PSYC101 class paper

Discussion Questions for

Girl Interrupted by KAYSEN

PICK TWO QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. YOUR ANSWER IS TO BE TYPED AS A FORMAL PAPER (300 Words per question). ATTACH THE SCORING SHEET TO THE FRONT OF YOUR PAPER. MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS ON THE SCORING SHEET.

1) Discuss the Kaysen's symptoms that indicated she needed help. Are these severe enough that she needed to be hospitalized?

2) Describe how the hospital experience was both helpful and unhelpful to Susanna.

3) Have you ever known anyone like any of the characters at McLean? That is, someone had some of the symptoms of the people in McLean. Which ones? Compare and contrast the person you know with the character in the book.

4) Did this story change your feelings in any way about people with mental disorders or who have been hospitalized? Use examples from the book to justify your answer. Discuss Kaysen's view about the stigma of mental illness.

5) We can often find aspects of ourselves in another's story - even someone with mental illness. What aspects do you share with Susanna (it doesn't have to be as extreme as hers). Be specific in identifying the behaviors, thought processes or developmental tasks.