What mental disorder was Little Edie suffering from? - Grey Gardens (1975) Discussion

[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

she was suffering from over dramatizing for the cameras, she loved being filmed.

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[–] wnnipooh 13 years ago

LOL Lilypad..... Your are so correct...
She was quite intelligent.

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[–] sfviewer123 11 years ago

Intelligence and mental illness are in no way mutually exclusive.

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[–] classics_guy 9 years ago

I don't think she was crazy at all. she had dreams that didn't come true. she was born into wealth and didn't want a regular life. marriage or 'regular' jobs. she wanted to be a singer and actress more than anything. that she would not work didn't make her crazy. she just didn't seem as years went by know how to or want have an everyday life.
she was naturally eccentric even as a young woman. I think she was pretty strong spirited or as she put it. A staunch woman. after all she held her own after mother died. living for another two years in that big old house. alone except the Company of animals and no doubt memories of her life of 25 years with mother. also she made sure that house would not be demolished by waiting for the right person to buy it. she didn't like East Hampton and hated the country. yet she waited and made her break when the right person came along to give her the money she needed all the while saving Grey Gardens.
imagine how lonely she must have been. yet she Persevered. and went on to have somewhat of the 'fame' she craved. she wasn't a recluse after all. and lilypad. she was indeed 'acting' for the cameras. she was having a great time. I admire both women really. they both stuck it out to get what they wanted. had they had more help. that house wouldn't have fallen apart. but it does take money to keep up a 28 room mansion.
seems Jackie O only came to their rescue because of the negative publicity she probably got for not helping them.

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[–] chas437 9 years ago

She suffered from a mountain of regret. The conversation they had about Little Edie's opportunities for marriage went right to the point.

Little Edie was wondering what if, while Big Edie said, 'you didn't want it at the time', that how it goes...

I'll take Punctuality

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[–] classics_guy 9 years ago

Right. she no more mentally ill than the rest of us chickens.
she entertained herself. what's wrong with that? if you don't like the parties your invited to and or no one wants to come to your party. have your own party and entertain yourself. it's just called survival.

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[–] SparklingLily 13 years ago

Well, she was certainly narcissistic. I think this may have crippled her relationships with people because her extravagantly bizarre behavior probably seemed too much for most people she met and it looks as if she grew increasingly more so as the years went by.

Both of them clearly had some kind of a break with reality. I know this seems debatable to some of the posters but it wasn't "marching to the beat of their own drum" or "not caring what others thought" to live in squalor as they did. Another poster mentioned hoarding, which I definitely agree with to some extent. What makes the behavior so odd is that Little Edie does take care of herself and in one scene in trying to decorate a bedroom and show off her collection and at the same time she is trying to make things nice she is stepping over garbage, feces, and trying to hang pictures she thinks are pretty on filthy walls.

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

" I think this may have crippled her relationships with people because her extravagantly bizarre behavior probably seemed too much for most people she met and it looks as if she grew increasingly more so as the years went by."

lavendar,
when little edie left gg, she was very popular with everyone she met.
she attended parties very often, spoke at museums and went to openings as often as she could fit them in.

she was a very interesting person who was knowledgeable on many subjects as she had many interests. people thoroughly enjoyed her.

maybe you should do some reading about her?

the hoarding is a joke, what did they hoard? they owned almost nothing.

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[–] SparklingLily 13 years ago

I mean her behavior when she was younger. It's never clarified as to exactly why she returned home just that it was more of a to be cared for than care for situation. Maybe nerves? I haven't thoroughly researched. I'm sure it was something fairly 'common' (I hesitate to use that word) it's just that these days a slight anti-depressant or anxiety pill can work wonders for people that were deemed 'crazy' years ago.

I don't mean hoarding in the sense of amassing tons of things, but not throwing out empty boxes or empty tins of food and just piling them up in a room. Also, it was clear what they did have was not going anywhere even if it was filthy, soiled, matted or rotting.

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

"It's never clarified as to exactly why she returned home just that it was more of a to be cared for than care for situation. Maybe nerves?"

lavendar,
little edie returned home when gould left her mother. the money from mr. beale had run out and her mother was living at gg alone. her vision was poor and she had osteoporosis and had difficulty moving around. her mother had always had a constant companion so it was little edie's turn to be there. i believe they had a co dependent relationship.

little edie loved having the cameras there and played it up as much as she could. that's why she did all the dancing and singing, she loved the limelight!
she wasn't mentally ill, she loved having a chance to perform. the truth be told, neither of them were deemed to be mentally ill.

as far as the trash goes, they had no trash pickup as they couldn't afford it and no way of getting to the dump so the trash stayed. i personally wouldn't live that way but that was their choice.

