Writing About Extreme Mental States / Mental Illness
(about 1.5 pages)
The term “extreme mental states” might describe episodes of extreme emotion during a crisis (e.g., natural disaster, death of a loved one), mental illness, dream states during sleep, and altered mind states caused by ingestion of substances or by practices such as meditation.
Susanna Kaysen’s memoir Girl, Interrupted (1993) reflects on her experience, as a young adult during the late 1960s, of inpatient life at McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA. Suffering from mental anguish (diagnosed with “borderline personality disorder”), Susanna Kaysen is pressured by her psychiatrist and parents to sign herself into McLean for what she thinks to be a short stay. However, once an inpatient, she discovers, to her surprise, that it becomes quite difficult to be discharged. Kaysen spends about 18 months as an involuntary psychiatric patient at McLean. Her memoir reflects on the experience of what many call “mental illness” and prompts readers to think about what they can learn from her experience.
Kay Redfield Jamison, Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has suffered from bipolar disorder since her youth and wrote a memoir of her experiences, An Unquiet Mind (1996), as well as co-authored a classic textbook on bipolar illness. She has also authored a book on suicide and suicide prevention titled Night Falls Fast (2000).
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- What purposes might writers have in deciding to narrate their own experience of mental anguish/illness? What are the challenges and risks of this kind of writing?
Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted (excerpt)
- As a reader, what is your general response to the Kaysen excerpt? How would you describe her writing style?
- Choose two quotes from Kaysen for discussion. Why are these excerpt quotations interesting to you?
- Why do you think Kaysen includes the section “Etiology”, structured as a multiple-choice test? Why does she use this type of hybridity in this chapter? Why does Kaysen include on the test certain choices ? Is there an implied “correct choice”? Would you consider using this style in an essay?
- What’s the effect of reading “Velocity vs. Viscosity”? What is Kaysen trying to express?
Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind. (Read first the “Prologue,” then the “Preface to the Vintage Edition, 15 Years Later”)
- Jamison states, “The Chinese believe that before you can conquer a beast you first must make it beautiful. In some strange way, I have tried to do that with manic-depressive illness.” Respond to this quote.
- Review the handwritten excerpt that serves as a kind of alternative introduction to the book. What’s the effect of reading this?
- Jamison explains her decision to reveal her bipolar disorder: “Clinicians have been, for obvious reasons of licensing and hospital privileges, reluctant to make their psychiatric problems known to others. These concerns are often well warranted. I have no idea what the long-term effects of discussing such issues so openly will be on my personal and professional life, but, whatever the consequences, they are bound to be better than continuing to be silent.” Do you agree with Jamison? How does reading “The Preface…15 Years Later” impact your thinking?
Attribution of Quotes:
Jamison, Kay Redfield. “Prologue.” In An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. Vintage Books, 1996. © Kay Redfield Jamison. All rights reserved. This content is excluded from our Creative Commons license. For more information, see https://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-fair-use/.
