Psychology

The book Girl, Interrupted recounts the experiences of the author, Susanna Kaysen, as an 18-year old girl who was admitted to a psychiatric ward for almost two years after having been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She had been admitted following a suicide attempt and after a short consultation with a psychiatrist. She was told that she has to stay in that psychiatric ward for only a few weeks but she ended up staying there for almost two years. The story is filled with flashbacks and forwards as Kaysen narrates stories and memoirs of her stay at McLean Hospital and the acquaintances she made while she was there which included the sociopath Lisa who constantly escapes from the hospital but was always being found and re-admitted, the disfigured schizophrenic and depressed Polly who had a history of setting herself on fire, Georgina who happened to be Susannas roommate, the ex-drug addict Torrey and several other patients suffering from almost similar psychiatric disorders as the ones mentioned however at a different level or extent. Other characters include the nurses the consultant psychiatrist and Kaysens therapistanalyst. These people had all made worthy contributions in Kaysens attempt to share how her life had been like as a psychiatric patient  how their interaction with each other had been as patients, how they had affected each others lives, the dilemmas they faced and their personal dealings with each other amidst their mental state. For anyone who is studying psychological disorders, this book can be helpful because it describes the actual behaviour of patients who are suffering from such conditions. Factual bases that relate to certain psychiatric conditions had been defined by Kaysen and had incorporated them in her personal experiences with the patients.

However, it lacked significant substance in terms of the management for psychiatric disorders. Still, her personal dealings while admitted at the psychiatric ward clearly represent how it is like to spend every single day with different patients suffering from mental instability. Kaysen revealed to the world, through this book, a part of her life that other people would not dare to speak of. She allows readers to know exactly her thoughts as a psychiatric patient, how she perceives certain things and how she demonstrated extreme mental instability when she bit open the flesh of her hand and the terror she felt following that event. Kaysen had been courageous in her narrative and had expressed her memoirs in a manner that people will gain better understanding of what it is like to suffer from a psychiatric disorder. Her book is an eye-opener to those who think of psychiatric disorders as merely a state of craziness or insanity. The conditions shown and described in this narrative do not only educate the readers but also enlightens them about the helplessness of those who are suffering from psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression and sociopath. There are some moments of confusion in reading this book especially when Kaysen speaks about her personal insights and whenever flashbacks are made in her narrative.

The information presented in the book is relevant in the study of psychology. It states actual examples and real behaviours based from the experiences of the author as a psychiatric patient herself. The theoretical aspects in studying psychology are applied in this book wherein the mental illnesses being discussed are represented by the patients and the associated signs and symptoms are manifested in their behaviour as narrated by Kaysen. The managements and treatments are given very little attention though. However, the interaction between the psychiatric staff and the patients is emphasized at a broader extent. This aspect of the book allows psychology students to have more than just a glimpse of the situation in the psychiatric ward  how the professionals interact with the patients and how they deal with each others concerns. In addition to that, the book will also allow students to discover what runs through a psychiatric patients mind. Since the author had an actual experience as a patient in a psychiatric ward, her narrative can be described as more sensitive and somewhat self-oriented and goes far beyond what students can learn from psychology books that tend to focus more on the theoretical aspects of psychology.

In general, the book can make a significant contribution in the study of psychology but only to some extent. It can be used for supplemental studies, for book reviews, projects and analyses or to generate personal insights from the students. Kaysens narrative is a representation of what is being studied in psychology and why it is important to explore the subject. However, since it relates to personal experiences by the author, it is not an excellent resource material to gain factual bases about the different mental illnesses, their respective signs, symptoms and manifestations, and the corresponding management and treatment for each. Its contribution in the field of psychology is more of supplemental or to cite concrete examples.

This book by Susanna Kaysen is a helpful material for individuals who want to understand what it is like to be diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, how it feels to spend each day interacting with psychiatric patients, their extreme behaviours and how they are being treated in the psychiatric ward. The author had been very sensitive in recounting her memoirs and thus had been successful in contributing an informative narrative to her readers. She also incorporated humour which is helpful in building a connection with the readers.

My personal insight about the book is that it is informative and entertaining yet confusing at some point. There are times when the thoughts of the author are not presented concretely. Since the narrative is not done in a linear manner but rather through a series of flashbacks, the ideas can be very elusive and hard to grasp. Still, it is a good material and a relevant contribution in the study of psychology.