Sometimes the Only Way to Stay Sane Is to Go a Little Crazy

Name ______Hour______

Girl Interrupted

Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy.

Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp.

Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live.

Line by Lisa, from “Resume” by Dorothy Parker

For each of the following characters in the movie, list their symptoms and then make a diagnosis. Yours may differ from that given in the movie.

Susanna (main character) - Winona Ryder

Symptoms______

Diagnosis______

Lisa (wild child) - Angelina Jolie

Symptoms______

Diagnosis______

Georgina (liar) - Clea Du Vall

Symptoms______

Diagnosis______

Daisy (daddy’s chicken) - Brittany Murphy

Symptoms______

Diagnosis______

Polly (burn victim) - Elisabeth Moss

Symptoms______

Diagnosis______

Discuss what each of the following mental health professionals did right and what they did wrong in their treatment of Susanna and the other girls.

Dr. Sonia Wick (primary therapist) - Vanessa Redgrave

Right______

Wrong______

Dr. Melvin Potts (bald guy) - Jeffrey Tambor

Right______

Wrong______

Valarie Owens, RN - Whoopi Goldberg (everybody knows Whoopi)

Right______

Wrong______