Girl, Interrupted is a psychological drama released in 1999. Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie star in the lead roles. The film tells the story of Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) and her relationships with other patients in a psychiatric hospital during her 18-month stay. In this article, the movie is analyzed from a psychological perspective, including references to key scenes from the film.
A Fractured Beginning: Susanna’s Admission
Girl, Interrupted begins with Susanna Kaysen’s suicide attempt involving alcohol and painkillers. The seriousness of the situation leads to a psychiatric evaluation, after which she is admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. From the very beginning of the movie, Susanna appears confused, often mixing the past with the present. This detachment from reality is one of the central aspects of her character.
After her suicide attempt, she is initially told she may have bipolar disorder based on a clinical evaluation that considers her impulsive behaviors, emotional detachment, tendency to dwell on the past, and persistent feelings of emptiness. Later, her symptoms align more closely with borderline personality disorder.
Borderline personality disorder involves instability in self-image, emotions, and relationships, as well as impulsive behavior, chronic feelings of emptiness, and risk of self-harm or suicidal behavior (Leichsenring et al., 2023). It is difficult for Susanna to accept her condition and engage in treatment. The hospital environment and Lisa’s influence make it harder for her to gain a different perspective.
Daisy: Obsession, Shame, And Trauma
One of the patients introduced in the film is Daisy. Daisy shows behaviors that suggest obsessive–compulsive tendencies and eating-related problems.
Obsessive–compulsive disorder involves the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted and repetitive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress or anxiety, while compulsions are repeated behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce this distress or to feel a sense of control or completeness (Stein et al., 2019).
Daisy’s father regularly brings her chicken, which she hides under her bed. She does not want to eat anything other than chicken, yet when it arrives, she is unable to eat it. The film also implies that Daisy was abused by her father, a fact known by others in the hospital. Since her father owns a chicken restaurant, her relationship with food may be connected to her relationship with him. She seems to believe that this is how her father shows love.
In one short scene, Susanna enters Daisy’s room and notices that a small cat figurine is facing backward and turns it around. This moment may reflect Daisy’s shame regarding her relationship with her father and her discomfort with facing her experiences.
Daisy also exchanges some of her medication for Colace, possibly due to digestive problems or an attempt to eliminate substances from her body. Colace® is a laxative available in capsule form that contains docusate and is commonly used for the relief of occasional constipation (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).
Daisy’s character embodies the complex intersection between trauma, control, and self-punishment.
Janet: The Silent Battle With Anorexia
Another patient in the hospital is Janet. Janet displays behaviors consistent with anorexia nervosa and is focused on reaching an ideal weight.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by severe restriction of food intake, leading to significantly low body weight, along with an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image (Moore & Bokor, 2023).
When Janet sees Daisy leaving the hospital, she has an emotional breakdown, showing how difficult separation can be even for patients who seem accustomed to the institutional environment. The hospital becomes not only a treatment setting but also a psychological anchor. Leaving it may trigger anxiety about facing the outside world without protective containment.
Lisa: Antisocial Traits And Emotional Detachment
One of the most important characters in the film is Lisa. Lisa displays traits associated with sociopathic or antisocial behavior and frequently attempts to escape from the hospital.
After the suicide of her close friend Jamie, Lisa meets Susanna and places her in Jamie’s role, acting as if Susanna were Jamie. Her emotions and behaviors are unstable, and she shows little empathy toward others. Her cruel confrontation with Daisy during a period when Daisy was emotionally vulnerable illustrates this lack of empathy.
Antisocial or sociopathic personality traits are associated with breaking social rules, low empathy, and disregard for others’ feelings and responsibilities (Yunusova, 2025). Lisa’s charisma and intensity create both attraction and danger. She embodies rebellion, but also emotional emptiness.
In one significant scene, Susanna tells Lisa that Lisa is “already dead.” Later, when Lisa tells Susanna that she is not dead before Susanna leaves the hospital, it may suggest that Lisa has recognized a small sense of hope within herself. This moment captures the fragile boundary between psychological numbness and the possibility of emotional revival.
The Turning Point: Confronting Mortality
Daisy’s suicide becomes a breaking point for Susanna. Until that moment, Susanna’s relationship with death has been abstract, almost romanticized. Daisy’s death forces her to confront the irreversible reality of suicide.
This confrontation marks a shift. Susanna begins to move from passive identification with chaos toward active responsibility for her own healing. The hospital ceases to be merely confinement and becomes a space for self-reflection.
Conclusion: Chaos As A Mirror Of The Mind
To sum up, the psychological disorders portrayed in Girl, Interrupted provide a meaningful framework for observation. Many of these disorders exist quietly in everyday life and are not always visible.
The film does not present mental illness as a spectacle; rather, it reveals the fragile boundaries between identity, trauma, rebellion, and vulnerability. Through personal and emotional narratives, it invites viewers to look beyond diagnostic labels and see the human experience beneath them.
Films like Girl, Interrupted raise awareness and help society better understand mental illness by presenting it through lived, emotional realities. Chaos, in this sense, is not only destruction; it is also a space where identity is questioned, confronted, and sometimes rebuilt.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Colace® (docusate).
https://my.clevelandclinic.org
Stein, D. J., Costa, D. L. C., Lochner, C., Miguel, E. C., Reddy, Y. C. J., Shavitt, R. G., van den Heuvel, O. A., & Simpson, H. B. (2019).
Obsessive–compulsive disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5, 52.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0102-3
Moore, C. A., & Bokor, B. R. (2023).
Anorexia nervosa. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459148/
Yunusova, G. (2025).
Psychological analysis of the antisocial (sociopathic) personality.
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Leichsenring, F., Heim, N., Leweke, F., Spitzer, C., Steinert, C., & Kernberg, O. F. (2023).
Borderline personality disorder: A review. JAMA, 329(8), 670–679.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.0589