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Stigma In Girl Interrupted

Decent Essays

The film Girl Interrupted, follows the life of Susana, a depressed and unmotivated teen that has recently graduated from high school. Susana overdoses on Vodka and Aspirin landing in her in the hospital. Her physician later suggests her overdose to be an attempted suicide and suggests a short visit to Claymore, a mental hospital, so she can rest. Upon her arrival, Susana meets the other patients residing in her ward, and immediately feels as though she does not belong. The film, combats mental illness stigma by, showing the importance of educating yourself, and the effect social stigma can have on self stigma.

This film is set in the 1960’s, during this time period mental illness was something that was looked down upon, and those who had a mental illness where feared and …show more content…

They feel ashamed of their illness and try hide it from society. Susana rejects her illness because of her fear of what the people around her might think. For instance after graduation she sees her English professor which tells Susana about her daughters plans after high school. Susana feels ashamed for not having a set goal after high school due to her feeling unmotivated, which is a symptom of her disorder. The way people around her might perceive her illness causes Susana to reject it and its treatment. This film shows how the way society perceives mental illnesses can influence how an individual may view their illness, which could potentially have a negative outcome. This film combats stigma by exhibiting the effect social stigma can have on individuals self-stigma. At the beginning of the film we see Susana arguing with her psychiatrist that she did not try to kill herself and she overdosed on aspirin because she had a headache, which is not the case. Susana refuses help because of her fear of society. This quote shows how Susana was feeling and how she was dealing with her

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