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In the case of Deborah B., as portrayed by Kathleen Quinlan in “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977),” the treatment of a mentally ill adolescent female in a private mental hospital is examined. Though a formal diagnosis is not mentioned in the movie, a significant number of symptoms and behaviors are presented, thus allowing a diagnosis of her condition ex post facto. This paper will examine the symptoms portrayed, assume a diagnosis (or diagnoses), defend the diagnosis in light of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), discuss Ms. B’s prognosis, and finally discuss the quality of acting in the film.
Deborah B. is a sixteen year-old Caucasian female with a flat affect being committed involuntarily by her parents. She has thick dressings on both wrists from a recent suicide attempt which ultimately precipitated her entrance into the mental institute. Her parents claim that she is frequently depressed, distant, unaffectionate, and resistant to being touched. Furthermore they claim that her behavior is erratic and ‘unusual.’ Deborah is withdrawn and subject to outbursts when staff attempt to hold or restrain her.
Placed under the care of Dr. Frieda, Deborah’s condition has been carefully documented. She exhibits little desire to communicate with those around her, preferring to exist inside her own inner world. Deborah self-admits to frequent disturbing auditory and visual hallucinations, specifically of “Umparu,” a world of her own creation. This world is filled with many entities that function in her psyche as ‘gods,’ repeatedly threatening her with death and abandonment if she exposes their existence or if she desires to abandon or betray the world of “Umparu” for the real world. It is to be noted that while discussing everyday subjects, she can be quite congenial. The moment the conversation turns to her inner world, however, she reacts aggressively. Her verbal communication skills degrade and she...