significant and persistent unstable self–image or sense of self" (Gorhol, 2014). Susanna shows this throughout the movie. One of the big symptoms of
this disorder that you see right away is recurrent suicidal behavior, "gestures, or threats, or self–mutilating behavior" (Gorhol, 2014). This you seen in
one of the first scenes and you see her feeling and thoughts throughout the movie. His emotions are toyed with up and down by Lisa and some of the
other girls. This allowed us to see several of the other symptoms of this disorder like inappropriate, intense anger,and emotional instability. One of the
other big symptoms we see is Impulsivity which we see as Susanna gets herself into trouble throughout the movie. She follow Lisa into many situations
not thinking it though and even when she does think about it later acts out. According to the national institute of mental Health, "According to data
from a subsample of participants in a national survey on mental disorders, about 1.6 percent of adults in the United States have BPD in a given
year."(NIMH, 2015). This seemed like a lot to

Psychological Analysis: Girl Interrupted
Mohammad Shuker
Dr. Pull Cady
3061–English Composition
April 22, 2015
Psychological analysis of the character Suzanna and her depiction of feminity as well as identity Girl Interrupted is a passionate movie that captures the
lives of a number of women in a mental institution. When watching this movie when watching the movie at first, one gets a feeling that the particular
mental institution considered mental patients as incurable beings as evident from their experimental approach where there was overmedication of the
patients with anti–psychotic prescriptions. The main character of the film that is also the narrator of the film is Susanna Kaysen. This paper looks at
the psychological analysis of this character as well as the manner in which...show more content...
The scenes that the character depicts are complicated, and they do not offer any easy lessons. During her stay in McLean, Susanna learns about the
nature of mental illness, compassion as well as the cruelty of other people. She also learns about the barriers that most women face in the society and
through this, she is able to draw connections with the various stigmas that she faced and still faces as a young woman (Girl Interrupted 56) . As an
adolescent, she alarms her parents with her petty rebellions as well as refusal to follow rules. One she becomes a patient at McLean; Susanna feels the
discomfort with which other patients and outsiders great her, an experience that is repeated when she tries to look for employment outside the
institution. The Adult Susanna admits to fighting a mild repulsion towards the mentally challenged individuals, born of the fear that she might
eventually revert into that 'parallel universe.' Susann holes that she will never return to that sad place again where mentally unsteadiness collides with a
society that is ready to isolate

Essay On Girl Interrupted
Memoir is a style of life writing with a variety of subgenres intended to impact the world and spread awareness on multiple issues. In "Memoir" by
G. Thomas Couser, an autopathography is defined as a subgenre "...centered on medical conditions and impairments once considered stigmatic"
(Couser 43). Essentially, an autopathography tells a story of a life concerning a medical condition and seeks to spread awareness on said condition.
"Girl, Interrupted" by Susanna Kaysen is a memoir telling the story of a young girl taken to a psychiatric hospital in the late 60s. The memoir was
published in 1993 and continues to have an impact due to its descriptions of mental illness. By analyzing the memoirist's descriptions of her time spent
hospitalized...show more content...
Kaysen writes: "The world didn't stop because we weren't in it anymore, far from it." (92). The year is 1968 and the world was experiencing anti–war
struggles and the civil rights movement. Meanwhile, the patients in Mclean would cheer on the protesters as they were "safe in our expensive,
well–appointed hospital, locked up with our rages and rebellions" (93–93). Throughout the protests, the patients relate to the protesters' actions because
they see their anger reflected in them. Kaysen references social struggles at this time to show that there was chaos outside the institution as well.
Kaysen's depictions of the individuals in the hospital and the events happening at the time give believability to the story, showing readers the
encounters she had in Mclean.
Further, by vividly describing incidents she experiences during her stay in Mclean, Kaysen shows readers the harsh struggles of being diagnosed
with a mental illness. In Mclean, the memoirist is a compliant patient who has only a few incidents. First, she goes through a breakdown in which
she attempts to tear through her skin to confirm that she has bones. Kaysen writes that she planned to get a look at her hand by getting a "hold of a
flap of skin and peel it away" because she wanted to see that her hand was "a normal human hand, with bones" (102). When Georgina sees her
roommate trying to tear at her bloody hand she runs out to seek assistance and Susanna has to be medicated. After she is

Girl Interrupted Essay

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