Mental Illness and Adolescents: The Effect on Relationships in The Attic and Other Media

Abstract

This senior project in Theatre & Performance involved performing the role of Girl in the Purchase mainstage production of Yoji Sakate's The Attic. This project aimed to shine a light on the effect of mental illness in adolescents and how their relationships may be affected by their condition. The work was supported by research into the diagnostic criteria given by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for depression, social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Research was also conducted on three adolescent characters from multiple forms of media who each respectively convert traits of the mental illnesses stated above and how their relationships in their stories are affected by their conditions.