Stephen King Mental Illness Quotes

Behind the Curtain of Mental Illness

“...because if you couldn’t stop crying it meant you had LOST YOUR MARBLES…” (King 443). This is a common quote mentioned in the novel The Shining, written by Stephen King. This line describes the main character Jack Torrance. In the novel, Jack Torrance plays the father and husband of a quaint three person family. Throughout the duration of the book, the family lives in the deep mountains of Colorado at The Overlook Hotel. King uses this hotel to create the plot by upsetting Jack and ultimately causing many conflicts for his family. In the story, Jack Torrance, while living in The Overlook, appears to go in and out of “crazy” episodes. Stephen King used the dynamic character of Jack Torrance to portray

Psychosis is a syndrome that is made up of symptoms that others can see and that the patient experiences. These symptoms may include: mood changes, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and unawareness of illness (Compton 35). Throughout The Shining, Jack Torrance displays many of these symptoms. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I sounded mad, Wendy.” Jack said (King 392). King phrases Jack’s line in such a manner so that the reader believes Jack doesn't think he has a mental illness. This sense of unawareness continues throughout the entire plot of the book. Jack believes that he does not have a mental illness, while Wendy and Danny know that something is not right. Jack also has related to psychosis through his play writing, his primary reason for being at the hotel during the long winter. For example, a line of his play reads “And meanwhile people were knocking down the doors….manic depressives, suicidals. “(King 388-389). Suicide is a common outcome of those who suffer from Psychosis and the line “Jack could sympathize with Grimmer’s problem.” comes directly after this quote. One could then infer that Jack has had suicidal thoughts, similar to the characters in his story. Psychosis cannot be immediately cured, however, some potential treatments would be: hospitalization, confinement of the patient in a safe environment, sleep, and a good psychiatrist (National Alliance

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that causes emotional highs and depressive lows. The highs and lows of Bipolar Disorder can present themselves as often as a couple times a week to just a few times a year (Bipolar). In Jack Torrance’s situation these mood swings come as often as once a day. These swings can be very dangerous to the family and friends surrounding the individual. For example, “The sound of Jack’s open palm striking Danny’s face was flat, not dramatic at all.” (King 445). At this point in the story, Jack is in one of his rages and harms Danny directly. Then Jack says “Danny, I’m sorry, you okay, doc?” (King 445). This model of immediate mood change is an example of Bipolar Disorder. Jack is on a high and harms Danny, then immediately becomes ashamed or depressed and apologizes. Another symptom of Bipolar Disorder is a manic episode. A manic episode is a certain time period of elevated mood. In The Shining, there is a flashback story that is often brought up about how Jack once had a student in his class at Stovington Preparatory who had a speech impediment. One day this student was caught in the middle of one of Jack’s episodes. The result of which was the strangulation of the student. Fortunately the student survived; however, this example proves that the disorder can be harmful to those around the patient as