From Depression to Schizophrenia


Some of the behaviors currently accepted in modern society were considered Evil or possession in the 19th century. There are other behaviors that are still considered wrong even by today's standards. This story is a perfect example of the progression of a treatable condition, Depression, to a harder and almost impossible condition, Schizophrenia. If this story hadn't taken place in the year 1891, the reader would think; "Why didn't they use proper treatment?". Since it was conceived of in a simpler time, you can only imagine what types of treatments they tried for these poor inflicted individuals. Since psychology was such a new field, the treatments were often barbaric and more detrimental to the patient than leaving the condition alone. However hard it is to identify, Schizophrenia can progress from a simple neurosis to a complex psychosis if not identified and treated properly. As an example, in paragraph 9, there is mention of a slight nervous depression. Then in paragraph 36, there is paranoia of getting caught. Finally, in paragraph 79 she feels like she is caught doing something she shouldn't. This ebb and tide happens about three times in the story. I do not believe that the author is a reliable narrator considering her condition. At the time that this story was written, the narrator and her husband are unaware of her real condition. They only think the author is in severe need of bed rest. This may have been the case in the beginning, but as the story progressed the narrator started seeing things in the wallpaper and felt paranoia whenever talking with her husband and his sister. Had this been identified and the proper changes made, the author would have most likely had a full recovery from the original condition. There are reasons that...