"Girl, Interrupted"
08/14/23 • 49 min
Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we are analyzing the '90s movie "Girl, Interrupted" based on the memoir by Susanna Kaysen. This film depicts two years of a young adult woman's life at McLean Hospital in the 1960s where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This episode analyzes everything from why it's so hard to talk about BPD, psychoanalytic vs behavioral treatment methods, the deinstitutionalization movement, antipsychotics, and our opinions about Angelina Jolie's portrayal of sociopathy. We hope you enjoy!
[00:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Fieri, a psychiatrist.
[00:12] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.
[00:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.
[00:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.
[00:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: There is so much misinformation out there and it drives us nuts.
[00:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.
[00:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.
[00:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.
[00:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: And your DSM Five and enjoy. We get started with this episode. We just wanted to add a trigger warning. Some of this content could be disturbing to listen to. We're talking about the film Girl Interrupted, and there are some themes of suicide, disordered eating, and I would say institutional traumatization. So again, if any of these themes hit too close to home or could potentially be damaging, please feel free to skip this episode and join us again next time. Otherwise, enjoy. Hi, thanks for joining us. Today we are going to talk about the hit movie Girl Interrupted. A real blast from the past from my favorite decade, the 90s. This movie is based on the 1993 memoir by Susannah Casey, who wrote about two years of her life spent at McClain Hospital in the 1960s in Massachusetts, where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Portia so when I recommended we covered this movie, I totally didn't remember the plot. I don't actually know if I saw the whole thing. I was just like, oh yeah, there's a movie with Angelina Jolie and she got an Oscar and it's probably really good. I totally forgot that the main character was diagnosed with Bpd, which I actually think is great for us to talk about because we've alluded to this diagnosis and some of our other know, I'm thinking like, what about Bob Succession White Lotus? And I still find that this is a tricky diagnosis to talk about with patients to explain to patients to explain to other. I thought, you know, Winona Ryder's character like, did a great job being like, what is it? On the borderline of what? What are you talking about? Right?
[02:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And at the time, though, this was newish. Marsha Linehan hadn't written her book yet on DBT.
[02:47] Dr. Katrina Furey: I don't even think there was DBT yet. Thinking about the 1960s, I thought this film did a great job depicting what it probably was like to be psychiatrically hospitalized in the 60s, which is so different from what it's like today. Place that is very true. So this film was filmed at Harrisburg State Hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was filmed in 1999, but it was based on McLean Hospital, which is probably the number one psychiatric hospital in our country for a long time. I think it is affiliated with Harvard, and I think they do still have some longer term units like this, but you see a lot of treatment. You know, she goes to therapy many times a week. She's sitting on the couch. Her therapist is sitting behind her. Unfortunately falls asleep at one point, which I don't think actually happens in real life, but speaks to how she felt probably like there was a disconnect and you hear about how she's there for two years. That just doesn't happen anymore. But in the did, that was the treatment. People used to be admitted and stay for a really long time until in the mid 1960s, in the Reagan era, there was this big move not just in our country but internationally to deinstitutionalize patients, right? So sort of close down these long term hospitals which we called asylums and invest more in community mental health centers. And I think I don't know this for sure, but I believe that coincided with the invention of modern d...
Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we are analyzing the '90s movie "Girl, Interrupted" based on the memoir by Susanna Kaysen. This film depicts two years of a young adult woman's life at McLean Hospital in the 1960s where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This episode analyzes everything from why it's so hard to talk about BPD, psychoanalytic vs behavioral treatment methods, the deinstitutionalization movement, antipsychotics, and our opinions about Angelina Jolie's portrayal of sociopathy. We hope you enjoy!
[00:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Fieri, a psychiatrist.
[00:12] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.
[00:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.
[00:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.
[00:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: There is so much misinformation out there and it drives us nuts.
[00:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.
[00:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.
[00:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.