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[–] Carolcan42 13 years ago

"little edie returned home when gould left her mother"

This is true.I have said it before, big Edie needed Edie to come and take care of her ,it was not the other way around.

...Grace beats Karma

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[–] ritamilo 11 years ago

I agree with you lilypad. My mother would have used the word "eccentric" to describe them, LOL.

One night I was channel surfing, and came across a Logo show called "The Big Gay Sketch Show" and they were doing a parody of GG. It was a skit in which GG was being renovated by Ty Pennington and his homemakover crew. I have to say that the sketch was brilliant - Christine Ebersole, I believe, played Little Edie to a T - down to the voice, inflections, range, and some lines from the doc were repeated verbatim. It was one of the best parodies I've seen in a long while.

I have the films, both GG and the Beales of GG, as well as the Jessica Lange film. Also got Lois Wright's book and am always searching for a used copy of a couple of other books about them - but boy are they costly!

English MA: Symbolism/my life. "Truth vs the world" - Boudicca of the Iceni

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[–] lilypad183 11 years ago

"Also got Lois Wright's book and am always searching for a used copy of a couple of other books about them - but boy are they costly!"

ritamilo,
i love lois' book and i have all the rest of the books. eva beale's book is the most expensive but i got a good deal when i preordered it on amazon.

you might keep an eye for the books on ebay, once in a while i see a good deal there.

i sent you a pm.

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[–] ritamilo 11 years ago

Lilypad, another great book source that I use a lot is abebooks.com. I am such a brat though - I access my shopping sites via mrrebates.com because they give you a small rebate on anything you purchase from the vendor who subscribe. Abebooks purchases usually get me 4% back so when I want to find something rare, I look there. Barnes & Noble used to be part of it, but stopped earlier this year - and HSN and QVC are part of it, and since I am such an armchair shopper, I do quite well.

I have found a couple of books on abebooks. When I searched Amazon and B&N and eBay, the books were more costly. I'm always on the hunt tho!

English MA: Symbolism/my life. "Truth vs the world" - Boudicca of the Iceni

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[–] LetThemEatCake01 8 years ago

C'mon, they were definitely hoarders. Most hoarders are poor.

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[–] noveltylibrary 8 years ago

the hoarding was a joke? i guess you never saw the pic with the giant mountain of cat food cans in their dining room. and i mean GIANT. how anyone can say mental illness was not a factor i'll never understand.

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[–] Satan2016 13 years ago

Narcissist or Schizotypal personality disorder. The pacific northwest if full of people like this, many homeless or on welfare. Nobody makes documentaries about obscure loons, just famous ones.

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

"Narcissist or Schizotypal personality disorder."

darth,
oh really? are you a ph.d or psychiatrist who has examined little edie?

fyi- narcissism is not a mental illness.

you might want to know there are docs about eccentric people who are not famous. the edie's weren't known by anyone until the doc was released to a limited number of viewers. most people still have never heard of them.

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[–] steeler33 13 years ago

They both showed signs of mental illness, so the evidence is there.

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

"They both showed signs of mental illness, so the evidence is there.

steeler,
congrats on not only receiving your ph.d and medical degrees but also having had the opportunity to thoroughly examine both edies to have diagnosed them!

wishing you continued success!

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[–] steeler33 13 years ago

Do you really have to be a doctor to see if someone is mentally ill or not?

Or if you aren't a doctor, how can you say they aren't crazy?

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

"Do you really have to be a doctor to see if someone is mentally ill or not?"

steeler,
doctors don't "see" and diagnose, they study, test and come to a conclusion. no one can see a person in a movie and diagnose her.

"Or if you aren't a doctor, how can you say they aren't crazy?"

i'm not a doctor, i haven't studied psychology or psychiatry after years of medical school. i can't compare anyone against any training.

how do you know the edies weren't putting on performances for the movie?
they both loved the cameras, both loved the attention so they could easily have set everything up themselves.

would you want me to dispute your years of training and experience as a police officer?

i don't think it's fair to the edies or to trained professionals to diagnose them without professional expertise.

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[–] steeler33 13 years ago

Fine, then you can't say they aren't crazy either.

If I watch a video/documentary of someone who is drunk, has down syndrome, has poison Ivy, has turretts syndrome, is blind/deaf, or whatever, I cannot have any professional opinion to determine if any of the above is true. But even the average educated American can make an educated guess and form an opinion to the above situations.

