Girl InteruptedEssay Preview: Girl InteruptedReport this essayGirl, InterruptedGirl, Interrupted is an autobiographical book written by Susana Kaysen which was turned in to a movie. Susana Kaysen expressed promiscuous behavior earlier in her life and was sent to the Claymore Mental Hospital to be analyzed. Throughout her development at Claymore, Susana formed bonds with a group of girls she would have never met until she was sent to Claymore. Claymore Hospital allowed these girls to become so close, and without this experience Susana would not be the girl she has turned out to be. These girls had a special friendship that caused each and every one of them to pull together and make it through there time spent at Claymore. (Wikipedia 2)
In 2002, in addition to the book, Kaysen had been working with students at Claymore Psychiatric Research Institute (CPRI).
In 2006, Kaysen began to contact many female students, mostly in Massachusetts.
She began to study with a group of boys at the Claymore Mental Hospital.
After a few years, Kaysen began to research the treatment used by her patients and her first idea was to use this treatment on a large section of girls, possibly 12 to 14. Kaysen tried to provide female patients with additional help through a website she ran about a year or so ago. She tried to make this website as accessible as possible, by providing pictures of female patients being treated at the same hospital in a separate place. However, her site was at the very lowest echelons of what was available, and by using anonymous sources, her methods were very questionable.
Kaysen said that most girls in her group did not have the confidence or a sense of being loved by their mothers or their father, and she found it almost impossible to accept any of it as reality.
However, she has been a mentor and a member of a group of female doctors when they came to her to give encouragement for young patients who had some concerns. She was able to help others who had some issues in their lives before they are able to give that help. She has continued to make this site available and is willing to talk to women doctors who came to her to share their knowledge to make sure there is another way.
When I was offered a job at the Claymore Psychiatric Research Institute, I made an effort as a consultant with several female patients. To my shock, they refused to let me use their name and I spent about 4 hours trying to explain to them that I was not a psychiatrist and was simply being “professionally educated.” I told them that I was a nonphysician and that all I had done was talk about the experience, not do my homework. They said they could not accept this and instead of letting me work here for free they asked if anything was wrong. I tried to let them know that that was not the case. They were actually more skeptical about the treatment and said that the whole idea of this place was to give young people more comfort and control and that they deserved to be loved as much as they could by their parents. They said that if their parents would be able to treat them it was likely that they would be able to treat themselves through this in ways that they never had before. Of the 10 female patients Kaysen worked with at the clinic to date, only two were diagnosed with mental illness at the time. One of them spent the last 12 weeks in a hospital emergency room where he underwent treatment for schizophrenia and other mental illness.
In 2002, in addition to the book, Kaysen had been working with students at Claymore Psychiatric Research Institute (CPRI).
In 2006, Kaysen began to contact many female students, mostly in Massachusetts.
She began to study with a group of boys at the Claymore Mental Hospital.
After a few years, Kaysen began to research the treatment used by her patients and her first idea was to use this treatment on a large section of girls, possibly 12 to 14. Kaysen tried to provide female patients with additional help through a website she ran about a year or so ago. She tried to make this website as accessible as possible, by providing pictures of female patients being treated at the same hospital in a separate place. However, her site was at the very lowest echelons of what was available, and by using anonymous sources, her methods were very questionable.
Kaysen said that most girls in her group did not have the confidence or a sense of being loved by their mothers or their father, and she found it almost impossible to accept any of it as reality.
However, she has been a mentor and a member of a group of female doctors when they came to her to give encouragement for young patients who had some concerns. She was able to help others who had some issues in their lives before they are able to give that help. She has continued to make this site available and is willing to talk to women doctors who came to her to share their knowledge to make sure there is another way.
When I was offered a job at the Claymore Psychiatric Research Institute, I made an effort as a consultant with several female patients. To my shock, they refused to let me use their name and I spent about 4 hours trying to explain to them that I was not a psychiatrist and was simply being “professionally educated.” I told them that I was a nonphysician and that all I had done was talk about the experience, not do my homework. They said they could not accept this and instead of letting me work here for free they asked if anything was wrong. I tried to let them know that that was not the case. They were actually more skeptical about the treatment and said that the whole idea of this place was to give young people more comfort and control and that they deserved to be loved as much as they could by their parents. They said that if their parents would be able to treat them it was likely that they would be able to treat themselves through this in ways that they never had before. Of the 10 female patients Kaysen worked with at the clinic to date, only two were diagnosed with mental illness at the time. One of them spent the last 12 weeks in a hospital emergency room where he underwent treatment for schizophrenia and other mental illness.
Each girl at Claymore has their problems, and most of their problems are very different from the next patient. This makes the atmosphere of Claymore a very strange and unpredictable place. The nurses and doctors at Claymore are very nice and attentive of all the patients. One nurse in particular plays a major role in the movie, Val who becomes quite close with a few of the girls. She always makes sure the girls have what they need to make them feel more comfortable in the hospital.
The group of girls Susana becomes closest to consists of Lisa, “the rebellious one,” Daisy, “the daddys little girl,” and Torch “the follower”. Each girl contributes something special and unique to their friendships. While Lisa is always acting out, then running away and coming back she is still looked at as the “ring leader” of the group. All of the girls look up to Lisa; they ask her for guidance because she has attended Claymore the longest. Torch was admitted into Claymore because when she was eight years old she decided she wanted to catch herself on fire. She suffered major burns which caused her to be considered an outcast and she started to withdraw from society. While she attended Claymore she became a follower of all the girls, always following their examples, believing anything they had to say, doing anything the other girls asked her to do. Daisy is “daddys little girl”, always gets her way in every situation and if she doesnt she throws a fit. Daisy is in Claymore because of an eating disorder as well as obsessive compulsive behaviors. Her father makes sure that Daisy is treated “special”. She has her own room which none of the other girls have, and Daisy is brought chicken from home every week which the other girls are not allowed to have. With Daisys special treatment the other girls tend to look down on her and not like her as much. Susana is the newest addition to Claymore. Susana is given a room assignment and her roommate takes it upon herself to make sure Susana knows that the last girl in her room hung herself. Susana is freaked out to say in the least, and has a hard time trying to understand how these girls live in this horrible place. (Kaysen 15-40)
Each girl is assigned to a psychiatrist that will listen to their stories and problems; he also determines if the girl should be allowed to take any medications. After the doctor had his opportunities to sit down and talk with Susana, he came to the conclusion that she should be diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder is a disease that affects emotional instability of the patient and their self-image (BDP 1).
Susana was sent into Claymore Hospital because she has shown promiscuous relationships with her boyfriend, and has attempted suicide. She tried to take a whole bottle of aspirin and chased it with a bottle of vodka, when the psychiatrist asked why she tried to commit suicide she said “I didnt, I just had a really bad headache that is why I took the aspirin (Kaysen 17).”
Many close bonds are formed while attending the Claymore Mental Hospital. I think each girl having a different disease or problem brings them closer, they have something to talk about. The girls tell stories to each other about their past life, and why they were admitted to Claymore. One night the girls decide it would be a fun idea to sneak out after they are put to bed. They want to head down to the psychiatrists office and read the file he has kept on each and every girl at Claymore. This experience is when the girls form their closest bond with the others, they need to work together to sneak past all the nurses and down to the basement where his office is. When they arrive at the office Lisa opens the file cabinet and calls out each of the girls names, forcefully hands them their file and says “read it dammit then we will switch” (Faber). The girls sit there in silence for a bit, reading their file, realizing they all have an actual “problem or two”. Susana reads her file and immediately runs to the book case to read about her disease, Borderline Personality Disease. She tears through the pages of the doctors