In Carrianne K.Y. Leung’S The Wondrous Woo A Large Majority

John Green’s debut novel Looking for Alaska and his later novel, Paper Towns, directly points to the flaws with this sort of adulation and infantilization of mental disorders. In Looking for Alaska, Pudge is “in love” (see: infatuated) with the idea of Alaska: a mysterious, rebellious teenage girl. However, throughout the novel, Green constantly points to Alaska’s depressive and suicidal tendencies: smoking, drinking excessively, attention through sex, and other self-destructive behaviors. Even though to the reader these obvious red flags flash violently on every page, Pudge transforms Alaska into this perfect manic pixie dream girl, instead of a depressed teenager who desperately needs help. In the end, this ignorance towards Alaska’s obvious problems leads to her suicide. Furthermore, in Paper Towns, Q becomes obsessed with Margo’s cool, don’t-give-a-crap attitude and willingness to have wild (and illegal) adventures. This perceived notion of the perfect manic pixie dream girl led him to search for her all over the place; yet, when he finds her, he becomes disillusioned to her facade and she’s her for who she really is: inconsiderate and afraid. The same serves for Summer in 500 Days of Summer and Penny Lane in Almost Famous: the male character becomes obsessed with their quirks and instabilities, but fail to see the troubled person inside. When they

Psychological disorders are very real and present in many people we come in contact with daily, however, are very rarely talked about. Learning about these disorders can help us to understand others and ourselves better by telling us why we do and think the things we do. One effective way that we can observe and learn about psychological disorders is through movies. “Mommie Dearest” was directed by Frank Perry. It is centered around the actress Joan Crawford, who suffered from various psychological disorders. Joan’s daughter, Christina, wrote a book about her mother and her many problems and it was later turned into a movie. It is very effective to use movie analysis as a way of learning, especially in psychology, because it provides a great way to observe without distractions. When you’re looking at disorders, it’s difficult to find a person who has many of these disorders and will allow you to observe them. Psychological disorders can be split into two major groups, personality disorders and mood disorders. Personality disorders are patterns of traits that can get in the way of your social or work life and may interrupt the individual’s normal lifestyle. Mood disorders are inconsistent and unreliable changes in mood by the affected individual. (Rathus, 1998). With all of this being said, it brings me to my point that I will be talking about for the rest of this essay. Joan Crawford demonstrates the personality disorders of histrionic, narcissism, and OCPD. When it comes to mood disorders, Joan demonstrates bipolar disorder.

The following essay will begin by demonstrating what is understood by the concept of mental health. It will attempt to identify different explanations for the underlying issues causing mental illnesses and it will then centre around a case study focusing specifically on one mental health problem. A description of what the causes and effects of the chosen illness will be given and information on the available treatment will be presented. To round up the assignment a brief explanation of the chosen case study will be included with an attempt to distinguish the common issues identified and how they relate to the literature information provided throughout. In this assignment, the case study chosen will target depression.

A psychological disorder can be defined as patterns of behavior or mental processes that affect a person’s capability to carry out every day routines and interactions with others. These psychological disorders can be characterized as personality disorders or mood and anxiety disorders. Many people experience these disorders and struggles within their life. Today approximately 1 in every 5 adults live with a psychological disorder in the United States alone. With that being said, even the most prestigious can have mental illness. For example, Joan Crawford, American film and television actress regularly struggled with several types of personality disorders shown in the movie Mommie Dearest. This movie, based on a book written by her daughter, Christina Crawford, depicts the several scenarios in which Joan shows signs of multiple psychological disorders. Movies similar to Mommie Dearest are a great way to help students understand disorders and the symptoms associated with them. Within this movie Joan Crawford demonstrates signs of having bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, histrionic disorder, and Narcissistic disorder.

Since the narrator is left alone for most of the day, she allows her mind to go wild with fantasies and is forced to deal with her thoughts by herself. This ultimately chips away at her mental condition and makes her illness far worse. "I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design." (Gilman 185) This quote

The brain is a strong but delicate muscle inside the human body. However, if this muscle gets overworked it will affect the overall persona of that individual. Depression or any other mental diseases are not diagnoses or setbacks that should be taken lightly. Back in the 1800’s and 1900’s medicine and the knowledge of the individuals that decided to practice medicine was not extensive. Due to medicine, not being as advanced as it is today, a lot of patients were getting treating improperly. The character within The Yellow Wallpaper is a great example of not only a mental disease but also malpractice. Although the main character within The Yellow Wallpaper may be a woman of high social status, the narrator goes mad for the following reasons: she is extremely drugged with improper medicine, she lacks autonomy, and her post-partum depression escalates. Some might say that the story of The Yellow Wallpaper is simplistic, however, it can also be viewed that the simplicity of the story is what makes it complicated and comprehensive.

