The film Girl, Interrupted explores the challenges faced by Susanna, a teenager dealing with her illness in the 1960s. After attempting suicide, she is admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she forms strong connections with fellow patients and navigates her distant relationship with her parents. In this environment, she encounters several troubled individuals: a roommate who lies compulsively, a sociopath, a girl obsessed with laxatives and chicken, and another girl with burn scars on her face. Eventually, Susanna learns that she has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD involves instability in mood, self-image, behavior, and interpersonal relationships (Seligman et al., 2001). People with BPD often experience dramatic mood swings ranging from depression and anxiety to anger that can last for different periods of time.
According to Seligman, Walker, and Rosenhan (2001, pg. 401), individuals with this disorder exhibit various behaviors including intense aggression, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, binge eating, reckless driving, and self-mutilation. They frequently engage in impulsive suicide attempts due to their unpredictable moods and struggle with unstable relationships. Feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and boredom are commonly experienced emotions that result in a fear of being alone because of the fear of abandonment. Childhood trauma such as divorce, neglect or abuse can contribute to this disorder. Paranoid thoughts and dissociative experiences may also be present as symptoms. To receive a diagnosis according to the DSM-IV criteria for this disorder, an individual must display at least five of these symptoms. This disorder affects more women than men and typically emerges during early adulthood (Seligman et al., 2001 pg. 401-402).
Psychologists often hesitate to diagnose borderline personality disorder (BPD) due to its symptom overlap with Axis I disorders. The diagnosis of BPD is subjective and encompasses a broad range of symptoms, requiring evidence of at least five according to the DSM-IV (Seligman, Walker, & Rosenhan, 2001, pg. 401-403).
Susanna’s mental illness not only affects her but also those around her. In the movie, she exhibits several symptoms. Initially, her interpersonal relationships are unstable and limited to a few men with whom she had previous affairs. Her parents prioritize her college plans over her aspirations as a writer and display emotional distance. Susanna’s father demonstrates control issues and inappropriate anger and aggression while her mother frequently experiences mood swings between happiness and tears. This unstable environment has a detrimental impact on Susanna’s well-being. Although it remains unclear, there is speculation that BPD may have a hereditary component influenced by Susanna’s parents.
Susanna’s unstable relationships persist when she befriends the girls at the hospital, particularly the sociopath Lisa. She oscillates between idealizing and devaluing her relationships with them. Susanna constantly flip-flops her feelings towards Lisa, initially thinking of her as the perfect friend but then switching back to despising her. This is evident when Lisa shares Susanna’s critical thoughts about the other girls from her diary, causing anger and betrayal among the group. Nonetheless, Susanna does genuinely like them and enjoys spending time with them, considering them her friends. One of her impulsive behaviors involves engaging in sexual activity, such as having had sex with her high school teacher. This act damages her family’s reputation and ruins her parents’ friendship with the teacher and his wife. During a fortunate moment at an ice cream shop with her friends, Susanna unexpectedly encounters the teacher’s wife and daughter. The wife directs harsh remarks towards her, but Lisa comes to her defense.
Susanna’s friendship with the teacher’s daughter is damaged, as well as her parents’ respect for her. Eventually, she engages in sexual activities with two individuals in a single day – one being her boyfriend who is being drafted to war, and the other being an orderly from the hospital. Her impulsive behavior affects them both negatively; her boyfriend is left confused and hurt because she rejects his suggestion of running away to Canada, while the orderly is transferred to the men’s ward to maintain distance from her.
Furthermore, Susanna demonstrates impulsivity through drinking alcohol to relieve headaches. Tragically, this impulse leads to physical harm. At the start of the film, she combines a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka under the pretense of having a headache, resulting in an emergency ambulance being called. Her family and psychiatrist perceive this incident as a suicidal attempt.
In addition, Susanna exhibits spontaneous actions such as refusing medication, escaping from the hospital, and stealing her medical records.
