Borderline Personality Disorder as Shown in Girl, Interrupted

Borderline Personality Disorder as Shown in Girl, Interrupted

Introduction

The movie Girl, Interrupted was released in 1999. The plot of the movie is centered on the story Susanna Kaysen, of an eighteen-year-old girl. The teenager was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an intense mental illness which comes with pervasive instability in moods, self-image, behavior and interpersonal relationships. This disorder often disrupts an individual’s family and work life and sense of identity (Schulze 26). People with BPD suffer from difficulties with regulating emotions. The disorder affects at least two percent of grown-ups. Persons with BPD shows high levels of self-injurious behavior. The behavior involves cutting and significant rates of suicide attempts and in some occasions completed suicide. The disorder affects mostly individuals in their young-adult years and reduces with age. Also, BPD disorder is more evident in females than their male counterparts with almost 75 percent of females diagnosed. People who are affected with borderline personality disorder require extensive mental health care.

Diagnosis

Susanna Kaysen was admitted and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at Claymoore. When the movie begins, Susanna Kaysen asks, “People ask, how did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up there as well. I can’t answer the real question. All I can tell them is, it’s easy.” Susanna Kaysen should have met the procedure for a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. In most cases, individual who is diagnosed with BPD injure themselves in various ways ranging from delinquency, alcohol and substance abuse, reckless driving and unsafe sex. Other scenarios that happens in an individual diagnosed with BPD include change in their moods, low self-image, unstable relationships, violence and anger. The first criteria depicted about people with BPD in Girl, Interrupted, was Susanna having thoughts of committing suicide and engaging in things that can enhance the possibility of suicide by drinking bottle of aspirin together with vodka. Susanna explained that she was having headache, but she was feeling a lot of pressure family and friends and also a fallout with teacher she was in a sexual affair.  

The second criteria concerning individuals with BPD is when Susanna inflicted harm on her body by bruising or cutting. After Susanna failed to commit suicide, she was taken to the emergency room where everybody was moving around to assist to her wrists. Susanna had bruises on her wrists and she told doctors she had no bones in her hand. From her character, Susanna could have gotten the bruises from harming herself.  It is believed that physical discomfort provides relief from emotional suffering by “snapping” them out of their “emotional overload.”

The third criteria of BPD is when Susanna tries to remain in the relationships because she does not want to feel abandoned. Susan flashbacks the affair she had with her former teacher and man she met after graduating. In both her past relationships, Susanna engaged in unsafe sex and stayed in those relationships because she wanted to feel loved and needed, and not refused.

The fourth criteria of the disorder is when Susanna is doing something she well knew that was wrong but gave her a thrill. She felt that nothing was happening as she wanted and she was feeling it alone. Susanna and Lisa decided to sneak out of the institution and go to visit Polly who was their friend. They knew that their action could lead them into trouble but they proceeded.

Susanna experienced a change in moods and she felt like she lacked sense of herself. Susanna believed that she could not get better and she rejected what she was told by Dr. Wick about her diagnosis.  Susanna stated that she doesn’t care about herself and described herself as ambivalent which meant that did not care more about herself and was going to do whatever she thought was right. When Dr. Wick asked Susanna the meaning of the word ambivalent, she replied, “It means, I don’t care.” Dr. Wick told Susanna that the word meant undecided or in two minds, kind of like thinking, “will I stay or will I go?” but Susanna did not care about it.

Etiology

Different theorists have different views about how persons like Susanna could develop BPD. Some theorists argue that when parents fail to accept their children, they may lose self-esteem, increase dependence and become unable to cope with separation. Children whose parents have neglected them or behaved in an inappropriate manner have higher chances of developing BPD. Other factors include multiple parent substitutes, death, divorce and sexual abuse (Costa 15). Among these factors, sexual abuse is the most common contributor to the development of BPD and children who experience more than four times are likely to develop it. The movie shows as that Susanna’s mom changing her diaper when she was a baby and turned around for just a second and Susanna rolled and broke her leg. The doctor put her in a complete body cast and Susanna’s parents went on a 4,000 mile trip with Susanna in the backseat in the body cast. Biological factors can also contribute to development of BPD. Studies reveals that people with very active amygdale and prefrontal cortex are susceptible to BPD. Amygdale controls emotions and fear while prefrontal cortex enhances planning, decision making and self-control.

Treatments

Treatment of BPD is mostly performed through the use of dialectical behavior therapy method. The method focuses on the behavioral and cognitive techniques such as assignments, teaching social works, pseudo education and homework. Dialectical behavioral therapy method is based on contemporary and humanistic psychodynamic approaches by putting the relationship of clients and therapists in the center of their treatment, through which clients are taught boundaries and acceptance (Linehan 76).

Groups that use dialectical behavioral therapy method enable clients to relate to each other and receive necessary support.  This method enables individuals to increase their ability to cope with stress, better attitudes, maintain identity, improve social skills and stay in treatment (Cailhol 18) The method reduces incidences of clients taking medication such as antibipolar, antianxiety and antipsychotic drugs and fewer suicidal thoughts and hospitalizations.

Dialectical behavior therapy can be used to treat Susanna’s borderline personality disorder. The reason why the method can be used in Susanna’s situation is because it is widely used in clinics and focuses on the relationship between client and therapist, social skills and others in the group (Silvers 24). This will enable Susanna to realize that she can be supported by others and she can benefit more from living a healthier life. Dialectical behavior therapy will also help Susanna refrain from attempting suicide, involving in unsafe practices and control her anger, emotions and depression.

Inaccuracies

The movie is interesting but fails to portray Borderline Personality Disorder broadly. The movie shows a few borderline personality disorder traits such as unstable relationship, suicidality and identity confusion. The movie fails to convey the main character’s reality in which Susanna moves from her vulnerable fear to self-awareness. In the movie, Susanna transforms herself from a depressed, suicidal and angry person to an individual who finds a self-directed life. The problem with this movie is that the plot is not detailed and does not take a person watching it on the journey travelled by Susanna.

The movie is misleading in a way it shows Susanna’s healing as having completed in 18 months. I think it is difficult for an individual who’s at 18-19 years to heal from BPD within such small period of time. Susanna had a lot of challenges to face in her healing journey. The message of fast healing is misleading at worst.  The theme of the movie was challenging to think about crazy BPD events. This makes the movie to be better for entertainment rather than education on Borderline Personality Disorder.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Girl, Interrupted movie tries to bring out the life of a young girl who is suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. The movie manages to depict some symptoms of individuals suffers from the disorder which includes low self-image, suicidal attempts and unstable relationship. From the movie Girl, Interrupted, it is evident that Susanna’s behaviors are to some extent consistent with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. The BPD behaviors are likely to be contributed by the happenings in her childhood and a very reactive amygdale. Borderline Personality Disorder can be treated by dialectical behavioral therapy method.