Brief Synopsis of the Movie
Girl, Interrupted is based on an autobiographic book of the same name and tracks the life of a young girl named Susanna in a mental health facility. Feeling hopeless after an affair with her teacher, an eighteen-year-old protagonist has a period of heavy drinking and overdoses aspirin, resulting in involuntary hospitalization (Mangold, 1999). She meets peers with severe conditions, such as schizophrenia, PTSD, mythomania, and antisocial disorder. She assumes that she must be the only sane person in the ward before she learns about her BPD diagnosis.
Character Analysis: Comparing Symptoms with Psychological Disorder
Overall, the protagonist’s symptoms resemble those discussed in class, so the movie does an acceptable job depicting BPD. As the textbook suggests, BPD involves abnormal impulsivity, instability in feelings for others, mood swings, self-image irregularities, recklessness/self-destruction, and the fear of actual/imagined abandonment (Spielman et al., 2022). Paranoia, unjustified sadness, and anger are also typical in BPD (National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, 2023).
Accuracy of Symptom Depiction in the Movie
Similar to the signs above, Susanna features self-destructive tendencies, including physical dependencies and an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and has no clear ideas concerning her identity and aspirations in life, which reveals self-image issues (Mangold, 1999). Furthermore, during her hospital stay, she often appears depressed for no reason and reacts to peers’ non-aggressive requests with uncontrolled frustration despite being nice at times (Mangold, 1999). However, Susanna does not feature impulsive behaviors or actual mood swings that would incorporate transitions from euphoric to depressed states.
Comparison of Treatment Approaches: Movie vs. Classroom and Textbook Discussions
Treatments for BPD featured in the movie are partially similar to those addressed in class. The film is set in the late 1960s, and Susanna receives involuntary treatment due to her suicide attempt, which can still be seen in today’s facilities (Mangold, 1999; Spielman et al., 2022). Susanna attends group therapy and individual CBT sessions and takes Thorazine to suppress suicidal tendencies (Mangold, 1999). As per the course, antipsychotics are mentioned as an option to suppress schizophrenia and not BPD symptoms, whereas therapy is considered appropriate for BPD (Spielman et al., 2022). In general, the movie portrays psychological disorders as persistent deviations from normal functioning that require medical attention and pharmaceutical correction.
References
Little Einsteins. (2022). Little Einsteins. The legend of the golden pyramid. Dragon kite [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Mangold, J. (1999). Girl, interrupted [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder. (2023). Making the diagnosis. Web.
Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2022). Psychology 2e (2nd ed.). OpenStax.