Girl Interrupted, Written by Susan Kaysen - Book Report/Review Example

GIRL, INTERRUPTED, BY SUSAN KAYSEN PART I-- SUMMARY The novel under the “Girl Interrupted” is an autobiographical piece of literature by American authoress of contemporary times Susan Kaysen, where she narrates the tale of her personal experiences while spending nearly two years of her early youth as a patient of mental illness at a medical center for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The writer describes her past glimpses spent in a hospital in the form of non-sequel memories and expresses her thoughtfulness regarding her mental and emotional condition on the one hand and atmosphere of the hospital on the other. The novel consists of thirty-four sections in which Kaysen also describes the role, activities and behavior of her mates and companions at the hospital suffering from various mental disturbances under the same environment. Her simple and spontaneous diction emphasizes on the real feelings of the patients undergoing emotional turbulence and their reactions under mental stress and uneven as well as uncouth behavior they display during the course of their illness. Kaysen emphatically lays stress on the significance of mental health and the serious and grave consequences the mental retardation can bring in the everyday life of individuals. She does not look satisfied with the treatment methodology of the modern and renowned medical institutions and submits that though the therapeutic exercises support the patients in alleviating their pains, yet all such efforts do not help in eradicating the disease. On the other hand, according to her, the patients seem to be turning habitual to various medicines, pills and pharmaceutical tablets in order to seek cure and avoid illness and consequent fits out of the disease and mental disturbances. Kaysen also criticizes prompt diagnosis procedure, which pushes the ordinary and normal human towards an artificial world of patients and sick people. She also looks dissatisfied with the so-called “Etiology questionnaire” that quite inadequately tries to identify the nature of disease and illness. The writer also makes fun of the diagnosis system and compares it to the concept of occurrence of some supernatural elements in the mentally retarded person of primitive as well as medieval times. Kaysen conceived the idea of parallel world of mental illness in her memoir and states that this wonderful world has revealed new horizons of information before her, where she can understand and estimate the nature and causes of such diseases in a far better way than living in the world she has been spending her days as a healthy member of her society. Her recollection of past memories reflect how one single event can serve like a whim in the surface of still and silent sea making it full of activities and noise; as she first moved by the courageous suicidal attempts of her mate Polly suddenly provoked by looking into the severe outcomes and indelible imprints of such horrifying attempts. Kaysen highlights the passion of the impatient sick fellow-mates regarding seeking information of the outer world. They have glamorized the outer world in their mind and are always eager to have know-how of the panorama of the other world that is free, independent and full of gorge and colorful life. By this, she simply means to state that everyone wishes to break the shackles of confinement he has been bound with because of mental illness and disturbances. She has portrayed the character of Lisa who has made many attempts of elopement from the hospital and always declares the outer world as a dangerous one without the company of a caretaker; even then there is some charm and eloquence in running from the suppressed atmosphere of the hospital. By this, perhaps the writer means to state that no one can live happy in one and the same situation how much caring and secure it may be. Thus, both change and freedom always look attractive and healthy for both the normal and sick people alike. Moreover, Kaysen also throws light on the role of nurses and other staff members of the hospital on the one hand, and their responsibilities to keep the staff secure and satisfied on the other. PART II--AXIS I: PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS Since Kaysen’s memoir “Girl, Interrupted” is an autobiography, the writer Susan Kaysen is the central character in the whole story. She is undergoing a psychiatric disorder and has committed an unsuccessful suicidal attempt before being admitted to the hospital for the medical treatment. Medical dictionary defines psychiatric disorder the mental condition in which an individual’s normal cognitive, emotional and behavioral condition is disturbed and perturbed due to some emotional stress or dysfunction. Kaysen is diagnosed as suffering from borderline personality disorder, which is usually an outcome of chaotic relationships of the patient with the members of her family or peer group on the one hand, and emotional dysregulation on the other. One of the main causes behind emotional dysregulation includes child molestation or abuse and sexual, physical or mental harassment of an individual in his childhood. In the same way, the emotional dysregulation may take place if parents or attendants are unable to attend the child properly and neglect him in one way or the other which may develop feelings of loneliness and isolation in him leading towards his mental illness and emotional collapse. Since the American parents have been engaged in economic matters in the contemporary age of technological advancement, they are unable to manage proper time for the look after of their children. Absence of the parents severely tells upon the mind and nerves of the innocent children, and may drag them towards some alternative methods of seeking consolation and emotional