In addition to aiding Lisa in drugging a nurse and stealing a guitar from the art room to cheer up Polly, who has a disfigured face burn, Susanna’s imprudent actions are indicative of BPD. One such behavior involves self-mutilation, whereby she deliberately bangs her wrist to the point of bruising, convinced that there are no bones in it. Susanna encounters difficulty in expressing her true self and struggled to fit in during her high school years. She kisses Lisa as she is uncertain how she is supposed to feel about her. Susanna’s moods are often heavily influenced by extreme depression, such as when Lisa attempts escape or when she is transferred to another ward, resulting in her refusal to leave her bed. Her anger escalates rapidly, especially evident when she shouts at Valerie, the head nurse, who insists that she get out of bed. The excessive smoking portrayed in the movie signifies her anxieties. Furthermore, Susanna’s self-esteem remains low as she tends to belittle herself when attempting to assert herself.
Lisa and her escape the hospital and stay at a recently released girl’s house. Lisa’s constant psychologically bullying makes Daisy, the girl who is addicted to laxatives and chicken, to hang herself the next morning. Susanna wants to stop Lisa and to go upstairs to talk to Daisy, but she did not have the self-esteem to do it. Thus, she feels very guilty to witness her death and calls the ambulance. Lisa runs away while Susanna returns to the mental hospital. Susanna’s symptoms are accurate with the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) according to the DSM-IV. The movie depicts the mental illness accurately, but there are some inaccuracies. People with BPD often engage in self-mutilation. Suzanna purposely bruises her hands because she believes there are no bones in her hand. The sensation of her bones disappearing and reappearing may suggest a delusional disorder rather than BPD. Additionally, she struggles to remain in one place and feels a lack of control over time. She experiences flashbacks and dreams that blend with reality, making it difficult for her to differentiate between them. These factors indicate she may be delusional or potentially schizophrenic instead of having BPD.
The movie was enjoyable due to its dramatic nature, with Susanna (Winona Ryder) and Lisa (Angelina Jolie) being particularly remarkable characters. Despite having seen Angelina Jolie in other films, this was the first time witnessing her portrayal of a rebellious and dangerous girl like Lisa – an impressive display of her acting skills as she truly embodied Lisa’s passionate spirit. It is disheartening to witness how mental institutions treated their patients during the 1960s, trapping them in a bleak prison filled with echoes of screams and cries from individuals yearning for attention and love. Poor understanding of mental illnesses such as BPD at that time highlights the importance of gaining more knowledge on the subject. We now recognize that incarcerating people is not an ideal solution. Shockingly, it came to light that individuals with physical burns or disabilities were also placed in mental hospitals, isolating them from society due to their families’ shame.
Fortunately, there is now more information available to improve the treatment for individuals with mental illnesses. In my opinion, the most impactful moment occurs towards the end when Lisa confronts Susanna in an aggressive manner. While experiencing a nervous breakdown, she threatens self-harm using a hypodermic needle. Lisa raises her voice and questions, “You know, there are too many buttons in this world that simply beg to be pressed. It makes me wonder why no one ever presses mine? Why do I feel neglected? Why doesn’t anyone have the courage to delve deep and reveal the truth by telling me I am worthless or that my parents desire my demise?” Susanna responds loudly, stating, “Because you are already dead, Lisa!”
“No one cares if you die, Lisa, because you’re dead already. Your heart is cold. That’s why you keep coming back here. You’re not free. You need this place to feel alive. It’s pathetic.” Upon hearing this, Lisa ceases to harm herself and perhaps finds a glimmer of hope that her improvement relies on her own effort. This particular scene resonates powerfully. The conclusion is bittersweet as most of Susanna’s companions are discharged from the hospital during the 1970s, but there is limited knowledge regarding Lisa’s release status. Overall, I suggest this film to those seeking insight into a range of mental disorders, primarily BPD, as well as enthusiasts of poignant tear-jerkers that convey themes of hope and resilience.
