Girl Interrupted By Kaysen: A Case Study

693 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Case study of a person with borderline personality disorder pdf

2014 Girl Interrupted by KAYSEN

Discuss the Kaysen's symptoms that indicated she needed help. Are these severe enough that she needed to be hospitalized? Medically, Susanna suffered borderline personality disorder. The chief symptoms of the disorder may include an unexplained fear of being abandoned, anguish, unnecessary panic, depersonalization and irritability etc. The condition is able to create serious flaws in the personality of the patient. These flaws may lead a patient to be unaware of her own present condition and it is very usual for such a person to undertake self-threatening acts like self-mutilation. It was due to these symptoms that she may have decided to commit suicide by taking hyper dose of sleeping pills. Even during her stay in the hospital, Susanna felt at one point of time that she may have “lost her bones’ (Kaysen, 1993). At this though, she became terribly uncontrollable and opened her skin by her own bites to verify her illusion. Even after this, she could not contain herself and insisted on checking her own X- Ray to see if she has really lost her bones. Apart from this, she found it
The condition needs immediate medication as well as social therapy to ensure that the subject can rediscover her personality and become comfortable with it. This is only possible in the environment of a hospital. In Susanna’s case, it took almost two years for her to be out of the condition. During this period counselling, medication as well as intent support from the hospital staff played a vital role in her recovery. At some instances, the author mentions that the emotional support from the doctors and inmates may have played the most significant role in her success. Had she stayed at her own, she might have never recovered from her condition (Kaysen,

Show More
Related

  • Kings Park State Hospital Summary

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the moment Lucy Winer was admitted to Kings Park on June 21, 1967, following several unsuccessful suicide attempts, she experienced firsthand the horrors of mental institutions during this time period in America. As Lucy stepped into Ward 210, the female violent ward of Building 21, she was forced to strip naked at the front desk, symbolizing how patient’s personhood status was stripped from them as soon as they arrived into these institutions. During her second day at Kings Park, Lucy started crying and another patient informed her not to cry because “they’ll hurt her”. This instance, paired with the complete lack of regulations, instilled a fear in Lucy that anyone at this institution could do anything to her without any punishment, which had haunted her throughout her entire stay at Kings Park. Dr. Jeanne Schultz was one of the first psychiatrists to examine Lucy and diagnosed her with chronic differentiated schizophrenia. In an interview with Dr. Schultz decades later, Lucy found out that many patients were

    Read More

  • Borderline Personality Disorder In The Movie Girl Interrupted

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    We know that she tried to kill herself by taking a bottle of aspirin with vodka even though she denies it so many times claiming that she took it because she had a severe headache, but everyone including Susanna knew it wasn’t true, she just didn’t want to admit it. The second unhealthy behavior was Susanna’s attempts to remain in meaningless relationships to avoid feeling abandoned. In the middle of the movie, she had a flashback of the affair she had with one of the teachers and with a guy that she met at a party after her high school graduation. In both cases, she was having meaningless sex and staying in the relationships so that she felt loved and wanted, and not rejected. The third unhealthy behavior was her mood swings. She experienced a shift in moods and felt like she had no sense of herself at all, she felt herself getting worse. Toward the end of the movie, Susanna was convinced she wasn’t going to get better and she even got defensive over what Dr. Wick (Vanessa Redgrave) and Nurse Valerie (Whoopi Goldberg) were telling her about her diagnosis. Luckily Nurse Valerie insist she is not crazy but

    Read More

  • Hmong Culture Essay

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are certain aspects that may have provided better treatment, but probably could not have prevented the tragedy. Clear communication and understanding for the culture were essential aspects that were lacking during her treatment. Additionally, the presence of a questionnaire like the one developed by Arthur Kleinman would have bridged the gap between the patient and the provider (Fadiman, 1997, p. 260).

