CONDITIONS IN MENTAL HEALTH – MIDTERMS

MOVIE REVIEW – GIRL, INTERRUPTED

NAME: Soliman, Kathleen Claire

B. YEAR/SECTION: BS OT-2A

1. What psychological/psychiatric disorder/s is/are portrayed in the movie?

The protagonist Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) was diagnosed with Borderline
Personality Disorder. BPD is a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image,
and affects, and marked impulsivity.

2. For each of the disorders, indicate who has the disorder and how it was manifested.
Include any sign or symptom you observed in the character/s and relate them to DSM-V’s
diagnostic criteria.
• The first of the criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder in the movie was the
protagonist having suicidal thoughts and doing things to contribute to a possible
suicide.
• The second criterion was inflicting harm on the body by cutting or bruising. She
was rushed to the hospital, the movie didn’t explain how she got all the bruises and
cuts, but I can assume it was by some type of self-harm.
• The third criteria were Susanna’s attempts to remain in the relationships to avoid
feeling abandoned. In the movie, she had an affair with her English professor and
Tobias. In both cases, she was having unsafe sex and staying in the relationships so
that she felt wanted and loved, and not rejected.
• The fourth criterion was filling the emptiness that was being felt by doing something
she knew wasn’t right but gave her a thrill. Both Susanna and Lisa knew that they
could get into trouble, but the continued on their escape away from the mental
institution.
• The fifth criteria were when she experienced a shift in moods and felt like she had no
sense of herself at all. As the movie goes on, there are times that Susanna was
convinced she wasn’t going to get better and she got defensive over what Dr. Wick
was telling her about her diagnosis.

3. Give at least 3 scenes where one can depict the psychiatric disorder/s is/are.
• When Susanna committed suicide.

• Mood shifting of Susanna.

• Susanna, to avoid being abandoned she continuously has a relationship with her
English professor and Tobias.
4. What forms of treatment were present in the movie? (If there are any)
Susanna Kaysen was admitted into Claymoore Hospital, a mental institution for
women having mental dysfunction. She was diagnosed by Dr. Sonia Wick one of the
psychiatrists in the institution, she helped Susanna to overcome her mental disorder by a
series of psychological assessments and management.

5. Discuss occupational performance dysfunctions in the movie characters (if there are any).
Susanna, who was diagnosed with BPD had difficulty in socializing with other people
due to her emotional instability, interpersonal dysfunction, and impulsivity. People with BPD
tend to have major difficulties with relationships, especially with those closest to them like
Susanna’s mother and father towards her.

6. Do you think watching this movie helped you understand better the different psychiatric
disorders presented? If yes, how? If no, why not? (There are no right or wrong answers.)
Having this kind of personality disorder, I saw in the movie that not all of us are strong
enough mentally to fight our demons. People with (BPD) usually have unstable relationships,
especially with those closest to them. Partners and family members of people with BPD often
describe the relationship as an emotional roller coaster with no end in sight. As an individual
dealing with BPD patients we should fully understand how to deal with them and not to try to
worsen their disorder.