Mood disorder is a serious form of mental illness. One of the most common
mood disorders is Bipolar Disorder (Windsor 46). However, many
suffer every day from the lack of proper diagnosis of their mental disorder.
These people are left at a disadvantage; unaware of their true mental state.
Willy Loman, the main character of the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur
Miller, is one of these individuals. Mr. Loman suffers from a mental disorder
known as Bipolar Disorder with psychotic features. His disorder goes
unnoticed until it ultimately leads to his downfall in society. The
failure of an individual in society can be directly related to a mental
disorder; this is ultimately the catalyst of their downfall.
When the mental state of a Willy Loman is examined by a
professional, the diagnosis of his mental status is broken down into three
main parts; the hyper state, the depressed state, and the psychotic features.
Thusly, Miller shows the direct relation between the mental state of the
individual and their success level in society. [Passage
omitted.]
When referring to BipolarDisorder, half of the mental disorder
refers to the hyper state of mind. The hyper or manic state includes behaviors
such as exaggerated positive outlooks and irrational ideas. Other signs include
impulsive behavior and sudden rash spending habits (Marcovitz
35). In the case of Willy Loman more often than not
he begins to become overly ambitious and lost in a state of unrealistic
future plans. An example of this behavior would be when Willy believes that he
will soon “get a little place out in the country and raise some vegetables and a
couple of chickens” (Miller 72). This idea is extremely unrealistic
for multiple reasons including his very poor financial state and his
hatred for rural living which is stated multiple times. These
types of extremely optimistic behaviors are very sporadic in those who have
Bipolar Disorder. Often times these events contradict past negative
opinions. These spontaneous ideas are very unusual in relation to the patients
past actions. Another example involving behaviors closely associated with the
hyper portion of Bipolar Disorder include Willy’s impulsive behavior in
relation to unusual activates. At one point [passage omitted] Willy has the
sudden urge to begin gardening in the middle of the night (Miller 125). He also
suddenly spends money on unnecessary items, such as stockings, with the
money that should be going towards necessities in his family’s life, such as
bills. The impetuous behaviors, the irrational thinking, the unrealistic
optimism—
all demonstrate the hyper state that Willy gets lost in due to his
Bipolar Disorder. [1]According to Doctor George Ansstas, a practicing medical
professional of Barnes Jewish hospital, “half of the patient's Bipolar Disorder
is the manic state… in which he becomes overly optimistic and devises
unrealistic plans. This state also encompasses his extremely irrational money
spending habits...”. When Willy Loman's diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder is
discovered, it becomes prevalent that this is what most likely prohibits
him from living a normal life. This is caused by the lack of diagnosis during
his life. When Willy begins to fail, this only triggers his Bipolar
Disorder to intensify into a more escalated version of his already serious
mental disorder. This thusly causes more failures due to Mr. Loman’s
unstable mental state which then in turn becomes a ruthless downward spiral that
leads to his suicide. Therefore, individual failure in many cases can be related
to a much more severe concern. The unnoticed mental disorders of an individual
will ultimately lead to their downfall in society, as proven by Willy
Loman. Mental disorders have the potential to lead one to their downfall
if they are not properly diagnosed and receive proper treatment. If gone
unnoticed, metal disorders prohibit one from becoming a fully functioning member
of society which causes them to be unsuccessful in society. This constant
failure can lead to their ultimate demise, such as suicide in the case of Willy
Loman.
The second half of Bipolar Disorder consists of the depressive state.
