Interrupted

The Sixties Borderline Personality Disorder “Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60s. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted” (Girl et al., 2016). Girl Interrupted a movie produced by James Mangold from 1999 based on the book written by Susanna Kaysen. Kaysen wrote a book about her own 18 month stay in a mental hospital during the 60’s. The movie stars Winona Ryder, Whoppi Goldburg and Angelina Jolie. Winona Ryder plays the role of Suzanna Kaysen; in the movie the actress Winona Ryder portrays Kaysen during the time she attempted suicide while also having an inability to “control time” as she describes the inability to track time which she claims is most the reason she wanted “to make it stop” (Girl et al., 2016). How the movie Girl…

Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 film starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie about a women’s 18-month stay in a mental institution. The film takes place in the late 1960’s and focuses around a main character by the name of Susanna Kaysen. The following summary was written with help from the American Mental Health Foundation website and Wikipedia. In the beginning of the film we learn that Susanna Kaysen had overdosed by taking an entire bottle of aspirin followed by a bottle of vodka. Despite many…

Verissa Childers Term 4 VN 159 Girl, Interrupted Assignment Girl, Interrupted, was filmed in 1999. The movie is set in the late 1960s about a character named Susanna Kaysen and her stay at Claymore Psychiatric Hospital. She attempted suicide by consuming a whole bottle of Aspirin and vodka. A few day later she discusses the incident with her first Psychiatrist. He suggested that Claymore was a good place for her to recover. She agrees but finds herself questioning her diagnosis and the…

Girl interrupted is a movie that takes place in the late 1960’s about a young girl named Susanna that feels depressed and directionless after ending her high school career. She enters herself into a residential psychiatric facility after attempting to commit suicide. She almost cut her life short by ingesting a bottle of Advil and chasing it down with alcohol. The incident and a short meeting with a close family friend leads to the strong suggestion that Susanna should admit herself into…

Susanna Kaysen wrote the book “Girl, Interrupted” as an autobiography describing her time spent in a mental hospital. The book gives great insight into those suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as some of the other patients residing at McLean psychiatric hospital. The hospital was notorious for it’s somewhat famous visitors the list including but not limited to: Sylvia Plath, John Forbes Nash, Robert Lowell, and singer James Taylor. Susanna spent her time at Mclean beginning…

Joanne Greenberg in her 1964 semi-autobiographical novel I Never Promise You a Rose Garden and James Mangold in his 1999 film adaption of Girl, Interrupted, establish how much of a great importance a person’s identity is and the struggle and pain a mental health has on one’s mind and that it should never be bushed off as it leads to emotional and mental instability. One’s identity is what defines who and what a person is along with their purpose for existence. When lost, this can lead to…

Imagine living in a society where women are treated unequally and had a label because of their gender. According to Tavaana.org, women were legally subject to their husbands via “head and master laws,” and they had no legal right to any of their husband’s earnings or property. Women were also limited to jobs as a teacher, nurse, or secretary while other professional jobs were reserved for men. Even if women had jobs, they were often paid lower than men. If a woman were to express her thoughts,…

Life Interrupted is an important book. Trafficking victims are often categorized as a monolithic group even though they have quite different experiences depending on their country of origin, the way in which they were recruited into trafficking, and the type of work they perform. Intensely researched and accessibly written, this ethnographically rich work is recommended for anyone concerned about human trafficking. The author connects the plight of victims of forced labor to larger questions…

In literature and film, the taboo topic of mental illness is often utilised as a mechanism to either initiate the plot or convey certain themes within the piece. In Paul Coehlo's 1998 novel, "Veronika Decides to Die", the seemingly successful protagonist, Veronika, chooses to commit suicide as she believes that life is meaningless and empty. On the other hand, "Girl, Interrupted" is a film directed by James Mangold and is based on the memoir written by Susanna Kaysen's, depicting her time in a…

When I was fourteen years old, freshly diagnosed with depression, and trying to navigate some “new” life I found myself with a film copy of Girl, Interrupted. By the end of the movie, I realized that I had never felt so connected to something in my life. Little did I know, no matter the ending, happy or sad, the lives of main characters Lisa and Susanna weren't ideal in the slightest. In fact, more than anything, they were terrifying and beautiful all at the same time aka what I thought was…