Essay on the Experiences of Mentally Ill People in Charlotte Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

Mental illness is a condition that affects people within the society. The situation triggered by psychological, genetic and environmental factors. The environment surrounding a mentally ill patient determines the rate at which their mental illness progresses. This essay narrates the experiences of mentally ill people based on Jane. Jane has a nervous psychological condition.

The ability of a mentally ill patient to deal with their condition largely depends on how other people respond to their circumstances. Their response determines whether the anxiety will be harder to deal with or more comfortable to handle. Charlotte Stetsons in his book the yellow wallpaper reveals the reaction of John, who is Jane's, husband on her condition. John assumed that nothing was wrong with his wife and that she was merely overreacting. Despite the fact that he is supposed to be the most understanding person in her life he bars Jane from any further help from relatives and friends who might want to help Jane by claiming that she is okay. Jane's brother, who also believes that Jane is overdramatic, supports John. They both do not think that Jane is sick.

Loved ones often neglect mentally ill people. For instance, John insists on taking care of her and refrains from obtaining a professional to attend to his wife despite the fact that he has a very demanding job. He is consumed with the role of proving that his wife is not sick whereas he treats his wife like a patient. He has no patience whatsoever to listen to what Jane thinks about the yellow wallpaper that she hates. Mentally ill people progress when they have someone to open up to about their fears and expectations. John does the complete opposite and bars his wife from speaking about her condition. He tells her to assume that she is not mentally ill and avoid thinking about it.

Mentally ill people become more paranoid when they have no one to talk to or listen to them. For instance, Jane finds solace in her journal. She writes down her thoughts and ensures she does it without Johns knowledge. Jane mind wanders to the yellow wallpaper. She focuses her attention on her environment. She has no one. She comments on her journal with bitterness on John's neglect. The latter comes up when John is held up with severe cases. She blurts out that her situation is not as critical as his commitments. The feeling of unworthiness overwhelms her, and she laments about how she is not allowed to hold her baby. Neglected mentally ill people tend to dwindle down into depression. The fact that she cannot be with her baby piles up on her anxiety. Mentally ill people are often cut off from the people they love because they are deemed psychotic.

Ignoring mentally ill individuals causes them to find a distraction to project their anxiety. According to Jane's journal, the yellow wallpaper serves as a distraction for her. She spends her time analyzing its poor design and uses it as a distraction to protect her from insanity. Jane's anxiety overwhelms her, and she sees a woman trying to shake the pattern, struggling to get out. The hallucination can critically be analyzed as the patients plead for help. Mentally ill patients develop an interest in their environments to tame their thoughts. However, without proper medical care the walls they build trying to tame their insanity wear them down, and they snap. In Charlottes book, the yellow wallpaper, Jane becomes obsessed with the wallpaper and even wakes up to confirm that it did not move. When she returns, her husband is awake. Jane tries opening up about the wallpaper and her desire to move. John brushes off the thought and assures her that she is not in any danger. John limits her willingness to open up about her situation.

Mentally ill patients get accustomed to solitude when ignored and eventually snap. Jane experiences comfort in her solitude. She asks Jennie not to sleep with her when John is out of town. She cannot control herself anymore. The anxiety overwhelms her, and she locks herself in and attacks the creepy yellow wallpaper.

Conclusion

Mental illness is a condition that affects people within the society. Mental illness is triggered by psychological, genetic and environmental factors. The ability of a mentally ill patient to deal with their situation largely depends on how other people respond to their circumstances. Loved ones often neglect mentally sick people. For instance, John insists on taking Care of Jane himself and refrains from obtaining a professional to attend to his wife despite the fact that he has a very demanding job. Mentally ill people become more paranoid when they have no one to talk to or listen to them. Ignoring sick mentally individuals causes them to find a distraction to project their anxiety. Mentally ill patients get accustomed to solitude when ignored and eventually snap. Jane experiences comfort in her solitude.

Reference

Stetsons, Charlotte Perkin. "The Yellow Wallpaper." n.d. The literature of prescription. 6 December 2017 <https://www.nlm.nih.gov/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf>.