An Exploration of Borderline Personality Disorder in “Girl, Interrupted”

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The movie Girl, Interrupted follows the story of fictional Suzanna Kaysen who voluntarily institutionalizes herself to a mental hospital whereby she is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The central focus of this paper will explore the realities and the stereotypes as presented in the movie regarding Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder manifestation includes irrational moods and behaviors (What is Borderline Personality, n.d.). Generally, people who exhibit this type of disorder also suffer from impulsive and reckless behavior, problems with regulating emotion and thought, and unstable relationships with other people (What is Boderline Personality, n.d.). Spontaneous dangerous behavior is also a symptom of the mental illness and is seemingly displayed when Suzanna escapes from the mental hospital, steals her medical records, refuses to take her prescribed medication, and engages in various potentially harmful sexual behaviors (Mangold, 1999). Suzanna questions whether she should be labeled “promiscuous” for having sex with less than five men and wonders aloud if she would still be labeled that if she were a man (Mangold, 1999). Aside from her sexual exploits, Suzanna’s other “spontaneous dangerous behavior” is inspired by another long- term hospital patient, Lisa. Lisa is a diagnosed sociopath and revels in the attention that her disregard for rules and authority figures brings her from the other patients (Mangold, 1999). Her personality can switch from being astonishingly kind to extremely cruel very quickly and without warning. As highlighted in the movie, Lisa shows Suzanna how to pretend to take her medication, Lisa leads the raid into the office to find the girls’ medic... ... middle of paper ... ... little to show the severe, debilitating heartache of living with this disorder. The movie was more about Suzanna’s emotional unraveling of self and finding herself and her ability to mainstream into society as a productive participant in the real world rather than her miraculous recovery from the darkness of mental illness. Works Cited Geller, J. L. (2013, April 2).Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from Psychiatry Online website: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.as px?articleID=84386 Mangold, J. (Director). (1999). Girl, Interrupted. On Girl, Interrupted [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/ What is Borderline Personality Disorder? [Fact sheet]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2013, from National Institute of Mental Health website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml

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