Chin Chang, Christina Chen

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Boundary Crossing of Sanity and Insanity

• Chin Chang, Christina Chen
• Zaes Chen, Linda Chien

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Introduction

• Film Girl, Interrupted directed by James
  Mangold (released in 1999)
• Based on Girl, Interrupted written
  by Susanna Kaysen
• (1967 ?McLean, 2 yrs)
• Title from the painting Girl, Interrupted at
  her music by Johannes Vemeer

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(No Transcript)
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Summary

• Sent to Claymoore and diagnosed as BPD
  (borderline personality disorder), Susanna
  started her journey of self-discovery with
  friends she met there. The question remains Is
  she sane or insane?

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Sane or Insane? (Susanna Kaysen)

• (monologue)
• Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or
  stolen something when you have the cash? Have you
  ever been blue? Or thought your train moving
  while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy.
  Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a
  girl... interrupted.

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Sane or Insane? (Susanna)
sanity events insanity
killing the headache 50 Aspirins and a bottle of Vodka Attempts to suicide
they (bones) come backthey do exist everybody is like that No bones in hands laws of physics control of time insane
That is everybody Reading medical profile (BPD) Psychoneurotic depression
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Sane or Insane? (Daisy)
Diagnosis Eating disorder and other
unspecified Symptoms Eating in private, fathers
chicken only, keeping bones under bed, attempted
suicide (later after moved out) Claims
EatingDumping (privacysexual implication) Possib
le causes Incest (father) ? Suicide (button
being pressed)
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Sane or Insane? (Lisa Rowe)
Diagnosis Sociopath Symptoms Indifference,
disregard for the consequences... Susanna Her
eyes are empty now
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Sane or Insane? (Georgina Tuskin)
Diagnosis Pathological liar (my father is the
head of CIA) Susanna lies to people who went
to keep her herelive Oz forever.
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Sane or Insane? (Polly Clark)

• Diagnosis Unspecified
• Symptom Refuse to grow up
• Possible Cause Childhood trauma
• Innocent?
• Curious about sex? trigger her memory
• Susanna sweetness and purity arent genuine
  at all, but a desperately attempt to make it
  easier for us to look at her

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Dependence

• Susanna family ? Lisa ? Independence
• Lisa institution others dependence.
• Daisy med chicken her father.
• Polly doll Ruby
• Georgina Lisa

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Social Backgrounds

• 50s -- relatively conservative
• ? viewed their children's world with
  alarm and confusion and embraced few of the
  cultural changes.
• 60s Peace, love and sex.
• -- Anti-war ? hippy
• -- Rise of feminism
• 70s ? Conservative

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Social Influences

• Female having many opportunities?
• Pro.s wife Women should make up their
  mind.
• Teacher What do you plan to do?
• Women nowadays have more
  choices., S No they dont.
• ?Susanna is forced to make a choice.
• Bias on females
• Definition of promiscuity
• Education

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Treatments
Medicine Necessary? ?
abused in treatment ? cause
abuse (addiction) Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
/ Seclusion Punishment?
ETC possible permanent amnesia.
damaging neurons
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Treatments

• Hospitalization
• Necessity? ? Susanna
• Admission ? Voluntary? Right to leave?
• Discharge qualification? ? Daisy
• (Pretending Purple people)
• Standardized management
• (medicine administration, name calling,
  room checks, indifferent attitude and R area.)

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Treatments

• Counseling
• (The-rapist, their-rape-me,
• diag-non-sense,
• criticizing Freudian therapy.)
• Dr. Melvin unsuccessful, without
  understanding patients.
• Dr. Wick understanding, insightful,
  professional

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Alternative Treatment

• Interpersonal bonds
• Nurse Valerie
• Sisterhood (Tunnel, Ice Cream Shop,
  
  Guitar)
• ? Lisa (leader / violence)
• Others
• Ruby
• Music
• Exercise
• Narrative therapy

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Turning Points (Susanna)

• Tobys visit Susanna decides to stay
• (Sisterhood / Toby is not the
  one)
• Runaway with Lisa / Returning
• Start to realize either fit
  into the society or self-destruction
• (Jamie / Daisys death / Lisas
  cruelty)
• Valerie Susanna learns to put it away
• 2nd Tunnel Press others buttons

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Conclusion

• Definition of madness
• Matter of degree. (blurring boundary)
• Social standard majority norm.
• Self realization (Wizard of Oz)
• (One drives
  oneself crazy.)
• Self limitation
• (biological, genetic,
  environment)
• Fit in the fucked-up world

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Deleted Scenes in Film

• More of Susannas hallucination
• (blood flood in supermarket, boneless hands)
• ? more normal in the film
• No museum scene ? no explanation to the topic
• Less coincidences ? Film is more realistic

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Fiction Film

• Going to Daisys house in film
• Introduction Line Fiction ? self
• Film ? society
• Georgina is under-developed in the film
• Ending Seeing Lisa on the street

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Clips

• Lisa Daisy pressed the button
• Valerie how it hurt smile
• Dr. Wick ambivalence, Dr. Melvins counseling

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Reference