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Susanna Kaysen's Hierarchy Of Needs

    2021 Words  | 5 Pages

    Susanna’s actions prove that she is continually working towards recovering. Jim Watson visits Susanna, asking her to run away with him, however, Susanna denies his proposal and stays at the institution: “For ten seconds I imagined this other life...the whole thing...was hazy. The vinyl chairs, the security screens, the buzzing of the nursing-station door: Those things were clear. ‘I’m here now, Jim,’ I said. ‘I think I’ve got to stay here’” (Kaysen 27). Susanna wants to stay at McLean until she is ready to leave; her choice supports what Buddha said, “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting” (Buddha). Susanna finds reassurance from McClean as she undergoes her journey. Susanna sees the young nurses at the ward who remind her of the life she could be living: “They shared apartments and had boyfriends and talked about clothes. We wanted to protect them so that they could go on living these lives. They were our proxies” (Kaysen 91). Susanna chooses to take these reminders as a positive motivating force along her journey. However, Susanna is also surrounded by patients who have different, more severe psychoses. These girls do not hinder Susanna’s progression, but instead emphasize her

    Read More

  • The Mad Among Us By Gerald Grob

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In other words, the patient was sick because of his or her time in the institution. I find this interesting because without a more human telling of the story by Grob, it is hard to gauge if the psychosis of patients deteriorated in general with the length of stay in the institution and if because of this, did that impact the policies or methods of practice? I believe it would be similar to what they are finding now with the orphans of Romania in the 1980’s who were raised in institutions with only basic and minimal human contact and now are mostly homeless and unable to function in society or inmates in prison who have spent years behind bars and then are let go into the general population. History has proven that people struggle with trying to acclimate back into the general population. As a result of this by the 1980’s one-third of the homeless population in the United States were said to be seriously mentally ill. (PBS, "Timeline: Treatments for Mental

    Read More

  • Diana Miller Borderline Personality Disorder

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Diana Miller, 25 was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder after being rushed to the hospital following another suicide attempt . Her symptoms and background are outlined in her vignette and will be examined in detail throughout the paper. The purpose of this essay will be to explore the possible additional diagnoses for Diana’s behaviour as well as look deeper into the feasible explanations of how and why her behaviour turned abnormal. Therefore through analyzing the diagnostic features, influence of culture, gender, and environment, in addition to outlining paradigm explanations and possible treatment methods, one can better understand Diana Miller’s diagnoses.

    Read More

  • Borderline Personality Disorder in Girl Interrupted

    608 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie, “Girl Interrupted,”is about a teenage girl named Susanna Kaysen who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. People with Borderline Personality Disorder “are often emotionally unstable, impulsive, unpredictable, irritable, and anxious. They also are prone to boredom. Their behavior is similar to that of individuals with schizotypal personality disorder but they are not as consistently withdrawn and bizarre” (Santrock, 2003). In “Girl Interrupted” Susanna Kaysen the main character, goes through many episodes that give a picture of the disorder she’s suffering from. The first such incident occurs when the psychiatrist is talks to Susanna about her failed suicide attempt. During the conversation, she is seen as confused and irritated by his presence. While the psychiatrist questions her, her mind seems to be somewhere else because she is having flash backs of her past, maybe a sign of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Susanna seems to be uncertain about things, she claims that she does not know what she feels. She was taken to the hospital after she tried to commit suicide, she took a bottle of aspirin. Her reason for taking the full bottle of aspirin was major headache, which was also alarming to the psychiatrist.

    Read More

  • Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy to Treat Somotoform Disorders

    2393 Words  | 5 Pages

    The nature of the disorder makes it difficult to treat, since patients are convinced that they suffer from a real and serious medical problem. Indeed, the mere su...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Girl Interrupted

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie “Girl, Interrupted” is about a young woman named Susanna who attempts suicide and consequently checks in to a mental hospital called Claymore. When she gets there she’s diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. There she meets many people but mainly focuses on Lisa, a proud sociopath, and Daisy, an implied incest victim who seems to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Susanna leaves Claymore with Lisa to go see Daisy and after Daisy’s suicide she returns to Claymore where she is later released.

