Susanna Kaysen wrote a memoir of her life as a patient in McLean Hospital due to her
Borderline personality disorder. At the tender age of 18, Kaysen went through trials and tribulations common to the average person her age. However, her disorder complicated this “average teen” lifestyle tremendously. After a traumatic incident, Susanna made the strong decision to better herself by admitting herself to the McLean Hospital for the mentally ill. Susanna Kaysen shifts from internal confusion to personal acceptance through her attempted suicide, encounters with other patients, and internal conflicts, verifying her later self-acceptance.
Susanna’s suicide is the first adult turning point in her life because she decides to be self admitted, in order to better herself. In early 1967, Susanna purposely swallowed 50 aspirin tablets, then called her boyfriend at the time and told him what she had done. A short time later, Susanna remembered that her mother asked her to pick up some milk from the store. She forgot about the aspirin and drove to the grocery store to buy the items requested. After picking up the milk, Susanna had to pass the deli inside the market to get to the check or register.…show more content… Close friends such as Daisy, Polly, Cynthia, Georgina and Lisa helped her come to terms with herself and all of her faults. The girls found comfort in each other through their disorders. Susanna often questioned methods of treatment towards her such as “brain vs. mental treatment” and developed serious paranoia. One time, she thought she “lost her bones” and demanded the doctors to perform an X-Ray on her so she could see for herself. She also has difficulties understanding what it feels like to be “healthy” and “normal” in a right state of mind.
After Susanna’s attempted suicide and admission to McLean Hospital, things start
