Shutter Island Mental Illness

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The film Shutter Island follows Edward “Teddy” Daniels as he enters a mental institution to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando. As the investigation goes on, Teddy starts to turn his focus to finding Andrew Laeddis, the man responsible for the death of his wife. The truth is revealed towards the end, when we learn that Andrew Laeddis is actually the protagonist and 67th patient at Shutter Island. “Teddy” was simply an identity created by Andrew as a “defense mechanism” to cope with reality. Andrew’s dissociative identity disorder stems from trauma experienced through WWII and the killing of his wife following her murder of their three children. Through scenes of Andrew’s delusions and hallucinations, we find the disruptions in …show more content…

Both movies depict a similar origin in which some source of trauma triggered the disorder; childhood neglect or disturbing event. Both diagnoses are justified because different personalities are displayed through one person. We see symptoms like flashbacks to past memories and dissociation, where the character fails to recall what happened in the fugue state. Specifically flashbacks to the murder of Andrew Laeddis’ wife in Shutter Island as well as to WWII; in Split, to Kevin’s childhood abuse. We are certain of this diagnosis because each identity in control of the body adopts their own unique voice and mannerisms. One could mistaken Andrew’s case as Schizophrenia, as he also has symptoms like hallucination, delusions, and paranoia, however the distinct changes in personality would diagnose him with DID. As the character’s therapist, we are also certain that the DID serves as a coping mechanism for the PTSD in the murder of his wife. Split definitely portrays an extreme exaggeration of the disorder, even fictitious because there has never been documented cases of 23 different personalities accompanied with superhuman abilities. Shutter Island also provides a false method for treatment, one that is highly fictional, no institution would set up a facade of such magnitude in order to experiment and treat a …show more content…

In a way, it puts viewers in the mind and perspective of Andrew, allowing for a storytelling that helps to raise positive awareness of the disorder. Shutter Island focuses on Andrew as a victim, whereas in Split, Kevin is the perpetrator behind offences like kidnapping and cannibalism. The movie ends on a hopeful note and calm tone, ultimately portraying content and acceptance to the disorder in a broader

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