MovieChat Forums > Prozac Nation (2003) Discussion > Does this girl have BPD?

Does this girl have BPD?

posted 15 years ago by go-angel14
7 replies | jump to latest

Question: Does this girl have BPD? (Borderline Personality Disorder). That was my thoughts when I saw it...what do other people think?

[–] moo90210 14 years ago

That was my first thought when I saw this movie, I think she does.
They make it seem like she has depression in the movie with the facts about depression and being given antidepressents.
Even though they pursed the difficult subject of mental illness which is very interesting in my book, they definitley dropped the ball on this one.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] LextheXFile 14 years ago

In the book she is supposed to be bipolar, I think, but in this movie she definately acted like someone with BPD- I was expecting less Borderline behavior and more Bipolar behavior (like in "Mr. Jones"). I realize that SOME traits of BPD and Bipolar overlap, but she acted... really BPD and it bugged me. I don't think she seemed bpd because of the self injury- not all self injurers are BPD by a long shot (although yes, I know, some Borderlines cut!)- but her relationships with other people were very black and white, she got into rages very quickly, she tended to either idolize or demonize people (in my opinion)....

I think the BPD behavior is what made me dislike this. I had a neighbor who was BPD who I tried to help and it was impossible. I was expecting something a little less melodramatic and self-pitying and more about a kid with an axis 1 (not axis 2) disorder trying to get stable, but she didn't seem interested in getting better, only in complaining. Just my thoughts...

If I was Elizabeth Wurtzel and I WAS not BPD, I'd be pretty offended by this movie and how Wurtzel is portrayed.

"Man is a social animal who despises his fellow man" ~ Delacroix

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Yinky 14 years ago

I think the film makers were intentially vague about what exactly her diagosis is...maybe to reach a wider audience. In the book she seemed more bi-polar than BPD.

[–] ShrinkMD 14 years ago

My impression is that she's both depressed and has elements of an axis 2 disorder. The two often go hand in hand. BPD is characterized by many elements also seen in depression and she certainly shows evidence of emotional instability, self-destructive behavior, splitting and the need to be wanted (evidenced by the classic pattern of getting involved in very short-lived, very intense relationships). So yeah, I'd say she has characteristics of BPD, but it's not like she needs to have one or the other.

I read the book a long time ago so I may not remember all of the details correctly, but I don't recall thinking that her behavior was very bipolar. I don't remember her experiencing anything resembling a manic or hypomanic state; I do recall self-destructive behavior, emotional lability and splitting (everyone is either good or bad, etc). Nevertheless, I think the book was far more insightful and enjoyable than the movie. Wurtzel is a very talented writer with a keen sense for conveying her internal pain, something that I don't think was adequately explored in the movie.

[–] maximusveritas 11 years ago

I realize this is an old thread, but I was surprised no one else pointed this out and people were calling her bipolar instead. It seemed pretty clear she had almost textbook BPD, likely in addition to a depressive disorder.