Mental health is not the mere absence of illness but it is the sense of harmony and balance for the individual. Aspects associated with the individual include self-worth, sense of accomplishment, and a positive identity (Fontaine, 2009), where as mental illness is the disharmony someone is experiencing. This disharmony affects not only the individual but their friends and family as well as the surrounding community. This disharmony causes the person to be unable to function properly in many aspects of their life (Fontaine, 2009). Disco Di started to display signs of mental illness from the young age of 12. Her behaviours may have been triggered by a traumatic event and have been interfering with her life ever since. I agree with the

The purpose of this project is to explore the topic of mental health and wellness and ways to approach deconstructing negative stereotypes and convictions. The goal of this project is to research ways of improving the negative connotations of mental health and becoming informed on different mental disorders within society. Our lens for looking at different mental illnesses is through the main characters of the show entitled Winnie the Pooh. By contrasting favorite characters through a psychology perspective, we will highlight the significance of mental health, as well as the oftentimes unrecognized commonality of the illnesses in society. To further the conversation, this presentation will include a brief activity involving the placement pre-printed

Hysteria was the “go-to, catchall diagnosis” for all women, consisting of any “problem” including, but not limited to, nervousness, faintness, loss of appetite, (lack of) sexual desire, headaches, insomnia, muscle spasms, and trouble-making. For centuries, literature portrayed as submissive and obedient to men and oppressed by society, culture, and even men. In The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman presents readers with a story of a woman suffering from depression, possibly post-partum, but whose remedy is “rest cure,” a treatment invented by Silas Weir Mitchell for neurasthenia involving isolation and rest as a cure for hysteria in all its forms. The Yellow Wallpaper is a narrative concerning the gradual demise of the mental stability of an unnamed, newly married upper-middle class woman in late nineteenth century rural America. Gilman uses psychological terror to not only portray the narrator’s fall to insanity, but also to shed light on the rather unfortunate role of women in the institution of marriage. The narrator’s husband, John, is a physician who firmly expresses disbelief in his wife’s claims of depression. From the beginning of the story, the reader can tell immediately that the narrator has absolutely no voice. John assures her and others that nothing is wrong but “temporary nervous

In her first journal entry Kaysen tells how the decision for her to go to McLean Hospital was based on a twenty minute conversation with a psychiatrist. Kaysen had been picking at her acne and been acting out in ways which would not be considered unusual for teens today, but at the time it was a sufficient excuse for commitment to an institution. In an interview, Kaysen further develops the idea that her illness was influenced by outside factors saying, “ [Her] retrospective account of her confinement at McLean Hospital makes a cultural intervention that challenges the notion that mental illness is rooted solely in the individual.” (Kaysan, 18). Being surrounded by girls with serious illnesses forced Kaysen to assume the role of a girl with a real mental illness. Society forced her to find something wrong with herself in an attempt to fit in. Kaysen questions what mental illness truly is. She asks,“Was everybody seeing this stuff and acting as though they weren't? Was insanity just a matter of dropping the act?” (Kaysen 41). Because Kaysen was labeled as being mentally ill although she was not, it became hard for her to tell what truly pronounced someone as mentally ill. Was everyone slightly crazy or were just some better at hiding it then others? Living in such an uptight society, people had no choice but to put on an act of perfection. When someone began to “drop the

Mental illness is a condition characterized by emotions, thoughts, or behavior that are substantially abnormal for a given time and place in history (p. 514). Historically, it has been broadly been defined by self-harm, unrealistic thoughts and perceptions (delusions, hallucinations, magical thinking, etc.), inappropriate emotions, and rapid shifts in moods or beliefs. All these criteria compare the

Although mental health is a worldwide concern, it occurs frequently as a common theme within American literature. This is shown in works such as The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, and The Yellow Wallpaper, as well as in pop culture. Not only does it give the characters a negative and harmful connotation, but it can be a central conflict in many stories. Usually, the conflict revolves around how the illness is being taken advantage of, or being misunderstood.

In Charlotte Gilman’s short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," Jane, the main character, is a good example of Sigmund Freud’s Studies In Hysteria. Jane suffers from symptoms such as story making and daydreaming. Jane has a nervous weakness throughout the story.

A comparative literary study of the effect of mental illness on the central characters is the semi-autobiographical novels The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. Comparing two women trying to deal with mental illness and are trying to cope with the mental pressures they put on themselves and by other people. Although the differences between these two novels are The Bell Jar shows Esther’s life before she descends into mental illness whereas Susanna’s story is about her time in a mental institution and experiencing other patients who are in similar situations.

The portrayal of people being sickly creatures has been used in Hollywood film for a very long time. This has been in the endeavor of putting the viewing public in the shoes of the patient and entertain them with over the top portrayals of disease. For patients that are women in particular this has been achieved by defining them along the lines of vague terms such as them being over emotional and unstable. Despite the advancement experienced by the society, women have not yet fully seen the goal of equality realize fruition. With the expansion of the psychiatric and psychological terminologies, there now additional ways via which mental illness can be ascribed as a weakness for men and women portrayed in Hollywood film. This is best