The films Girl, Interrupted and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest gave a glimpse into the conditions and treatments used in the 1960s and 1970s in mental health institutions. Both films follow the struggles of two individuals and give insight into the psychological health field. Each film demonstrated some accurate but also inaccurate portrayals of the treatment and conditions that patients received and lived in while staying at these facilities. Girl, Interrupted is a film that focused on the institutionalization of the main character, Susanna Kaysen, and her time that was spent at Claymore Mental Institution. Susanna’s initial cause for hospitalization was due to an aspirin overdose and consequently being accused of trying to commit suicide. …show more content…
A noticeable theme that depicted mental health institutions correctly during this time was the presence of having hospitalization is voluntary. In this movie although Susanna and other patients may have been encouraged to seek help, it was ultimately their decision whether or not to proceed. However, although it was voluntary whether or not people sought help, according to our lecture, in the late 1950s the process of deinstitutionalization was very common, this film being in the 1960s did not show any signs of this whereas people were being more encouraged to check into a mental institution instead of them being shut …show more content…
I believe that the job of being a nurse in Girl, Interrupted would have been much easier and rewarding. The allowance of interaction between nurses and patients would have made working at Claymore a much more enjoyable and rewarding job, and one that you would see improvement first hand. Being a nurse at the hospital at One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest appeared that it would have been much more challenging. The nurses shown there were much more task oriented then trying to interact with patients or stimulate different methods of treatment. The home-like feel of Claymore compared to that of a prison-like feel gave the impression of a much healthier work environment and one that promoted