So my non-professional, non educated guess is that these women had some sort of mental illness. I base this on the fact that people that I have run into who acted very similar (clutter in house, animal hoarders, non payment of bills/taxes, feces in living space) have been diganosed with mental illness by doctors that I have also talked too and have explained to me, and the fact that just by watching TV shows like Hoarders etc, and seeing the medical professionals explain the symptoms of mental illnesses to the viewers.

Sure if they were acting and the movie was some sort of stunt they could have been perfectly sain. I highly doubt that.

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[–] ElectricKoolaidAcid 13 years ago

Narcissism is, indeed, a mental disorder- it's classified in the DSM-IV as a "personality disorder." So Lily- you are wrong on that account, although we don't know for sure if Edie actually had a PD or was just a general narcissist of a lesser extreme; like many people in Hollywood for example.

I believe the two Edies were just very eccentric, as well as co-dependent on each other. Neither of them appears to have any mood disorder- I mean I know I WOULD if I couldn't leave my mother's side for two seconds without her screaming out my name! Little Edie obviously had a good head on her shoulders to remain so content under such constraints, and I don't think she could have acted that nonchalant just for the cameras's sake either.

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[–] RadBren13 13 years ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

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[–] lilypad183 13 years ago

"Narcissism is, indeed, a mental disorder- it's classified in the DSM-IV as a "personality disorder.""

hunter,
i think you need to do some research, a personality disorder is not a mental disorder. look it up!

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[–] ElectricKoolaidAcid 13 years ago

I think YOU need to do some research and realize that anything even LISTED in the DSM-IV is, indeed, listed there because it is a MENTAL DISORDER DIAGNOSTICS MANUAL meant for not only diagnosis and treating, but insurance codes!

*Palm to the face*

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[–] wilkiepooh101 13 years ago

Just wondering if this is your real name?
Not to be rude,but why are you being so...rude.people are just expressing their opinions!
I have the doc., and the movie....what did you think of the portrayals by these two fine actresses?

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[–] ElectricKoolaidAcid 13 years ago

If you are directing this question to me, which I doubt you are but nonetheless, no my IMDB name is obviously not my real one LOL yeah I wish it was but not many woman named "Hunter," let alone dead authors....as for your other question I'm not being rude but this LillyPAD has not responded to me since then because SHE KNOWS I AM CORRECT when it comes to the DSM-IV. She probably never even heard of it in her life, yet she comes here acting like she's some professional psychology doctorate LMAO which is sad because I'm not being rude; I obviously just shut her up about the fact that Narcissism PD is an actual disorder even claimed on insurance billing codes to provide therapy to individuals (with health insurance) suffering from it.

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[–] via-284-894567 12 years ago

I have an ex-friend who has narcissistic personality disorder. We met in high school. After 30 years I got back in touch with her, and the tendencies she showed as a young woman were now full-blown disorders. She would call me up, start with a fake question about me, then gab on for three hours about her problems. There was never a place in the conversation when she would pause enough for me to say, well, I gotta go. In texting, I could reply but she never took my advice. She would just call up or IM me with the same old complaints. I finally had to end the friendship when my personal problems became so overwhelming that there was no space for me to extend further empathy to this sad person. I explained to her long-time BF why I had to do what I did. He understood, and he and I are still friends.

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[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

Personality disorders ARE mental disorders.

A man chases a woman until she catches him

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[–] Mrs_Mills 12 years ago

I think there are several things to consider here. Growing up as Society women (if that is the right term) neither women would have been used to housework as they would have been accustomed to having servants clean and prepare their meals for them. That could explain their squalor and their reluctance to do much about it. Regardless of their economic circumstances they would have still viewed themselves as 'aristocrats' and therefore chores like 'cleaning and cooking' would have been both alien and beneath them.

Secondly, having lived in a withdrawn, isolated state, for the last twenty odd years (maybe even more) before the Maylses filmed them it is not suprising that they would come across as odd, eccentric, etc. Certainly they were both completely out of touch by the 1970s and seemed to behave and live on their memories of the 30s, 40s & 50s.

I didn't think that either of them had mental disorders. To a certain extent we are all products of our environments, and because of their isolation and withdrawal from the World they both seemed stuck in the past. The conversation reflects this.

In Kidman's case, it's nice to see her lately immovable forehead participating in her performance - Rabbit Hole Review, Variety.

