Girl, Interrupted is a movie about a young lady named Susanna who is institutionalized after having taken aspirin with a bottle of vodka. In this reflection, I shall highlight notable scenes in the movie, which illustrate important sociological concepts and themes. The first scene that caught my attention was when Susanna was admitted. The administrative staff is processing her papers then asks for her signature: Susanna: “I guess I’m puzzled as to why I have to be in a mental institution.” Staff: “You put yourself here.” Susanna: “My parents put me here.” In this scene, Susanna has a different interpretation of her actions as compared to that of her therapists and parents – to her, what she did seemed normal but the people around her think …show more content…
Furthermore, since personal perception and social perceptions of mental illness affect each other, programs and policies implemented should not only be focused on providing care for mentally ill individuals but must also cultivate a healthy attitude towards mental illness in the society in order to reduce stigmatization of mentally ill patients and thus make it easier for them to seek help and re-integrate back into society. Such programs and resources should be available and accessible but individuals who need and want them should not be afraid to access them but rather, empower them to take ownership of their own wellbeing. Corbiére, Samson, Villotti and Pelletier (2012) maintain that education and advocacy can help dispel wrong stereotypes and incorrect presumptions about mental illness. Such measures would also help the public look after those who are vulnerable to mental illness and therefore encourage them to seek …show more content…
The National Mental Health Blueprint is a guideline for policy implementation regarding mental health: 1) education and advocacy for mental illness is provided by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to empower Singaporeans to improve their mental well-being and understand the signs and symptoms of mental illness, catered to various age-groups; 2) management of mental illness is under an integrated mental health care system through collaboration between institutions (i.e schools, family clinics and family service centres) to identify vulnerable individuals and the implementation of Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) to encourage mentally ill individuals to stay in the community as much as possible instead of being confined in the hospital ; 3) social programs were implemented that provide vocational rehabilitation and help persons with mental illness find jobs according to their abilities; 4) manpower development programs created through sponsorship of mental health professionals to upgrade their skills and; 5) research is done by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) research division to further understand the mental health landscape in Singapore and improve treatments