Personality and consciousness are some of the most important aspects of what makes a human individualized. When those aspects become disturbed, one becomes labeled as mentally ill. Experiencing life while mentally ill can be an extreme challenge. Whether it be the harsh environment, rapid frustration, or complete inability to function. Reality becomes significantly more difficult to get a hold of and comprehend. It can be crippling to always be living in a ripe environment to be taken advantage of and ridiculed and it's very common to see mentally unstable people accentuate little problems into an explosion of emotion. But the amount of resilience that is exhibited by them is equally astounding. Living with these conditions doesn't just alter …show more content…
Girl, Interrupted paints a vivid picture of how mental illness can alter a person's reality. The novel shows how Susanna's reality changes as she begins to accept her condition and learns to cope with it. She begins to understand that her mental illness does not define her and that she can still lead a meaningful and fulfilling life. Most cases of psychological disorders are mild and those who are diagnosed with conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression can live extremely functional and satisfying lives. But mental illness is a very large spectrum with some experiencing major distortion, the character of Lisa is an example of that. Lisa isn't as high-functioning as Susanna is. She tends to break out in fits of rage and try to escape the mental asylum. “‘It’s my hand,’ I said. I was angry too. And I was getting really Nervous. Oh God, I thought, there aren’t any bones in there, there’s nothing in there.” (Kaysen 91) It’s in this novel that I noticed a pattern throughout the books. When an individual is diagnosed with a more severe form of mental illness, they tend to get set off by really small things or minor complaints. They fixate on an insignificant issue, and if it's not granted to them, it blows out of