Teenage Depression in Film Today: Examining Girl Interrupted and the Virgin Suicides - Research Paper Example

Teenage depression in film today: Examining Girl Interrupted and The Virgin Suicides Introduction Bad moods and irregular melancholy are not the only symptoms of teen depression. This problem is so extensive that it affects all aspects of the life of a teenager and has the potential of destroying their lives entirely by taking them on a path of drug abuse, self-loathing, violence and ultimately suicide (Wolff, 5). It is important, therefore, that signs of depression are taken seriously and help sought in time before these young ones go too deep into misery. Statistics reveal that around 5,400 teenagers in the United States attempt suicide daily from depression related cause (jasonfoundation.com). There are societal misconceptions about teen depression just as the world always fails to understand the teenagers themselves. With their wild lives, the society sometimes overlooks the pressure on these young ones as they seek to balance popularity among peers, school life and influence to grown into adults. It therefore, assumed that sporadic change of moods is a normal occurrence but depression is a much deeper problem that has the potential of shattering the whole essence of personality in a teenager leaving behind extreme despair and anger (Empfield, Maureen, and Nick Bakalar, 41). The films Girl Interrupted and The Virgin Suicides therefore help understand the problems of teen depression and the extent to which this has an effect on teenagers, their families and the society as a whole. This paper will look at teen depression from the lenses of these two films to paint a holistic picture of the problem and recommend some of the steps that can be taken to avert extreme consequences of depression among teens. In carrying out the analysis, symptoms as depicted in the films will be highlighted and ignorance of the problem among members of the adult population noted to help draw recommendation on signs that should ring a bell among adult members of the society and parents. Representation of teen depression in Girl Interrupted This 1999 film was made from Susanna Kaysen’s 1993 memoir Girl Interrupted and narrates the writer’s 18 month stay at a mental facility. It was directed by James Mangold with a cast that includes multiple academy award winners Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg and others. From the start of the film when Susanna Kaysen played by Winona Ryder checks herself into a hospital after an aspirin overdose but denies that suicide was not her objective, instead, she is “trying to make shit stop”, one of the opening signs of mental problems from a possible depression. From the beginning of the film, symptoms of teen depression emerge as she befriends other patients like Polly "Torch" Clark, Georgina Tuskin and Daisy Randone. She is particularly captivated by Lisa Rowe played by Angelina Jolie who is a certified sociopath and manipulator of those around him. Suicide from depression emerges for the first time in the film when Lisa comes back to find her best friend’s place taken up by Susanna and demands to know where she is only to be informed that she committed suicide. The two then forge a friendship and begin to be accomplices in causing trouble around the institution. When Susanna encourages Lisa to stop her medications and sneak to avoid therapy, then the ex magnitude of their mental challenges and rebellion are brought to light. Susanna’s boyfriend Tobias played by Jared Leto visits and the two make an attempt at having sex within the institution, an act that shows the troubled nature of the teens and lack of support frameworks from those around this depressed teen. At this point, it is expected that her boyfriend would offer support at helping her seek therapy but that does not seem to be case as their wild teenage lives lead them into sexual exploits. After overnight trouble from Polly and her subsequent solitary confinement, Susanna is called into the office of Dr. Sonia played by Vanessa Redgrave, a therapist who takes j\her in as her patient and diagnoses the teen with borderline personality disorder at which point her friend Lisa sinks deeper into depression as she is also taken for therapy never to return. These scenes showcase the teenagers slipping deeper into depression because of their rebellion and inability to fully accept therapy and medication. When Lisa and Susanna return from therapy late in the night and decide to break out of the facility, they land into the house of Daisy who had recently been released whom Lisa trouble by mocking for continuing to cut herself to the point that she hung herself but then Lisa does not seem disturbed by this incident. She even reaches to the Daisy’s pocket to take all the money while Susanna shows remorse and adopts the victim’s cat even going further to call for an ambulance to return to Claymoore hospital. This suicide seems to be a turning point for Susanna who from then on cooperates with her doctors and receives therapy spending her time in writing and painting. Lisa digs further and at the time of Susanna’s exit from the facility, her condition has gone so bad that she is trapped to a bed. From the scenes on this film, the two teenagers that were at one experiencing equal level of depression take separate path, one to self redemption while the other to deeper depression. The film shows no sign of family of friend’s support with the teenagers battling depression all alone. Representation of teen depression in The Virgin Suicides This 1999 drama was based a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides by a similar name. The film revolves around five sisters in a decent neighbourhood but with extremely controlling tendencies. The degree of control from these parents, Mr and Mrs Lisbon goes a notch higher when the youngest attempts suicide after which she is subjected to almost total seclusion further increasing her depression. Before the daughters’ mass suicide, the control nature of their parents is seen when the teenagers are denied any form of social life and subjected to a life where teenage spades like parties and relationships are strictly out of bounds. The frustration leads to secretive meetings between Lux, one of the daughters with one of the neighbourhood boys that end up in multiple sexual escapades. The frustrations lead Lux into smoking as they plan to run away with the neighbourhood boys in a wild and romantic escape only to be stopped by mass suicide of the other four sisters. The parents run away never to be back and the neighbourhood boys remain in shock of what actually went on at the Lisbons. Analysis of the Films The two films are both on teenage depression but from entirely different perspectives. Girl interrupted Shows troubled teenagers brought together by their desire to receive help from an institution while The Virgin Suicides depict a group of teenagers subjected to depression by their psychotic parents who apparently do not understand that supervised freedom for teenagers in parent of proper parenting skills. The second film has parents staring at signs of teenage depression that include; tetchiness, anger, frequent crying, withdrawal from friends and family and loss of interest in activities, without taking any corrective steps to help their children get better. When the throw a party and one of their daughters attempt suicide, no bell rings on the possibility of depression so that timely help in sought. In the end they lose their children to something that could have been avoided. The films properly represent the happenings in the world today when it comes to teenage depression. Girl Interrupted shows teenagers trying to better themselves through medical help yet drawn to suicide by their fellow patience and lack of support from family and related adults. They are therefore left to face the problem alone and end up losing their lives with Lisa sinking deeper into mental isolation. The success of Susanna as depicted in the film was from the rude awakening that followed the death of Daisy and got to re-think on the need to cooperate and get help from the doctors at Claymoore. Virgin suicides show how poor parenting skills and lack of understanding for teenagers has the ability to destroy families. The Lisbons seemed clueless on what confinement cause among their children who chose suicide in the end. Conclusion In helping teenagers through depression, parents need to begin by understanding so that they handle these difficult with knowledge that they are not acting so on purpose but are themselves suffering. Parents can then encourage their depressed teens to engage in some form of physical and social activities while staying involved in their treatment processes to track changes in their condition (Keena, 23). As a parent with a depressed teenager, learning more on depression will help in understanding the phases of their condition better so the appropriate support is provided. The tool to help teenagers out of depression and possible suicide is largely in the hands of parents and related adults who can chose to properly use their understanding to help these young ones get out of the situation much faster (Parker, Gordon, and Kerrie, 76). The two films are an eye opener into what goes on in the lives of depressed teens and have helped bring the subject of teenage depression to the limelight. Works Cited Empfield, Maureen, and Nick Bakalar. Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2013. http://jasonfoundation.com/prp/facts/youth-suicide-statistics/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159097/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/ Parker, Gordon, and Kerrie Eyers. Navigating Teenage Depression: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis, 2010. Internet resource. Wolff, Lisa. Teen Depression. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1999. Print. Keena, Kathleen. Adolescent Depression: Outside/in. New York: iUniverse, 2005. Print. Read More