The Portrayal of Mental Illness in “Girl, Interrupted”

The film “Girl, Interrupted” is a true story adapted from the original memoir by Susanna Kaysen. Set in the 1960s, it relates her experiences during her stay in a mental institution after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder following a suicide attempt. Many films include characters with a mental illness; the actors who play these characters have the immense challenge of staying true to the illness they portray.
The main character in “Girl, Interrupted,” Susanna Kaysen, played by Winona Ryder, was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. According to the DSM-IV-TR (2000) borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability in relationships, self image and affects, and marked impulsivity. Individuals with this disorder tend to make frantic attempts to avoid real or imagined abandonment and are intolerant of being alone; they also have a pattern of unstable and intense......

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Title: The Portrayal Of Mental Illness In “gir, Interrupted”
Approximate Word Count: 1673
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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