Girl, Interrupted

A major theme of Kaysen’s work is how mental health and illness is defined and perceived by the medical profession and the public. She explores the medical definition of her diagnosis, Borderline Personality Disorder, to show how subjective its symptoms can be. Kaysen interrogates the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders definition of Borderline Personality Disorder, calling it a “generalization” rather than a specific case study (136). She points out that while she is considered recovered from that condition, she still has the first symptom, which is “uncertainty about several life issues” (136), a vague description that is impossible to quantify. Kaysen notes that the symptom “Instability of image, interpersonal relationships, and mood” as well as problems choosing careers or long-term goals is very typical of most teenagers—the time of her life in which she was diagnosed (138). By pointing out the impressionistic nature of this disorder’s symptoms, Kaysen reveals that her diagnosis was the result of personal judgements made by a physician. She exposes the debate within the medical community about these definitions by quoting a psychiatrist who told her that the disorder is simply something doctors “call people whose lifestyles bother them” (137).