The Yellow Wallpaper Mental Health

Andrei Lankov once provided a comment for mental health, “To not have your suffering recognized is an almost unbearable form of violence.” For many years, doctors did not know what mental health was or how to treat it. Patients went through a variety of treatments, some even being torture. Electric shock and physical restraints were two of the inhuman treatments many poor individuals suffered through. Isolation from society by staying in the rural countryside was a common treatment option for the middle and upper classes (Holtzman). One woman highlighted her journey through mental health by writing the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The narrative, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, depicts a woman physically trapped in a house in the rural countryside. The story takes place in the nineteenth century when women were often possessed and controlled by men. By writing from the viewpoint of the female, Gilman managed to create a three-dimensional character who was more than a housekeeper. The story takes place inside the journal of a new mother who …show more content…
Mothers have stated that it is difficult to differentiate between “the normal emotional and psychological adjustment associated with parenthood and when they were ‘depressed’ (Bilszta J, et al.)”. The narrator, at the beginning, continually attempted to express her opinion that her behavior was rather unusual. With little support from her family and doctors, the worries of the narrator were quickly ignored. Many people, not just new parents, are unable to tell if what they are experiencing is typical or if there is a problem that needs to be addressed (Corrigan). There are many stereotypes surrounding mental illness and, if the person does believe he or she fits into the societal stereotype, then he or she might be blinded from seeing their