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Quote by Susanna Kaysen

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Girl, Interrupted

The story delves into the psychological and emotional journey of a young woman admitted to a psychiatric facility, offering insights into mental health and the complexities of human nature. more

Author

Susanna Kaysen
Susanna Kaysen

Susanna Kaysen is an American author best known for her autobiographical novel 'Girl, Interrupted,' which is based on her own experiences at the McLean Hospital psychiatric ward in the early 1960s. more

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“When you go into the psych ward, you can’t have anything with you except colored pencils. You can’t have any electronics. If you have a drawstring on your pants, a belt, shoelaces, a hood, or extra-long fabric, your very clothes are ripped off your back. They search you with a metal detector like you’re a criminal, doing everything short of putting their hand up your butt. Before you go through those cold, automatic, barred doors, you know your life is not your own. This is especially true during the first week, while you stare at florescent lighting and wait impatiently for your meds to kick in. I wish I had remembered the psych ward prison cell a week ago. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t be wearing this hospital gown that they gave me until I can get more compliant clothes.”

PsychologyMemoirBook QuotesPainful MemoriesMental Health StigmaPsych Ward
Book:Trace The Grace: A Memoir
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“They stared with asperity Yet kindness in hearts The eyes told stories That carried pain, so strong it turned wrinkles strong, the knuckles weak with agony, and the forehead perspire. Their minds were tired I told them I'm tired too, you know? I've tried... We've tried too...they say So we cry in silence Our hearts bond in the dark Yet a light bonds us From a source unknown From I do not know where But I bow in wonder We hold hands And smile, for the first time since years, This time I cry in jubilation They join, and we watch the stars in our dreams Constellations they form We fall asleep in wonder. - Inked Confessions: The Untold Psych Ward Letters”

Poetry LifePsych Ward
Author:Fathima Valliyangal
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“For it is not only lethargy alone which causes human relationships to repeat themselves in the same old way with such unspeakable monotony in instance after instance; it is the fearful shying away from any kind of new, unforseeable experience which we think we may not be equal to. But only someone who is ready for anything and rules nothing out, not even the most enigmatic things, will experience the relationship with another person as a living thing and will himself live his own existence to the full. For imagining an individual's existence as a larger or smaller room reveals to us that most people are only acquainted with one corner of their particular room, a place by the window, a little area to pace up and down. That way, they have a certain security.”

SecurityExperienceOppenness
Book:Letters to a Young Poet
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