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[–] Borowczyk76 10 years ago

The environment can most definitely be behind specific disorders. We've got a 79 year old lady who lives with her unmarried 56 year old daughter, she has clearly been quite domineering and she still treats her daughter that way. The both come from high society, they both live in the past, both are completely out of touch with reality, they crave attention (especially little edie), they still see themselves as superior because of their lineage and fancy acquaintances, both are obsessed with the way they look and try to pass themselves off as posh.

I never met Adolf Hitler and yet he is recognized as numero uno NPD. The disorder is not always clear cut and easily detectable, most NPD present themselves as charming and can be actually nice, but it will all be a show, wether they realize it or not.

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[–] ellethekitty 11 years ago

I have extensive experience with mental illness, both in educational and clinical settings. Its clear that they suffer from mental illness, not just eccentricity. Or being dramatic, although those latter things may also be true.

I wouldn't say they are crazy. would say they show signs of clear psychiatric disorders that have an impact on their relationships with others as well as their lifestyle. How Mentally ill someone is, however, is both a matter of the manifestation of behaviors they display, and how it impacts their lives. Some people are able to be ill and to function well. Whether or not these two are functioning well is ...debatable. If they are happy and not impacting anyone else, then its possible that their illness is irrelevant. But I think its definable and clearly evident.

Its interesting how people, often meaning well, try to deny mental illness in others. Ted Kaczynski's (the unibomer)brother asked his parents what was wrong with his brother, when growing up, and his mother said, there was "nothing" wrong with him. That he was "just different."

The instinct to not want to "stigmatize" people by labeling them as mentally ill, is a decent instinct. However, I have also found that having a label has helped me, personally, to understand more clearly why my experiences seem different from others.

People should consider that rather than have a black and white view of mental illness and its labels, that there are shades of grey. And it okay to acknowledge disordered behavior and thinking without saying that that means someone is "crazy" or "not crazy," but that they fit a pattern that may have certain characteristics and may (or may not) need treatment

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[–] Borowczyk76 10 years ago

God you're a dickk! You must be frikking BLIND not to see that these have serious mental issues. Maybe not an illness, but without a doubt a disorder. If you would get off your ass to read about these issues, you wouldn't act all high and mighty. In fact, it makes you look like an ignoramus and a douchebag. Congratulations!

Now why don't you take some time to read up on personality disorders and then come back and tell me that little edie is not suffering from one or more of these disorders. Ah screw it, you're probably too dumb to bother. Clearly, she is suffering from either Narcissist Personality Disorder or Histrionic Personality Disorder. Don't just look at the DSM-IV criteria, check what kind of behaviour those disorders can cause in individuals, research other famous people with these disorders, compare and then come back.

I don't have to be an architect to know that the leaning tower of Pisa is not straight. Do I have to explain myself more?

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[–] ellethekitty 11 years ago

I have studied and experienced mental illness and I would say that they, especially Edie, show features of definable mental illness. That doesn't mean she is not "okay" as she is, or that she is crazy.
and "fyi" the person who wrote "Narcissist or Schizotypal personality disorder."
was saying "Narcissist Personality Disorder or Schizotypal personality disorder" and both ARE psychiatric conditions. She may be mugging for the cameras and fooling around, but I would say she appear to be MORE than eccentric.
And that's fine. There is nothing wrong with being either eccentric or impaired, necessarily. But denying mental illness is as wrong as trying to stigmatize those who suffer from it.

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[–] northernlad 10 years ago

Lilypad, you're wrong about the narcissism not being a mental illness. There is a disorder called classic narcissistic personality disorder. Look it up. I'm a registered nurse and we studied it heavily for a semester. Get your facts straight before you go bullying people around on the internet. YOU do the research.

Oh and Little Edie certainly exhibits the traits of that disorder.

Life ain't easy when you're a Froot Loop in a world full of Cheerios.

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[–] willard86 10 years ago

Since NPD is a personality disorder, it is classified on a totally different axis than mental disorders. A mental disorder affects thinking and behavior, but a personality disorder affects development on a level that a mental disorder doesn't reach. No one here was saying NPD wasn't a disorder, just that it isn't considered a mental one. It's a personality or character one.

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[–] hannibalsrequiem 13 years ago

They are not crazy. They are eccentric and they aren't afraid to be themselves.

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[–] conspirator52 11 years ago

Nonsense, they BOTH had mental health problems, people don't live like that by choice unless they see it as 'normal' to do so. Sleeping in a bed covered in cat feces and urine and finding it comical that the cat is going the toilet behind a picture that is 1 meter away from where you sleep are blatant indicators, Edie also as she is an enabler.

