“I write only because there’s a voice within me that will not be still.” – Sylvia Plath
Understanding Depression
In clinical psychology, depression is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders. Major depressive disorder affects about 280 million individuals worldwide (WHO, 2023). It is a complex condition that impacts not just our emotions but also our thoughts, feelings, and even the way our bodies react. Its symptoms include sad mood or loss of interest and pleasure (anhedonia), changes in sleep and appetite, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and suicidal ideation (APA, 2013).
Depression frequently results from a combination of significant life stressors, social isolation, attachment problems, and early traumatic events. The life of Sylvia Plath serves as an example of how these factors can interact to significantly affect mental health. Her despair can be seen in her poetry and most notably, her novel The Bell Jar, which exposes her emotional and mental challenges.
Sylvia Plath: The Roots of Her Depression
Sylvia Plath is a significant poet and writer who has left a lasting impact on literature. The difficulties she experienced throughout her life led her into a deep depression. At the age of eight, she loses her father, which had a profound and long-lasting effect on her emotional growth. Losing a parent early in life frequently affects how people develop attachments and control their feelings in later life. As a result of this loss, Plath has unresolved grief and a sense of emotional detachment. In her poetry, she often expresses longing for her father.
“I was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die.”
She has a complex relationship with her mother, Aurelia Plath, who adopts a controlling parenting style. Sylvia’s lack of maternal affection creates a distance between them, making Sylvia feel lonely. Another major psychological risk factor in Plath’s life is perfectionism. In her academic life, she feels inadequate when she fails since she bases her self-worth almost entirely on her academic performance and external approval. Perfectionism shaped by environmental expectations is a significant factor contributing to the increase in depressive symptoms (Hewitt et al., 1996).
Marriage is another breaking point. Learning of her husband’s infidelity seriously undermines her confidence and leaves her feeling helpless and vulnerable to hopelessness. Sylvia attempts suicide several times and experiences repeated relapses throughout her life, making depression a recurring struggle for her.
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath’s book The Bell Jar is among the strongest literary representations of depression. It is more than just a book; it is a universal symbol. The bell jar in the book is a metaphor for Plath’s internal conflicts and depression. It creates the sensation of feeling trapped and distant, like life behind an invisible glass. The jar isolates her while providing protection from the outside.
Just like Plath, a lot of people who suffer from depression find it difficult to connect to their loved ones and their environment for the same reasons, feeling as though some invisible barrier keeps them from living life entirely.
Plath continues to write poetry even during her deepest depressive periods, but this cannot alleviate her inner darkness. She commits suicide at the age of thirty. Her story is a painful reminder that untreated severe depression can be life-threatening.
Conclusion
Like Sylvia, everyone who experiences depression may feel isolated and trapped. Knowing that we are not alone in our “bell jar” and asking for help when necessary are crucial. Because it is possible to breathe again and hold on to life.
How do you deal with the pain when you’re trapped in your own “bell jar”? Which feelings do you try to avoid, and why?
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., & Ediger, E. (1996). Perfectionism and depression: longitudinal assessment of a specific vulnerability hypothesis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105(2), 276.
World Health Organization. (2023, March 31). Depression. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression