For the eighth day of National Poetry Month I’m sharing a poem by Sylvia Plath. She was a confessional 20th century poet, also married to fellow poet, Ted Hughes.
Mental health illness is one of the biggest untreated issues in the United States. Sylvia Plath herself suffered from manic depression. From which there was no medication to treat it at the time. She tried to commit suicide by swallowing sleeping pills at the age of 19.
Sylvia survived the attempt and received electro-shock therapy treatment. Her experiences from that period of time led to the writing and publication of The Bell Jar. She committed suicide again after the dissolution of her marriage and after writing Ariel. She gassed herself with the kitchen oven. And died at the age of 30.
Here is a reading of Lady Lazarus read by Sylvia Plath:
What a tragic story. Electroshock treatment was such a strange treatment for mental illness. I’ve always wondered what made them think that would work. Did it work? Rewire the synapses or something? Even if it did, it would only be short-term.
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
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Yes it is. To think, what more poetry she could’ve written had she lived. According to Mayo Clinic, electroshock treatment creates seizures in the brain to quickly reverse symptoms of mental health illness. They say it’s much safer today as smaller, controlled currents are used. But then it makes me wonder, how much Sylvia suffered back then when she had to undergo the treatment.
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Sylvia’s first round of electroshock therapy as an out-patient in the summer of 1953 was totally botched. Because of that, she had an extreme fear of the procedure. When she was forced to undergo it again at McLean hospital, it seemed to work. It’s been speculated that the reason for her rapid recovery at that time was that she was determined not to go through it again.
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What she must’ve went through. Thanks for sharing this tidbit.
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That’s so sad… Thank you for sharing her poetry and her story, Lidy.
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Yes, it is. If only…
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How tragic. I have a friend who suffers from mental illness and he has tried to kill himself. Fortunately, he’s still with us.
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That is fortunate. Hopefully, they have realized all the love and support they have from family and friends.
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I’m familiar with Sylvia Plath. Such a tragic end; she didn’t realize how much she had to offer.
@dino0726 from
FictionZeal – Impartial, Straightforward Fiction Book Reviews
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Yes, if only she had someone around to spot the warning signs.
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