Borderline Personality Disorders In The Film Girl Interrupted

The film “Girl, Interrupted” tells the true story of a young girl named Susanna Kayson and her experiences with mental illness. Following a suicide attempt, an interview with her doctor determined that she had borderline personality disorder and that she must be placed in a mental institution as a result. In this movie, we follow her experiences in the institution and view the filmmaker’s portrayal of the condition and the treatment she received.
Susanna’s diagnosis of borderline personality disorder entails severe impairments in functioning. The most common characteristics of this disorder include unstable emotional control or regulation, impulsiveness, unstable mood, unstable relationships, and self-destructive behaviors (Cihlar, 2014). Susanna herself displayed several of these characteristics, accurately portraying the condition. For example, she engages in impulsive behaviors including promiscuous sex, relations with a married man, and hastily running away with a woman named Lisa (Mangold, 1999). She also experiences unstable relationships with her friends and significant others. Lastly, and of great importance, Susanna’s destructive behaviors almost lead to her demise when she ingested a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of vodka.

As for therapeutic communication techniques used in this film, one could note that the techniques were rather lacking therapeutically.

Evident nontherapeutic communication techniques in this film included excessive questioning, giving disapproval, and giving advice. In one of the first scenes, her therapist asks questions in a rapid manner and does not give Susanna the opportunity to think or answer the questions. He then states that she is hurting everyone around her with her actions and that she best belongs in the mental institution (Mangold, 1999). This entire interaction was rather disempowering by not allowing her to make her own decisions and tricking her into going to a mental

institution.
This film presented some legal/ethical issues that should be addressed. Several rights of a hospitalized patient were ignored in this film. Of great importance, her physician convinced her to sign paperwork that signed herself over to the mental institution. She was not of sound mind at the time, and did not recall signing the paperwork later on. This violates her right to informed consent. Susanna was told to take medications but were not told what they were. Her nurse told her it was simply to help her sleep. This violates the rights to be involved with treatment planning and decisions. And in attempting to decline these medications, the nurse made her do so anyways. This violated her right to refuse medications.
In nursing, it is important for nurses to have a general understanding and awareness of how this disorder presents itself. Borderline personality disorder is one of the most common personality disorders, and a general understanding of the condition is beneficial (NIMH, 2016), Because of how significant the self-destructive behaviors are in these patients, there is a relatively high suicide mortality rate. A diagnosis of this condition can decrease the likelihood of suicide. Although diagnosis is somewhat harder to determine, knowledge of this disorder may increase the likelihood of successful diagnosis and treatment. It is important to mention that how people with mental conditions were treated at this time was not beneficial in any way. Nurses must advocate for their patients and prevent this improper treatment from happening (Donald, et. al 2017).
In conclusion, this film displayed borderline personality disorder in a relatively accurate light. Common characteristics of this disorder were easily distinguishable in the film. Because this film is based on a true story, how Susanna was treated at this time is rather unfortunate. Nurses in today’s world need to have an understanding of the illness and the rights of the patient in order to advocate for what is best for their patients.