Understanding Mental Illness: A Medical Humanities Approach to Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (2000)

Document Type : Research in linguistic and literary studies

Authors

1 Delta University for Science and Technology

2 Public Health Delta University for Science and Technology

Abstract

Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis premiered in 2000. This study suggests that the play is a reflection of Kane’s agonizing experience with mental illness. This study offers an understanding of Kane’s play through the lens of a medical humanities approach, an emerging field that aims to educate medical professionals about medical issues from diverse perspectives, encompassing humanities, social sciences, and the arts. It explores subjective and personal experiences of health, sickness, and human suffering. The play portrays Kane’s struggle with mental illness, leading her to see suicide as the only escape from her agony. Firstly, this study illuminates the role of medical humanities as a new approach to analyzing literary works dealing with medical issues related to health, sickness, and the professional ethics of medical practitioners. Secondly, it provides an analysis of the play using medical humanities approach, focusing on the public and self-stigma of mental illness, the doctor-patient relationship, and psychotherapy.

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