Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Acutes and Chronics
As I read this novel it is becoming more and more apparent to me that this insane asylum has got things all wrong. The patients are split up into two groups: Acutes and Chronics. To me the acutes don't really belong in a mental institution. They are just people who do not conform to societies standards. They either do not meet up to their gender roles (Harding couldn't please his wife, Billy Bibbit was constantly being put down by his mother), or they are unfit for any other 'facilities' (McMurphy). The chronics on the other hand do belong there. They can hardly function, some pee themselves, some are vegatables. Does anyone else agree? Disagree?
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7 comments:
I Agree with you Danielle. I also feel that the Acutes seem to be people that don't fit into societies norms. The Acutes living in the ward aren't really "insane" they just don't fit their cookie cutter gender role (Harding), or stand up to authority and are defiant (McMurphy). I think living on the ward though will make them insane, a chronic, because of the physical and mental abuse the patients receive. Being subject to that kind of abuse for a long time, like these patients are I think would drive anyone insane.
I do agree with you that the institution is all wrong. The only thing i disagree with is the statement that the chronics actually do belong there. In many cases, patients came into the institution acutes and became chronics, or "vegetables". This is a direct result of malpractice on people who are labeled as "insane" or "crazy". In some cases, the institution is doing more harm than it is helping patients.
I also agree. But that is what society does with people. If you don't conform to its standards, you are considered an outcast and with these cases, they have gone to the extreme and put them in an institution.
I don't disagree, but it should be kept in mind that the acutes aren't perfectly lucid. Harding seems to have some form of a nervous personality disorder, and Billy Bibbit is potentially suicidal. Moreover, don't forget Billy's excellent point that several of the Chronics were Acutes to begin with and it was the actions of the hospital that destroyed their minds. Aside from this, yes the Acutes seem to fall just outside the acceptable social constraints. I'll also agree with Thompson, as the TV character House once responded to a fellow doctor's advocation for normalicy, in season three episode four, "Spoken like a true circle queen. See, skinny, socially privileged white people get to draw this neat little circle. And everyone inside the circle is "normal". Anyone outside the circle needs to be beaten, broken and reset so that they can be brought into the circle. Failing that, they should be institutionalized. Or even worse - Pitied." I hope everyone will agree that this quote pretty much hits the nail on the head. The almost broken members of society are sent away to be reset, and unless they wind up "fixed" the are deemed broken and resigned to being institutionalized.
I def agree with you. The acutes were only put there because they dont fit in with their society. Their idea of what is wrong with them is so wrong that the treatment also does not fit. For example, the log , that would make a sane person want to commit suicide. The messed up part is that alot of the chronics became like that because of the treament.
I also agree with you Danielle. I feel that the patients who are acutes think that it is right for them to be in there because the Big Nurse makes them feel so badly about each other that they really do believe they are "sick". I do disagree with you regarding the statement that the chronics should be there. Many of those chronics were not treated with the right medicine and treatment and were pushed to a point where they acted "insane" or "crazy" because of their circumstances. I completely agree with Billy and I think the institution is definitely doing more harm than it is helping patients.
I agree as well with the idea. Although some of the acutes have problems that should be obsertved, their biggest problem, seems to be not fitting in. However what Laura said ab out the log I don't agree with. Although the Ratched uses it for bad purposes, the log itself is a good idea. Anything that the patients say could be potentially useful in helping the docvtors to help them, and the idfea that its snitching, or tattling on each other onoyl really aspplies when it is used as something to punish, rather then something to help.
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