#38: Girl, Interrupted

Kaysen, Susanna: Girl, Interrupted. New York: Turtle Bay Books, 1993. Print. 168 pages.
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SETTING: McClean Hospital (psychiatric hospital in Belmont, MA) between April 1967 and September 1968.

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SUMMARY: Susanna Kaysen provides readers with a memoir of her time at McClean Hospital, compiling a series of stories describing her experience.

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FAVORITE QUOTE: "Every window on Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco." - page 6.

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After a whopping FIVE MONTHS, I finally read a book cover-to-cover!  Don't worry, there was plenty of school-related reading taking place during that time as I prepared for a huuuuuuuuuge board exam that I took yesterday!  Yay!  But my poor brain was desperately yearning for non-school related stimulation, and I was finally able to satisfy it's craving!  Unfortunately the local library here at home is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so I was forced to peruse through our home collection of books, the majority of which I've already read (or at least attempted to read).  I read this book once a few years ago, and I remembered the general premise behind the story.  However, now that I've had a formal, albeit short, introduction to psychology and psychiatry via my classes, I thought revisiting this piece with my new knowledge would prove to be a fun adventure.  

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Things I liked about this book:

1. The inspiration behind the title.  Towards the end of the book, the author describes a deep connection to the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's painting, Girl Interrupted at her Music.  I won't elaborate on this connection (you'll have to read it yourself to find out!), but the author's description of the emotion she feels when seeing this piece is very moving.  
2. The author's openness in describing her experience.  Granted this novel wouldn't have been such a success if she didn't write in detail about her time at McClean...
3. The author's exploration of mental health and psychiatry.  The author questions the validity of certain mental health practices, especially diagnoses, and it makes for an interesting read.  Mental health is a sticky topic because you can't see everything that's contributing to a person's state of being, and here I'm talking about the person's biology and genetics, and their life experiences.  Not to mention that one person's definition of sanity can be another's definition of insanity.
4. Lisa Rowe.  Her character is by far my favorite, mostly because of the complexity behind her actions.  She's the perfect example of what I wrote in the above point: from the outside, all of her actions while at McClean seem connected to her being a diagnosed sociopath.  In reality, as described by the author, much of what Lisa does has an ulterior, selfless motive.
5. That the patients staying at McClean feel the need to protect certain groups of people.  It's an interesting topic that the author describes in a satisfying amount of detail.
6. The author's ultimate diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.  She fabulously explores the definition of this diagnosis versus what the diagnosis means to her as a living, breathing person.

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Things I didn't like about this book:

1. The sporadic nature of the stories.  That the memoir is written as a string of stories provides the book with a certain "feel" that keeps the reader interested; however, I would have preferred to have the chapters presented with a little more direction.  This speaks to the organized, linear part of my nature.  I like certain things to be in order. 

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Psychiatry and psychology have always interested me, as I think it interests most of the population.  It's "fun" to be able to explore the motivation and origins behind behaviors, whether it's one's own behaviors or of those around you.  Although certain mental health practices have changed (i.e. lobotomies are virtually extinct as a treatment method for psychiatric illnesses), the concept of so commonly treating psychiatric problems with medications is still as big a topic of contention as ever, perhaps even more so with the plethora of medications out there now.  I've heard over and over again that psychiatrists have unwillingly been reduced to being an extension of pharmaceutical companies.  I'm sure I'll have a solid opinion on that once I experience a psych rotation during my third year of medical school.  Until then, I'm going to choose to stay neutral on that topic. 

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Recommend?  Yes!  Quick and short read.