encouragement during their leisure time. The main reason behind the growing high rate of sexual crimes against children in the modern American society is the negligence of parents from their obligations regarding child rearing. Children are not only involved in delinquencies of various kinds, but also commit suicidal attempt because of sheer feelings of isolation and solitude. The same is the case with the central figure of the story under study Girl, Interrupted, where Kaysen finds mental relief in regularly enjoying sexual activities with different people of the opposite gender without getting special notice of her sex partner even. Her parents’ reproach on the disclosure of the fact that she has been sleeping with the husband of her mother’s friend, Kaysen becomes disappointed and frustrated. In utter state of disgust, she takes an unsuccessful suicidal attempt, but is saved and is hospitalized subsequently. The doctor diagnosed her as a patient suffering from borderline personality disorder, a mental turmoil usually found in females due to some emotional breakdown in childhood. “According to DSM-IV-TR, personality disorders are enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal context.” (Kaysen, 1993:421) Since her mother’s attitude was harsh and painful, she could not endure it and tried to take her life with her own hands to get rid of her isolated and solitary life. Furthermore, she was not ready to comply with the instructions of others as she has grown eighteen that time. Subsequently, she consulted the doctor who diagnosed borderline personality disorder in which the individuals refuse to accept the prevailing norms, values and laws in their social set up. Hence, she was taken to the mental hospital for comprehensive psychiatric and mental collapse. This was not only the case with the central character Susan; rather, the other fellows including Lisa, Polly, Wade and others were also undergoing from one type of mental retardation or the other. Polly has been suffering from schizophrenia, and has set herself on fire out of sheer fits of her mental disorder, while Lisa is a sociopath and finds relief in escape and gatherings. AXIS II: PERSONALITY AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS Personality and development disorder refer to the mental and emotional deficiencies of an individual while facing some specific situation. Since the development process among individuals starts since childhood where a child begins learning from the environment by having interaction with other members of society, his mental capabilities also grow and concept of self appears in his mind. The memoir clearly shows how mental stress brings alterations in individuals’ personality. The effects of any mental stress are usually long lasting and mould the personality accordingly. The writer does not maintain any serious mental problem, yet she has to spend many months in the hospital, where Kaysen comes across many people among which condition of Polly and Lisa can be declared as the critical one. Georgina and Daisy also look disturbed souls who seek relief in different things. Daisy is especially crazy for eating chicken and calls it kitchen rather calling its accurate pronunciation, but the hospital administration has least care of that all. They rely on specific formulae for the cure of the patients, which is turning them permanent addicts of particular medicine. Georgina is also an important character of the recollections whose boyfriend is also living in the same hospital, and she gets relief in his imaginary as well as unrealistic stories. Janet is Polly’s roommate and has been diagnosed as anorexic by the doctors. Lisa can be stated as the second major character of the memoir after the writer herself, who has made many attempts of elopement from the hospital. Since she has been bound and encaged in the boundaries of the hospital, she seeks fascination outside the four walls of the medical center. The study of personality development is an exceedingly complex phenomenon. Several theories have been articulated on the question of how a personality passes through different phases of growth from childhood to adolescence, and what are the components, which determine transformations in a child from premature years to maturity. Also theorists analyze whether the deviant behavior in people is a learned one or man’s behaviors are due to uncontrollable genetic impulses. Also, variation in intensity of aggression and violence among people is due to difference in their hormones. “The only influence”, Cervone views, “which parents would have on their children’s personality is a biological one. They pass their genes on to their children. According to the trait theories, parents’ interpersonal interactions with their children would exert little effect on the child’s personality development.”(2001). AXIS III: MEDICAL CONDITIONS Medical illness and unfitness is the outcome of both internal and external factors. Internal factors include hereditary diseases and the mistakes made by the patient himself. On the other hand, external factors include the mental shocks, environmental causes, stress, load of work, obligations and assignments and role of family members, peer group, companions and other members of society. The writer is surprised to observe the very fact that many well-known personalities including writers, poets, artists and others have been admitted to the same hospital for the treatment of mental sickness. Since artists are the sensitive stratum of society, they can easily become prey to the mental stress and get hospitalized consequently. The writer seems disturbed by the interruption of the nurses and other medical staff and does not like the presence of nurses to share her private life. The same is the case with other patients who also revolt against the unwanted interference. Read More