Essay on Personality Disorder

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Psychology

Document 1

The movie “Girl, Interrupted” is a real life story by Winona Ryder as Susanna Kaysen. It narrates to her experiences during her stay in McLean Mental Hospital in the late 1960’s after being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness which is characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, unstable moods and self-image which often interrupts work-life, family and individual sense of identity. Susanna is taken to a psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt and a mental exhaustion. She was 18 years old during her admission to McLean’s psychiatric Hospital. She says, “Sometimes, it’s hard to stay in one place. ” (Rainey, 2012). The statement shows that the intention of why she attempted suicide was due to the struggle she had in keeping her mind balanced.

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Readers are able to draw their own conclusion according to her detachment from the emotional scenes. She presents two conflicting accounts of the initial fateful sessions with her psychiatrist. These statements reveal her suicidal ideation. Her boyfriend pays a visit to her in the hospital and is frustrated. He finally accepts that she needed to be treated and comments on her self-centered way of identifying things. Susanna experiences self-conflict and identify herself as the most terrible person to later perceive as the Venerated Angel of Death. Susanna desperately scratches her hands with the aim of knowing if there is a bone still underneath her skin (Silver, 2014). Lisa is not in any hurry whatsoever to make new friends. At the end of the script, she disowns his husband and brings up her son alone.

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Lisa bullies a diagnosed sociopath, Lisa Cody and a speed up the latter’s self-indulgence. Lisa’s aggressiveness and frequent irritation, failure to follow the social norms, deception, lack of regret and irresponsibility made her to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. Susanna’s file describes her as “promiscuous” and “unable to make wise choices”. Patients such as Susanna who experienced life-threatening distress upon scratching her hand would be treated with Thorazine. The end result is that the agitation would cool down. Those who suffered from schizophrenia would be given antipsychotic drugs such as Mellaril and Stelazine (Kaysen, 1993). Evidence to this is seen in Polly. Benzodiazepine which includes Valium and Librium has an effect of influencing sleepiness incidents. Negative thoughts can be triggered by an impromptu change of plans.

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They tend to show other impulsive behaviors such as binge eating and can also participate in risky sex. Psychiatric problems often occur with BPD and include: substance abuse, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorders. Causes Borderline Disorder is thought to have been caused by genetic and environmental factors. It is more common to people whose close relatives are diagnosed with Borderline Disorder. Those who have thinking distortions are recommended to use antipsychotic medications. In conclusion, it is reasonable when we say that Susanna presented the characteristics of Borderline Personality disorder. The presented occurrences of personal conflicts self-harm and unstable emotions clearly that she was not healthy psychologically. The script gives us the nature of the psychiatric care as rushed and impersonal. Susanna received mockeries and it is clearly seen on the doctor who wrote, “She might sell self or get pregnant” (Rainey, 2012).

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