Case Study Of Girl Interrupted
PRESENTING COMPLAINT
Susanna Kaysen is a 19-year-old single woman. She struggles with self-discovery and her fight to find a place in society. Her mother, Annett, is a 37-year-old housewife. Her father, Carol, is a 40-year-old business man. Her parents do not seem to understand Susanna and do not know what to do with her.
The therapist made first contact with Annett after Susanna's attempt of suicide. Susanna had swallowed a bottle of aspirin with a shot of vodka. Her father asked a friend of the family who happened to be a retired psychologist to visit with Susanna. Susanna was clearly agitated and in denial of her attempted suicide. After briefly introducing herself, she began to describe her darkness. . Susanna made the statement "My hands have no bones". She claims that she took the aspirin and vodka to get rid of her headache. The therapist was extremely concerned over several aspects of Susanna's actions and attitude He explained the importance of her stay at Claymoore, an upscale psychiatric institution outside of Boston. The doctor who referred Kaysen to Claymoore described her as profoundly depressed and leading an increasingly patternless life.
In the spring of 1967, while everyone else in Susanna's class seems to be making plans for college, Susanna checked herself into Claremont on the insistence of her family. Instead of being in a women's dorm at college, Susanna is in a women's dorm at Claymoore, where her subject study is herself.
Susanna states that she does not understand her illness. She states that she is just "sad". While institutionalized Susanna also uses strong profanity, near continuously smokes, and briefly smokes a joint.
Susanna argues with her therapist over the definition of promiscuity.
Susanna: Women are labeled promiscuous after much less sexual experience than men. Therapist: But you slept in one day with both your boyfriend, Toby, and an orderly, John.
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