Mindfull

Over this past weekend, I binge watched a very short documentary-style series on Hulu, and although it only had four episodes; it was one of the most shocking things I have ever seen. It is justly titled The Act, since that is what the shockingly-true story deals with. This series dramatizes the real-life events of a young girl, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. This short documentary style series reveals the horrors Gypsy-Rose suffered at the hands of her mother: this includes having mixed in a variety of pills into her food that gave her symptoms of serious illnesses. Dee Dee’s torment only persisted as she fooled her daughter and the world into thinking that Gypsy had Leukemia, muscular dystrophy, a mind of a 7-year-old, and that Gypsy was only barely 15 ⎯ when in fact she was almost 21. As the episodes continued, Gypsy’s mental health weakened. Despite this, Gypsy realizes that not only could she walk, but also that she was not allergic to sugar, and ⎯ perhaps most importantly ⎯  that she was actually a legal adult. With Dee Dee constantly hovering over Gypsy and controlling every aspect of her life, Gypsy was led to try online dating and soon had a boyfriend who identified with having multiple personalities.

This show incorporates many issues on mental health. For example, Gypsy’s journey as she suffered a life of abuse and trauma—which ultimately led her to plan her mother’s murder. As the true story goes, Gypsy truly believed she was trapped in her home, and for most of her life, she believed she was a child. As a result, her voice remained high-pitched and her perception of individuality was crushed. According to a news report on the murder of Dee Dee, when the police found the number of pills she had stored and had been feeding Gypsy, they believe she may have had Munchausen’s syndrome. This series did shed light on the deep significance of mental health as it revealed the horrors of abuse and trauma on a young growing mind. Overall, this series depicts a very real case of child abuse and the traumatic and horrifying effects it leads to. It creates heightened awareness to the necessity of a good home and adequate parents.