Bipolar Disorder in John Green's the Fault in Our Stars
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BIPOLAR DISORDER IN JOHN GREEN’S THE FAULT IN OUR STARS Hans Mitra Wijaya [email protected] Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing Prayoga Padang Jl. Veteran No. 8 Padang Absract This research analyzes Bipolar Disorder that is portrayed in a novel entitled the Fault in Our Stars. The problem found in this research is the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and the main character ways in overcoming it. The purpose of research is to find out which Bipolar Disorder symptoms occur in the novel. In resolving the issue, the researcher uses the theory of Bipolar Disorder by Norman Sartorius. The concepts used are Manic episode and Depressive episode. Each of the Manic and Depressive episode has their own symptoms. The research method used by the researcher is a qualitative research method. The researcher finds several symptoms that Hazel has and Hazel ways in overcoming the Bipolar Disorder that is family support and keep fighting. She overcomes the Bipolar Disorder by getting support from her family which make she could withstand her disease. Keywords: Manic Episode, Depressive Episode, Manic Symptoms, Depressive Symptoms. activity levels range from periods of I. Introduction extremely “up,” elated, and energized Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder behavior (known as Manic Episodes) to very that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, sad, “down,” or hopeless periods (known as activity levels, and the ability to carry out Depressive Episodes). day-to-day tasks. According to Sartorius Bipolar Disorder is chosen as the main (1993: 97), the changes in mood, energy, and issue because of a few reasons, one of the them is the lack of accurate information main character depression that shows the patients and their families can understand symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. about this disorder. Dr Wes Burgess (2006, Intro) states that, “There are more than seven II. Review of Related Literature million adults and children with Bipolar 2.1 Bipolar Disorder by Sartorius Disorder in the United States.” Most of these According to Sartorius (1993: 97), people do not even realize that their extreme Bipolar Disorder is characterized by repeated mood changes are classified into Bipolar (i.e. at least two) episodes in which the Disorder or get wrong diagnosed by their patient's mood and activity levels are psychiatric. This becomes a huge problem significantly disturbed, this disturbance when their mood changes start to have a big consisting on some occasions of an elevation effect on their life. Imagine when a doctor of mood and increased energy and activity starts to laugh and then cry in front of his/her (mania or hypomania), and on others of a patients, it could lead to bad reputation or lowering of mood and decreased energy and lose the job which later could be suicide. activity (depression). As explained above, According to Greenberg (1993), it is there are two main episodes that are parts of normal for people to experience ups and Bipolar Disorder. It is between mania downs during their lives, those who have (Manic) and depression (Depressive) clinical depression experience specific episode. symptoms daily for two weeks or more, 2.2.1 Manic Episode making it difficult to function at work, at Manic episode or the changes in mood, school and in relationships. In shorts, most energy, and activity levels range from common people think that their unusual shift periods of extremely “up,” elated, and in mood (mostly woman) is just some side energized behavior must have at least four effect of menstruation period while the truth manic symptoms including altered mood that is not. causes marked functional impairment and Green’s The Fault in Our Stars is hospital admission. It means that, during the chosen as a study source because this novel manic episode the patient will have a was on Wall Street Journal, Indie bound, significant change in mood like unusually Bookseller, and New York Times bestseller happy or extreme self-confidence. Although list. Besides, this novel portrayed Hazel, the it seems that patient during manic episode is only doing positive action, actually there are feeling of worthlessness which lead to a lot of negativity that can be found. It can be thinking about, planning, or attempting found through the symptoms of manic suicide. episode. Depressive Symptoms consist of: Manic Symptoms consist of: depressed mood, such as feeling sad, empty, Abnormally upbeat, jumpy or wired; hopeless or tearful (in children and teens, Increased activity, energy or agitation; depressed mood can appear as irritability); Exaggerated sense of well-being and self- marked loss of interest or feeling no pleasure confidence; Decreased need for sleep; in all or almost all activities; significant Unusual talkativeness; Racing