Those with this disorderwill display many different signs that will
ultimately result in the depressed condition. Actions such as suicidal
tendencies and feelings of hopelessness or sadness are extremely common
signs. Several times in the case of Willy Loman, he is caught in
the process of contemplating suicide. One example of this would be when a rubber
tube is found behind the furnace in the basement with a bolt missing from the
gas valve (60). This indicates that Willy was going to partake in gas
asphyxiation because "he's been trying to kill himself" (58). Often times it is
also prevalent that Willy is in a deep state of sadness and has no hopeful
outlooks for the future when he is in his depressed state. During communication
with his wife, he commonly expresses his unhappiness with his current
life and future aspects of his life throughout the play. This demonstrates his
increasing amounts of depression. Another well-known inclination is lethargy
(Piotrowski 253). This is also paired with the contradictory restlessness and
lack of sleep tendencies. This means while a person who is often tired would
logically partake in activities such as excessive amounts of sleep, one who
suffers from Bipolar Disorder has a lack of sleep. [Passage omitted and
relocated in upper paragraph.] Willy demonstrates the depressed condition of his
Bipolar Disorder when heestablishes his exhaustion as he
continually talks about how he is "tired to death" (Miller 13). Although Willy’s
lassitude would plausibly cause him to sleep more, he instead suffers
from increasedrestlessness. Willy does not sleep as much as he should.
Willy begins to not come to bed after work when his wife calls him and
even takes part in activities such as vigorously walking around his house at
very late hours in the night (Miller 53). This lethargy pared with restlessness
is a very large indication of a patient suffering from Bipolar Disorder.
[Passage omitted.] When Doctor Ansstas was presented with Mr. Loman’s case he
stated that “the patient demonstrates many indicators of the depressed state of
Bipolar Disorder..." Overall Willy Loman displays both the hyper state
and the depressed state, confirming that Willy indeed suffers from Bipolar
Disorder. Miller presents Willy as a key example of those in society who suffer
from undiagnosed mental disorders that will progressively fail in society until
they reach the ultimate failure. In Willy Loman's case, like in many others,
this means suicide or other forms of
death.
When examining Willy Loman, he demonstrates some unusual behaviors
which lead to the diagnosis possessing psychotic features, or psychosis, paired
with a mental illness. In the case of Mr. Loman, the psychotic features
are paired with his Bipolar Disorder. This mental disorder includes radical
changes in personality, which was also demonstrated previously with the
description of Mr. Loman's Bipolar Disorder. In addition, Willy's psychotic
features are extremely relevant to many symptoms of psychosis, such as acts of
disordered or nonexistent senses of reality (Strickland 79). [Paragraph brought
together.] An example of this nonexistent sense of reality would be when Willy
continuously talks to his deceased brother as if his older brother, Ben, is
standing in the same room (Miller 44). These disoriented senses demonstrate
clear symptoms of a patient suffering from psychosis. After the diagnosis of
psychosis was given, Doctor Ansstas further explained "a patient, suffering from
psychotic features...partakes in behaviors such as see[ing], hear[ing], and
speak[ing] to a person who [is] not there." Furthermore, Willy also exudes
behavior such as excessively talking to himself.
Willy often talks to Ben when he reliving a past event, such as his children’s
adolescents (Miller 68). As a figment of Willy’s imagination, Ben encourages
Willy what his is doing in life is respectable and he is worthy of praise.
Often, Willy becomes relieved after his hallucinations with Ben, which he
essentially uses as a coping mechanism.
At one point, Willy begins talking to himself so actively that others are not
able to function around him, stating “he…is arguing with nobody. I can’t deal
with him anymore” (Miller 90). This behavior is directly linked to psychotic
features which further substantiates the diagnosis given to Willy;
psychosis. Much like Willy Loman, when individuals are unaided in society
with an undiagnosed mental disorder, they slowly spiral down into a state of
worsening failures. Eventually they reach a state that no longer has any
trace of salvation. For many people, including Willy, this state is the death of
the individual, often through
suicide.
While many believe that Willy Loman’s psychological state causes his
failures, others may disagree. In regards to Willy, some may portray him as a
failure by his own fault and do not believe that those failures where caused by
a mental disorder. Those who believe this often argue that there are many
successful people in the world who have Bipolar Disorder.
