Girl, Interrupted

After watching Girl, Interrupted, I didn't take the tunnels back to my room, I put on a Doris Day flick to lighten my mood and made sure I got an extra hug from my fiance when he came over... needless to say- the film made an impact. It provided insight to the process of entering a facility like Claymoore and raised questions about society's views on mental illness and its treatment. It also showed how someone feels while battling with a mental illness- as in Suzanna's case, borderline personality disorder. When introduced to Suzanna, it was obvious that she needed help since she had chased a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka and then denied she had attempted suicide. However, I don't think I would have had her institutionalized if she were going through the same struggle today, which brings up a broader question: if place matters, doesn't time matter too? I read an article from The Justice, the student newspaper from Brandeis University (apparently the only nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored college or university in the United States) which summarized a talk given by the real Suzanna Kaysen in February 2003. She had a number of interesting points like that she hated the film since it changed so much of the story to fit the medium and that she didn't feel "cured" of her disorder when she left McLean: "She acknowledged that despite being older and less wise, she was really no different than she had been when she spent a year of her life in McLean Hospital. She had just learned to live with herself." One of the most important points she brought up was that upon her release, she felt like she needed to hide her condition in fear of the stigma of having a mental illness. It happened to her in the 60s and it still happens today- and is an issue for a lot of people- like the Brandeis Organization for Mental Health Awareness (BOMHA) which hosted an awareness week and arranged for Kaysen to speak. It is a potential barrier for people who need to seek help- the author put it well when he/she posed the question: "How many people will avoid seeking necessary treatment out of fear of being labeled "mentally ill?" In our TMI, over-sharing society, it's hard to imagine what people still want to keep from others but it's understandable why people often cover up their mental illnesses and deny their problems to prevent getting labeled. In order for individuals to seek the help they need, I believe that we, as a society, need to get out of the 60's mentality and embrace those who are getting the treatment they need and not show prejudice against those coping with mental disorders.
Link to article: Susanna Kaysen, without interruptions