Main+Characters

The book //Girl, Interrupted// is an auto-biography by Susanna Kaysen. Susanna is five feet and five inches, ninety-six and a half pounds, has dark hair, and is white. Susanna was sent to a mental hospital for almost two years because of her borderline personality disorder. She never could understand how she got herself into the situation in the first place. She knew that she had attempted suicide by taking fifty aspirin, but she regretted doing that and had changed. One of Susanna's closest friends in the mental hospital is Lisa. Susanna is quite different from a normal person. The worries that run through her mind are not like the common worries people like you and I have. For example, she worries about the amount of time that has passed, whether or not she has bones, and if the things she sees are really what she thinks they are. She has to be constantly supervised because she is a danger to herself.
 * Susanna Kaysen**

**Lisa** Lisa was a friend of Susanna in the mental hospital. She is a bit different than the average person. Lisa rarely ate, and she never slept, so she was very thin and yellow. She had huge bags under her eyes, and she had long dark hair. Lisa was a sociopath, which meant she had a personality disorder like Susanna. Lisa suffered from antisocial behavior. Sometimes Lisa was funny and crazy, but other times she wouldn't talk to anyone for days. She often used inappropriate and offensive language, but that was because of her mental disability. Lisa acted stubbornly, especially towards the nurses in the hospital. For example, Lisa kept pestering a nurse to open a window, so she could get some fresh air, but when the nurse finally did open it, Lisa ignored that the window was even open. The only nurse Lisa respeced was Valerie. Lisa also ran away from the hospital regularly. However, she always came back. Even though Lisa was rude and stubborn, she still had a good heart.

** Valerie ** Valerie is the head nurse of the mental hospital during the day. She is very caring, and knows how to deal with all of the patients, including Lisa. All of the patients at McLean are fond her. Valerie works very hard, and is talented at her job. All of the patients respect her, and for the most part, do what she asks them to do. One of the toughest patients, Lisa, even obeys her. The assistant nurses do as she says, and as a result, the hospital is a peaceful place during the day. Valerie is responsible, respectful, and most importantly, very nice. She truly likes and cares about all of her patients and workers. She gives the patients in the hospital hope.