Trusting that Bipolar Disorder has in no way hindered them from
succeeding, they believe that Willy Loman simply failed due to his own
accountability.While this argument has validity, it cannot be applied to the
Willy Loman’s case. While it is true, many of those suffering from Bipolar
Disorder have not failed, and in fact have become very successful, the key
difference in these cases verses Willy Loman’s case show the void in the
argument. Thosewho have Bipolar Disorder and have become
successful have had a diagnosis of their mental disorder and therefore know how
to constructively confront it. However, in Willy’s case he goes undiagnosed.
Willy therefore does not recognize his mental illness and thusly cannot
receive a personal understanding of this disablement or any form of treatment.
Willy does not receive any of the awareness of his disorder, unlike those who
have become successful with Bipolar Disorder have received. Although it is
agreeable that if Willy Loman had received the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
with psychotic features, he would have had a chance at being successful,
he never received the proper medical attention and his outcome cannot be
properly predicted. This ultimately proves that Willy Loman, suffering from
an undiagnosed case of BipolarDisorder, failed not because of his own
fault, but rather the fault of his mental disorder.
The lack of medical diagnosis that Willy Loman received for his mental
disorder causes his failures in society. Willy Loman suffered from Bipolar
Disorder with psychotic features. This caused Willy to spiral down into a
dark and painful hole of despair and disappointment. Abandoned in the world with
his hyper state, his depressed state, his psychotic features, he is greatly
prohibited from becoming a successful member of society.[2]When overly unrealistic and optimistic ambitions meet the
severely depressed state in Willy's mind, he reaches a breaking point. With
added psychotic features; Willy suffers from what will soon be the death of him.
Mr. Loman's final and most prominent failure is his suicide. Through his
work, ArthurMiller demonstrates when individuals strive to function and
attain success in society;there are a select few who seem to fail without
consciously inducing such failures. These individual therefore, may be
suffering from undiagnosed mental disorders leading to their downfall.
Functioning in a normal society becomesmore difficult due to the fact
that the individual now has the immense obstacle of an undiagnosed mental
disorder in their way. This can exceed to a point so severe that the
individual may spiral so deep into failure that theyreach the ultimate
failure; death.
[1] An Introductory Series of Appositives
[2]Dependent Clauses in a Series
mood disorders is Bipolar Disorder (Windsor 46). However, many
suffer every day from the lack of proper diagnosis of their mental disorder.
These people are left at a disadvantage; unaware of their true mental state.
Willy Loman, the main character of the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur
Miller, is one of these individuals. Mr. Loman suffers from a mental disorder
known as Bipolar Disorder with psychotic features. His disorder goes
unnoticed until it ultimately leads to his downfall in society. The
failure of an individual in society can be directly related to a mental
disorder; this is ultimately the catalyst of their downfall.
When the mental state of a Willy Loman is examined by a
professional, the diagnosis of his mental status is broken down into three
main parts; the hyper state, the depressed state, and the psychotic features.
Thusly, Miller shows the direct relation between the mental state of the
individual and their success level in society. [Passage
omitted.]