[00:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: And your DSM Five and enjoy. We get started with this episode. We just wanted to add a trigger warning. Some of this content could be disturbing to listen to. We're talking about the film Girl Interrupted, and there are some themes of suicide, disordered eating, and I would say institutional traumatization. So again, if any of these themes hit too close to home or could potentially be damaging, please feel free to skip this episode and join us again next time. Otherwise, enjoy. Hi, thanks for joining us. Today we are going to talk about the hit movie Girl Interrupted. A real blast from the past from my favorite decade, the 90s. This movie is based on the 1993 memoir by Susannah Casey, who wrote about two years of her life spent at McClain Hospital in the 1960s in Massachusetts, where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Portia so when I recommended we covered this movie, I totally didn't remember the plot. I don't actually know if I saw the whole thing. I was just like, oh yeah, there's a movie with Angelina Jolie and she got an Oscar and it's probably really good. I totally forgot that the main character was diagnosed with Bpd, which I actually think is great for us to talk about because we've alluded to this diagnosis and some of our other know, I'm thinking like, what about Bob Succession White Lotus? And I still find that this is a tricky diagnosis to talk about with patients to explain to patients to explain to other. I thought, you know, Winona Ryder's character like, did a great job being like, what is it? On the borderline of what? What are you talking about? Right?
[02:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And at the time, though, this was newish. Marsha Linehan hadn't written her book yet on DBT.
[02:47] Dr. Katrina Furey: I don't even think there was DBT yet. Thinking about the 1960s, I thought this film did a great job depicting what it probably was like to be psychiatrically hospitalized in the 60s, which is so different from what it's like today. Place that is very true. So this film was filmed at Harrisburg State Hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was filmed in 1999, but it was based on McLean Hospital, which is probably the number one psychiatric hospital in our country for a long time. I think it is affiliated with Harvard, and I think they do still have some longer term units like this, but you see a lot of treatment. You know, she goes to therapy many times a week. She's sitting on the couch. Her therapist is sitting behind her. Unfortunately falls asleep at one point, which I don't think actually happens in real life, but speaks to how she felt probably like there was a disconnect and you hear about how she's there for two years. That just doesn't happen anymore. But in the did, that was the treatment. People used to be admitted and stay for a really long time until in the mid 1960s, in the Reagan era, there was this big move not just in our country but internationally to deinstitutionalize patients, right? So sort of close down these long term hospitals which we called asylums and invest more in community mental health centers. And I think I don't know this for sure, but I believe that coincided with the invention of modern d...
Previous Episode
"Barbie"
Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we are thrilled to analyze Greta Gerwig's BILLION DOLLAR HIT "Barbie." We analyze the film's smart, timely, and campy explorations of femininity and masculinity. We loved exploring Barbie's evolution through a developmental lens and decided that therapists are basically "weird Barbies" helping our patients grow into their most authentic selves. We loved the sprinkling in of so many dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) principles, and the tender moments depicting evolving mother-daughter relationships. Plus, we could watch Ryan Gosling beach all day. We loved this movie and hope you enjoy this episode!
[00:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Furey, a psychiatrist.
[00:12] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.
[00:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.
[00:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.
[00:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: There is so much misinformation out there and it drives us nuts.
[00:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.
[00:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.
[00:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.
[00:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: And your DSM Five and enjoy. Welcome back to another episode of a podcast hosted by Two Wise Trees. If you didn't catch that reference, we are obviously talking about the new Greta Gerwig film, Barbie. And that was a line in the film at one point, and I just chuckled. Know, we have a podcast now and we're covering it. And we went to the movies all for this. And it was just funny.
[01:17] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And we are two trees basically rooted.
[01:20] Dr. Katrina Furey: Firmly into the ground.
[01:21] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Secure.
[01:22] Dr. Katrina Furey: Secure. Stable. Nourishing. With our branches.
[01:27] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Fruitful.
[01:27] Dr. Katrina Furey: Fruitful. Nice. With our branches just growing and blossoming into the sky where it takes us. I know it could have been a haiku. So anyway, we are really excited to talk about this film today. As it stands right now, we are filming or filming we are recording this episode in late July, and I checked the stats yesterday. Barbie has grossed already over $500 million worldwide.
[01:55] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That's incredible.