    Read More

  • History of Schizophenia and its treatment

    1793 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ore work must be done in this area. More work on both the neurobiology of the disease and on the psycho emotional factors that are involved in being able to successfully cope with the condition.

    Read More

  • Mental Illnesses In Girl, Interrupted

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Girl, Interrupted (Mangold, 1999) is a movie which walks us through the conditions of various mental illnesses, their impacts on their victims and those around them, and effective treatment methods. The movie takes a more cognitive-behavioral perspective to explain various aspects and types of mental illnesses. Lisa Rowe is one of the characters in Girl, Interrupted, who is diagnosed with a particular type of mental condition. Lisa was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. According to DSM-IV, this condition is a pattern of the violation of the rights of other people and disregarding them. Individuals with this type of mental illness, otherwise known as sociopaths, do not conform to the social norms regarding practicing lawful behaviors (Derefinko & Widiger, 2016). They undertake activities which warrant their arrest, like harming other people or property.

    Read More

  • Psychological Analysis Of Girl Interrupted

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Varcarolis’s Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, “Borderline personality disorder is characterized by severe impairments in functioning. The Major feature of this disorder are patterns of marked instability in emotional control or regulation, impulsivity, identity or self-image distortions, unstable mood, and unstable interpersonal relationships.”(Halter, 2014). Susanna demonstrates many of these features. She has few friends, is easily angered, and demonstrates impulsive behavior and poor coping mechanisms. One main coping mechanism that is mentioned many times in the film is Susanna’s promiscuity. This is demonstrated by an affair with a married professor, a sexual encounter with her boyfriend on the unit while in the hospital, and the seduction of a male orderly on the milieu. Self-destructive behaviors are also very common in individuals with Borderline personality disorder. Susanna validates this trait by her lack of motivation, conversations about suicide, and her suicide

    Read More

  • Mental Illness

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...llo , 2007) Individual should learn for themselves what is working and not working for them. ( Marsico, 2009) The positive sides to their unusual experiences should be given attention and respect and not simply labelled as symptoms of an illness. People with these experiences should be empowered to make their journey through recovery and be allowed diversity of treatment that suits their different experiences. (Russello, 2007 )

    Read More

  • Black Swan

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nina has also blacked out on several occasions and shows signs of mutilation to her body without her knowledge: bruises, cuts, and scratches. According to her mother, Nina used to self-mutilate when she was a child, but it has recently started happening again. Nina sees images of herself, but a different and “evil” version of herself. This could be the awakening of an alter personality or sub-personality. Nina’s stress level with the new performance in her ballet comapny may have played a part in this change. Dissociative identity disorder is said...

    Read More

  • Norman Sartorius's Personal Essay: The Universal Understanding Of Health

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    Those who have experienced with cognitive health issues will be able to recognize how an able body with an irregular mindset can hold their lives back right under the surveillance of the people around them. Having been struggling with major depressive disorder for years, I am able to witness the changes that occur within my life and the effect of the absence of “equilibrium” (Sartorius. 662) that an individual needs in order to conciliate with oneself. Through the journey to recovery, I learn that in order to overcome the problem, one must first learn to acknowledge the issue, and explore the different actions that can be taken to treat it with. In the perspective of someone who is aiming to become a healthcare provider, it is a never ending cycle of learning how to better improve the ways to take care of each patient, and most oftenly, the patient’s emotion has great effects on how their diseases can be treated. It is beneficial to view “the disease with the person who has it” (Sartorius. 663) in order for doctors to progress through the treatment, as this method “improve the practice of medicine” and provides a more “realistic” and “humane” (Sartorius. 663) connection between the two parties. Ultimately, both the caregiver and the receiver gains experience from the improved

    Read More

More about Girl Interrupted By Kaysen: A Case Study

Open Document