When referring to BipolarDisorder, half of the mental disorder
refers to the hyper state of mind. The hyper or manic state includes behaviors
such as exaggerated positive outlooks and irrational ideas. Other signs include
impulsive behavior and sudden rash spending habits (Marcovitz
35). In the case of Willy Loman more often than not
he begins to become overly ambitious and lost in a state of unrealistic
future plans. An example of this behavior would be when Willy believes that he
will soon “get a little place out in the country and raise some vegetables and a
couple of chickens” (Miller 72). This idea is extremely unrealistic
for multiple reasons including his very poor financial state and his
hatred for rural living which is stated multiple times. These
types of extremely optimistic behaviors are very sporadic in those who have
Bipolar Disorder. Often times these events contradict past negative
opinions. These spontaneous ideas are very unusual in relation to the patients
past actions. Another example involving behaviors closely associated with the
hyper portion of Bipolar Disorder include Willy’s impulsive behavior in
relation to unusual activates. At one point [passage omitted] Willy has the
sudden urge to begin gardening in the middle of the night (Miller 125). He also
suddenly spends money on unnecessary items, such as stockings, with the
money that should be going towards necessities in his family’s life, such as
bills. The impetuous behaviors, the irrational thinking, the unrealistic
optimism—
all demonstrate the hyper state that Willy gets lost in due to his
Bipolar Disorder. [1]According to Doctor George Ansstas, a practicing medical
professional of Barnes Jewish hospital, “half of the patient's Bipolar Disorder
is the manic state… in which he becomes overly optimistic and devises
unrealistic plans. This state also encompasses his extremely irrational money
spending habits...”. When Willy Loman's diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder is
discovered, it becomes prevalent that this is what most likely prohibits
him from living a normal life. This is caused by the lack of diagnosis during
his life. When Willy begins to fail, this only triggers his Bipolar
Disorder to intensify into a more escalated version of his already serious
mental disorder. This thusly causes more failures due to Mr. Loman’s
unstable mental state which then in turn becomes a ruthless downward spiral that
leads to his suicide. Therefore, individual failure in many cases can be related
to a much more severe concern. The unnoticed mental disorders of an individual
will ultimately lead to their downfall in society, as proven by Willy
Loman. Mental disorders have the potential to lead one to their downfall
if they are not properly diagnosed and receive proper treatment. If gone
unnoticed, metal disorders prohibit one from becoming a fully functioning member
of society which causes them to be unsuccessful in society. This constant
failure can lead to their ultimate demise, such as suicide in the case of Willy
Loman.
The second half of Bipolar Disorder consists of the depressive state.
Those with this disorderwill display many different signs that will
ultimately result in the depressed condition. Actions such as suicidal
tendencies and feelings of hopelessness or sadness are extremely common
signs. Several times in the case of Willy Loman, he is caught in
the process of contemplating suicide. One example of this would be when a rubber
tube is found behind the furnace in the basement with a bolt missing from the
gas valve (60). This indicates that Willy was going to partake in gas
asphyxiation because "he's been trying to kill himself" (58). Often times it is
also prevalent that Willy is in a deep state of sadness and has no hopeful
outlooks for the future when he is in his depressed state. During communication
with his wife, he commonly expresses his unhappiness with his current
life and future aspects of his life throughout the play. This demonstrates his
increasing amounts of depression. Another well-known inclination is lethargy
(Piotrowski 253). This is also paired with the contradictory restlessness and
lack of sleep tendencies. This means while a person who is often tired would
logically partake in activities such as excessive amounts of sleep, one who
suffers from Bipolar Disorder has a lack of sleep. [Passage omitted and
relocated in upper paragraph.] Willy demonstrates the depressed condition of his
Bipolar Disorder when heestablishes his exhaustion as he
continually talks about how he is "tired to death" (Miller 13). Although Willy’s
lassitude would plausibly cause him to sleep more, he instead suffers
from increasedrestlessness. Willy does not sleep as much as he should.
Willy begins to not come to bed after work when his wife calls him and
even takes part in activities such as vigorously walking around his house at
very late hours in the night (Miller 53). This lethargy pared with restlessness
is a very large indication of a patient suffering from Bipolar Disorder.
[Passage omitted.] When Doctor Ansstas was presented with Mr. Loman’s case he
stated that “the patient demonstrates many indicators of the depressed state of
Bipolar Disorder..." Overall Willy Loman displays both the hyper state
and the depressed state, confirming that Willy indeed suffers from Bipolar
Disorder. Miller presents Willy as a key example of those in society who suffer
from undiagnosed mental disorders that will progressively fail in society until
they reach the ultimate failure. In Willy Loman's case, like in many others,
this means suicide or other forms of
death.