[01:55] Dr. Katrina Furey: Incredible. Especially because it's like double what Oppenheimer has grossed. We will also be covering that film a little later on. So that makes me really happy. Yeah, I was really excited when we went to the movies, Portia. And it was packed, packed, packed. Mostly women, but some men as well. And it was a matinee. We went at 01:00. And I just was like, see, Hollywood, you can make female driven material and you will still sell tickets.
[02:29] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Everyone was so excited. There was a ton of people wearing pink. It was just so fun. And I felt connected to people in theater.
[02:38] Dr. Katrina Furey: I know, right?
[02:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Which I feel like I've never well, I did when I saw the last Harry Potter.
[02:44] Dr. Katrina Furey: I was going to say Harry Potter.
[02:46] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Everyone was clapping, everyone dressed up. It was emotional.
[02:49] Dr. Katrina Furey: It was an experience. Right. And that's like the joy of going to the movies. And I think you had said to me that you hadn't seen a movie since before COVID and probably then two years before that. So long time. But totally, as you were saying that, it reminded me of when I would go see Harry Potter with my friends, like in high school and yeah, it was like a whole event. And this is totally what that felt like. We were a little bummed that there wasn't the Barbie box.
[03:17] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, I think it's because we weren't.
[03:20] Dr. Katrina Furey: In a major city.
[03:22] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. Or even just like a big mega theater, because I know some people who went in another part of our state and they did have the box, but it was like a big complex, like.
[03:32] Dr. Katrina Furey: Next to a mall, all that stuff. Yeah, well, it was still great.
[03:36] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I was bummed. Sorry.
[0...
Next Episode
"She's The Man"
Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we are discussing "She's the Man," a 2006 film starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Did you know this movie is based on the Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night?" This is arguably one of Amanda Bynes' best performances. She is hilarious, captivating and witty. We discuss gender identity and sexuality at great lengths in this episode. Dr. Furey provides us with some medical facts about sex organs and we talk about where a person can fall on the gender expression spectrum. You don't want to miss this one, we hope you enjoy!
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Fieri, a psychiatrist.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: There is so much misinformation out there, and it drives us nuts.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And your DSM five, and enjoy.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Welcome back to another episode of Analyze Scripts. We are so excited to be covering the movie she's the man, which came out in 2006 and starred Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Whoa. I'd never seen this movie before. It's almost 20 years old. Isn't that crazy to think about?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I've seen it many times.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: That's interesting. Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Like, loved it. One of my favorite movies from, like, teenhood.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Nice. I think this is, again, where I feel really old, but that's okay. So, this movie was based on a play by Shakespeare the 12th night. Right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So I didn't know that until I did research for this podcast episode.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Because we're professional.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. Because we want to plan things out. But apparently it's based on the Shakespeare's play, and it's about even by name. Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, they're shipwrecked. They believe that each other drowned. So Viola disguises herself as a young man in order to get a job as a servant for Duke, the Duke of what is it? Or Sino. And it's, like, funny because Duke is played by Tatum. So I had no idea that there were all these references to this.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right, right. And I think it's just interesting. Right. Like, a girl dressing up as a boy, how that has been in culture and society forever. Right. Really interesting to talk about this movie now, just, again, in the political climate of today and everything going on in terms of gender identity.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. So we see. Amanda Bynes did a lot of work at this time in some other movies that I absolutely loved. One of them, she goes to, I think, like, England or something to find her long last dad, and then she's absolutely a gem. So she was 20 when this was filmed. Channing Tatum was 26, which I think.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Is we always kind of laugh at.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: People who play high school role.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right. They were totally in high school. Yeah. And he was 26. Yeah. It was funny to see Channing Tatum as, like, a youngster and just be like, he really bulked up for magic Mike. Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: This was even pre, like, the dance movies, not magic. Step up. Step.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yep. And I did find it hard to watch. I'll be Amanda Bynes, like, in her quote unquote prime, given what we sort of have seen happen to her. And again, we're not here to offer any thoughts about someone's personal mental health issues, but I think, Portia, you were pointing out that she's 20 years old in this movie, and around age 24, things started to change for her, which we do see in terms of when women tend to develop significant mental health issues.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And something that I learned more recently as well is that Amanda Bynes actually really lobbied to have Channing Tatum in this role. And it was his first role where he was like a main character.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I think I did read that somewhe...
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