thoughts; weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or Distractibility; Poor decision-making. As can decrease or increase in appetite (in children, be seen above, there are two symptoms that failure to gain weight as expected can be a is not correspond that is “increased activity, sign of depression); either insomnia or energy or agitation” and “decreased need for sleeping too much; either restlessness or sleep”. When a patient have an increased of slowed behavior; fatigue or loss of energy; activity, of course there is a lot of energy is feelings of worthlessness or excessive or used but as “decreased need for sleep” inappropriate guilt; decreased ability to think symptom shows up, it could be seen that the or concentrate, or indecisiveness; thinking patient will suffer or get sick during this about, planning or attempting suicide. episode. III. Method of the Research 2.2.1 Depressive Episode In analyzing this novel, the researcher Major Depressive Episode or the uses qualitative method. Bogdan (1928-28) change in mood from Manic Episode to very said: “Qualitative research is descriptive. The sad, “down,” or hopeless periods must have data collected is in from of words or picture at least five or more persistent depressive rather than numbers. In collecting and symptoms and cause serious distress or presenting the data, the researcher uses functional impairments. This episode is the qualitative method, that is descriptive. The worst episode that causes a lot of patient die. data collected were in the form of words or During this episode, the patient feels pictures rather than numbers. The researcher depressed mood, lost interest and the worst, analyzes this novel by doing close reading “Like, I realize that this is irrational, but when they tell and library research. you that you have, say, a 20 percent chance of living five years, the math kicks in and IV. Findings you figure that’s one in five . 4.1 Bipolar Disorder Symptoms in John so you look around and think, as any healthy person would: I Green’s the Fault in Our Stars gotta outlast four of these The researcher analyzes the symptoms bastards.” (P5) of any episode of Bipolar Disorder that The quotations above represent Hazel occurs in John Green’s The Fault in Our self-confidence. The sentence “so you look Stars because it can determine which around and think, as any healthy person episodes it belongs to. There are several would” is an irony where she found her own symptoms that are displayed below: self-confidence. Although she is not a healthy person, she uses the word “healthy” 4.1.1 Exaggerated Sense of Well-being and as a satire to remind her that she is special Self-confidence into Marked Loss of which means even though the others also Interest or Feeling No Pleasure in All or have cancer she feels like at least she is the Almost All Activities healthiest cancerous one. She creates a self- According to Sartorius (1993: 95), confidence on which she thinks she will exaggerated sense of well-being and self- defeat time that is represented by “these confidence as parts of manic symptoms bastards” as for time is the one chasing her refers to “marked feeling of well-being and not her cancer. Although the word “look both physical and mental efficiency”. It around” might make people think that she is means that, a person experiences pleasure or talking about people around her but it is not, excitement and intense feeling of well-being she is talking about beating the 80% chance and happiness. In this novel the intense of her time that she might die at young age. feeling of well-being and self-confidence is Even though she has such strong self- found in the way Hazel (the main character) confidence but it didn’t last long enough. has an excitement where she believes she Soon after, she immediately broke down and will have a longer life than other cancerous feels loss of interest and no pleasure in all or people. It is found in the quotation below: almost all activities on which is parts of the depressive symptoms. According to Sartorius happened right after she narrates about her (1993: 100), marked loss of interest or self-confidences which show early feeling no pleasure in all or almost all symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. activities refers to “loss of interest or pleasure in activities that are normally 4.1.2 Thinking about, Planning or enjoyable, lack of emotional reactivity to Attempting Suicide normally pleasurable surroundings and In this novel not only lost of interest of events”. In shorts it means a psychological any activities that Hazel, the main character state where one totally has no interest in any shows but there are also another Depressive kind of activities. In this novel the loss of symptom that is thinking about, planning or interest or feeling no pleasure in all or almost attempting suicide right just in the next pages all activities is found in the way she sighing after showing her self-confidence.