Susanna Kasen Borderline Personality Disorder

The protagonist, Susanna Kaysen, is examined in multiple ways. In the movie, she is diagnosed as having Borderline Personality Disorder. Most people diagnosed with this disorder seem to been unstable in many aspects of life. Susanna comes from a white upper middle class family, where during the 1960’s many pressures were put onto Susanna, such as going to college, and acting in a certain ideal manner. The pressures untimely caused her to have serious self identity and esteem problems because she was unable to meet the goals set out for her. Therefore, with the lack of control she felt in her life, Susanna made suicide attempt that led her into signing herself into treatment at the McLean Hospital. There she learned how to deal with her borderline …show more content…
Since Susanna had nothing in her life in her own control she used the power of suicide to be able to express what she was feeling inside, as well as to show she has some type of power, which is to live or not. After her suicide attempt she went to go see her fathers friend who is a psychologist where she showed the behaviors of completely being out of touch that she tried to kill herself, and was completely suspicious of his allegations towards her. Thus, Susanna's unstable ice of herself is extremely unstable, she is unsure of what exactly she wants to do in her life other than write, and is constantly being precious and changing sex partners. Marshall stated that “Kaysen’s behavior is defined as promiscuous and serves as evidence that she has chosen the wrong route to safely navigate the dangerous passage from girlhood to adulthood” (Marshall 125) Susanna’s promiscuity is shown though feelings of emptiness as if she is trying to satisfy herself by filling a void, which she does by sex. This self destructive behavior is impulsive, such as how she was alone at the party and when a guy came onto her it leads to them doing sexual acts, the risky sexual relationship she had with the professor, and coming onto a hospital employee. By her acts she is making herself feel good for the moment, but clearly is showing signs of long term pain. These signs of the continuous unstable relationships she has had starting from her parents to friendships, romances are short and intense, and for at the moment make her feel whole(Smith, & Segal). Susanna shows that through her mental illness she is unable to create and differentiate healthy and unhealthy boundaries in her