Edie moved back because her mother asked her to when all had fell apart from her marriage. I do believe her mother blocked potential suitors for Edie also as she seemed the type to do so.

Always talking down to Edie, telling her she should have been married and had children when its clearly obvious her mother probably scared most of the people off anyway.

The way they talked across each other I found grating to be honest, its usually a sign of confidence but as both of their vocal pitches merged I really struggled.

Now imagine wanting marry the daughter and having to sit through that.

The birthday scene was also very uncomfortable as neither of the guests knew how to conduct themselves in the presence of the 2 ladies.

It was a fascinating insight into people barely managing to exist, Edie feeling trapped and pretty much secretly wanting her mother to die so she can have some sense of normality in her life again.

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[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 13 years ago

Lilypad is being ridiculous, I think it's safe to say that they both clearly had some issues that needed sorting out. I'm not saying they were psychopathic nuts, but I think that Edie was a bit delusional. They were both extreme eccentrics as well, and recluses at that. I don't think either of them were clinically insane, but they were definitely off-kilter.

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[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

If Little Edie was suffering from a mental disorder we didn't see it on camera. She was certainly eccentric and the way the pair of them lived is not viewed as healthy. Then again different strokes for different people.

The DVD extras includes and interview with Albert Maysles who remarks that the doc opens the door on the most 'profound' relationship - that of mother and daughter. I think Mrs Beale's clinging to Edie was unhealthy for Edie, who seemed to have some awareness about this, but an inner inertia to try and separate from her mother. It's true that she plays at being a little girl as she remarked she felt in the house of her mother.

A man chases a woman until she catches him

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[–] metalmaharani 12 years ago

OCD. There is a lot that can go with that or fall under that umbrella. Also, two sufferers together ( big and little Edie) can cause an even more unique blend of OCD and other behavioral disorders. Between the two of them there appeared to be Agoraphobia, Hoarding, and maybe some PTSD.

That's not to say there wasn't some good 'ol eccentric flair mixed in... But as far as mental disorders are concerned, it's the aforementioned disorders you are seeing on screen and reading in articles.

:)

A paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her

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[–] lilypad183 12 years ago

"Between the two of them there appeared to be Agoraphobia, Hoarding, and maybe some PTSD."

metqal,
little edie went out fairly often, big edie had great difficulty walking.

what were they hoarding? the house was almost empty.

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[–] metalmaharani 12 years ago

Do a little Internet research. All of the disorders I mentioned are by no means black and white. And they aren't only the stuff you see on television. I have all of the things, so that's where I am coming up with this. I actually had a therapy assignment to watch this movie for that very reason. :)

A paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her

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[–] lilypad183 12 years ago

"Do a little Internet research."

metal,
i don't need to do research on the internet, i've read plenty about the ladies.

i don't care about your issues, we are talking about the edies.

you didn't answer my question about hoarding.

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[–] metalmaharani 12 years ago

I didn't mean research the ladies. I meant to research the disorders. I didn't explain how they are hoarders because I don't care to. If you are unwilling to "do a little research" but still want to come argue with me, I'm done responding to you.

And by the way smart-alec, I only brought myself into it to establish where I was coming from and avoid any "do you have a PHD?" remarks.

A paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her

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[–] Carolcan42 12 years ago

The Beales were not hoarders . Big Edie was lazy if theres a fancy name for that I don't know it.Little Edie kept her own space clean but I think she had problems with "cleaning up her mothers mess".
I also believe many "hoarders" I have seen on the tv show HOARDERS are just plain lazy and go on there to get a free cleaning job.

...Grace beats Karma

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[–] metalmaharani 12 years ago

Wel you know... Everything you see on TV is true.

A paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her

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[–] lilypad183 12 years ago

"I didn't mean research the ladies. I meant to research the disorders."

metal,
i am very familiar with those conditions, i don't need to research as i don't have those issues.

how were they agoraphobic? little edie went out often, big edie wasn't able to walk much. those don't mean they were afraid to go out.

they weren't hoarders because they had nothing to hoard, they had sold anything of value.

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[–] wnnipooh 12 years ago

have to agree with tinlady and carolcan.

sorry metal...your wrong on this one! If anyone knows anything about the beales its tinlady.

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[–] metalmaharani 12 years ago

carol and pooh: We'll have to agree to disagree. :)

A paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her

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[–] ovpower 12 years ago

I don't know if there's an official name for the ailment, but I think living with all those cats will make you go insane. Show me a woman in a house full of cats and I'll show you a crazy lady.

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