When examining Willy Loman, he demonstrates some unusual behaviors
which lead to the diagnosis possessing psychotic features, or psychosis, paired
with a mental illness. In the case of Mr. Loman, the psychotic features
are paired with his Bipolar Disorder. This mental disorder includes radical
changes in personality, which was also demonstrated previously with the
description of Mr. Loman's Bipolar Disorder. In addition, Willy's psychotic
features are extremely relevant to many symptoms of psychosis, such as acts of
disordered or nonexistent senses of reality (Strickland 79). [Paragraph brought
together.] An example of this nonexistent sense of reality would be when Willy
continuously talks to his deceased brother as if his older brother, Ben, is
standing in the same room (Miller 44). These disoriented senses demonstrate
clear symptoms of a patient suffering from psychosis. After the diagnosis of
psychosis was given, Doctor Ansstas further explained "a patient, suffering from
psychotic features...partakes in behaviors such as see[ing], hear[ing], and
speak[ing] to a person who [is] not there." Furthermore, Willy also exudes
behavior such as excessively talking to himself.
Willy often talks to Ben when he reliving a past event, such as his children’s
adolescents (Miller 68). As a figment of Willy’s imagination, Ben encourages
Willy what his is doing in life is respectable and he is worthy of praise.
Often, Willy becomes relieved after his hallucinations with Ben, which he
essentially uses as a coping mechanism.
At one point, Willy begins talking to himself so actively that others are not
able to function around him, stating “he…is arguing with nobody. I can’t deal
with him anymore” (Miller 90). This behavior is directly linked to psychotic
features which further substantiates the diagnosis given to Willy;
psychosis. Much like Willy Loman, when individuals are unaided in society
with an undiagnosed mental disorder, they slowly spiral down into a state of
worsening failures. Eventually they reach a state that no longer has any
trace of salvation. For many people, including Willy, this state is the death of
the individual, often through
suicide.
While many believe that Willy Loman’s psychological state causes his
failures, others may disagree. In regards to Willy, some may portray him as a
failure by his own fault and do not believe that those failures where caused by
a mental disorder. Those who believe this often argue that there are many
successful people in the world who have Bipolar Disorder.
Trusting that Bipolar Disorder has in no way hindered them from
succeeding, they believe that Willy Loman simply failed due to his own
accountability.While this argument has validity, it cannot be applied to the
Willy Loman’s case. While it is true, many of those suffering from Bipolar
Disorder have not failed, and in fact have become very successful, the key
difference in these cases verses Willy Loman’s case show the void in the
argument. Thosewho have Bipolar Disorder and have become
successful have had a diagnosis of their mental disorder and therefore know how
to constructively confront it. However, in Willy’s case he goes undiagnosed.
Willy therefore does not recognize his mental illness and thusly cannot
receive a personal understanding of this disablement or any form of treatment.
Willy does not receive any of the awareness of his disorder, unlike those who
have become successful with Bipolar Disorder have received. Although it is
agreeable that if Willy Loman had received the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
with psychotic features, he would have had a chance at being successful,
he never received the proper medical attention and his outcome cannot be
properly predicted. This ultimately proves that Willy Loman, suffering from
an undiagnosed case of BipolarDisorder, failed not because of his own
fault, but rather the fault of his mental disorder.
The lack of medical diagnosis that Willy Loman received for his mental
disorder causes his failures in society. Willy Loman suffered from Bipolar
Disorder with psychotic features. This caused Willy to spiral down into a
dark and painful hole of despair and disappointment. Abandoned in the world with
his hyper state, his depressed state, his psychotic features, he is greatly
prohibited from becoming a successful member of society.[2]When overly unrealistic and optimistic ambitions meet the
severely depressed state in Willy's mind, he reaches a breaking point. With
added psychotic features; Willy suffers from what will soon be the death of him.
Mr. Loman's final and most prominent failure is his suicide. Through his
work, ArthurMiller demonstrates when individuals strive to function and
attain success in society;there are a select few who seem to fail without
consciously inducing such failures. These individual therefore, may be
suffering from undiagnosed mental disorders leading to their downfall.
Functioning in a normal society becomesmore difficult due to the fact
that the individual now has the immense obstacle of an undiagnosed mental
disorder in their way. This can exceed to a point so severe that the
individual may spiral so deep into failure that theyreach the ultimate
failure; death.
[1] An Introductory Series of Appositives
[2]Dependent Clauses in a Series