Areopagita, Gladys Gil V.

MPSYC 26N November 16, 2019

A Film Review on “Girl, Interrupted”

The film “Girl, Interrupted” is set in the 60s, depicting the life of a young lady, Susanna, who is
experiencing a mental illness, got admitted into a mental health institution. Her journey included building
friendships with other patients and hospital staff, and her journey towards recovery. This movie was very
interesting, as the setting is mostly in the psychiatric institution.

Susanna, after attempting suicide, admitted herself in Claymore, a psychiatric institution, and was
diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. There, in the ladies ward, she met several friends who
were also suffering from different forms of mental illness. She resisted taking medication, and got close
to Lisa, who was labeled “sociopath” in the movie. They were able to make an unauthorized escape.
Susanna went back to Claymore after seeing a friend who died by suicide, while Lisa was away. She was
able to focus on her recovery and will to get out of the institution. She committed herself to therapy and
medications, and was able to overcome her mental illness.

Aside from Susanna, there were several girls in the movie that had mental health issues, and just
basing upon their characters as shown in the film, and clues that were in it, I came up with this list of their
diagnosis:

Georgina – pathological liar

Daisy – bulimia, and other
Polly – PTSD
Janet – Anorexia
Lisa – Sociopath (as said in the movie) or Antisocial Personality (DSM-5 equivalent)

The main character, Susanna, was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Although this
movie was set in the 60s and was released in the 90s, I will be basing upon the criteria set by the DSM-5.

According to the DSM-5, Borderline Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability of

interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood
and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five or more criterion. Assuming that Susanna is
already in early adulthood, just graduated high school, I could pinpoint 5 symptoms in the criteria that
Susanna presents with, as shown in the movie.

Susanna was clearly having recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating
behavior, which is criterion 5. She tried to kill herself by taking a dose of aspirin with vodka. She was
rushed into the hospital for this, and several wounds in her wrist can be seen. And she said that she just
did not have bones, which could also be a confirmation of Criterion 9, which is a transient, stress-related
paranoid ideation or sever dissociative symptoms. Criterion 3 of BPD was also being depicted in the movie,
sort of, but this was not a very strong depiction of persistently unstable self-image. Susanna was asked
what she would do after high school. Although Susanna was regarded as highly intelligent, she did not
want to pursue college education, and wanted to instead “write”. In a party they had at home, she also
did not want to mingle. She had a sexual relationship with one of her high school teachers, to which, at
another moment, she dismissed. At the same time, she also had a relationship with a guy she met after
her graduation. They were having sex, and it crossed between idealization and devaluation. This may pass
as criterion 2, as these relationships were unstable yet intense. It was also in this relationship with the
Areopagita, Gladys Gil V. MPSYC 26N November 16, 2019

boy she met during graduation that Susanna also displayed affective instability, and chronic feelings of
emptiness. She would talk about her suicide contemplations.

Lisa, who was labelled “sociopath” in the movie, while they were at Doctor Wick’s office. In the
DSM-5, sociopath personality is known as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Lisa’s character showed very
obvious symptoms of antisocial behavior. There were several times that Lisa got arrested and admitted
back into Claymore. She would commit lawless acts (Criterion 1). She was also deceitful for personal profit
(Criterion 2). She was also very impulsive (Criterion 3). She was quite irritable and aggressive (Criterion 4).
She was also reckless and had no regard for her own safety or the safety of others (Criterion 5). She was
also irresponsible (Criterion 6). She also had lack of remorse, especially shown when she commented on
Daisy being an idiot when seen hanging herself in the bathroom (Criterion 7). Although there was no
mention of Lisa’s childhood, there is no way to know if the onset was before the age of 15. Still, her
character was very obvious, and because of her wild nature in the movie, it can be clearly seen that she
indeed had antisocial behavior.

The movie showed a side where Susanna’s parents did something very crucial to her when she
was a young girl. She was left alone while they travelled, because her bones got broken and she had to be
put on a cast. This may have been traumatizing to her, which led her to say that she “had no bones”. This
also tells the audience the impact of parenting in mental health. Even with Daisy, where it was being
depicted that her Dad had a incest relationship with her.

Another point that struck me was how Susanna felt “normal”, and how her boyfriend thought she
was not “as crazy” as the others in Claymore. Here, Susanna knew she needed help because she tried to
kill herself. It tells us that as mental health professionals, we must be careful in diagnosing clients.
Sometimes, this diagnosis can be a self-fulfilling prophecy and can be very damaging to them. Sometimes,
the “normal” for us may not be “normal” for others. So how do we decide? Great caution must be taken,
and clinical judgment must be taken seriously.

I love how in the movie, it showed that there is hope for those who are suffering forms of mental
illness. Through proper care, attention, medication, therapy, mental illness can be treated. This is only
possible if the client believes that she can do it. Susanna’s will to really get out of the institution helped
her. Her goals and commitment to medication and therapy really got her far. She was able to recover, and
she encouraged her friends in the institution that they too, can recover.

There really is hope.