Amalie Skram - Forrådt og den bipolare lidelsen

Abstract

Background: Amalie Skram is the most prominent female author in the Norwegian literary canon, with her works giving a critical portrayal of the social conditions of her time, as well as an insight into the deeper psychological elements of her literary characters’ inner life. Skram’s own personal life was ridden by an unstable mood, suicidal ideations and jealousy. This is reflected in her works, particularly in the partly autobiographical and psychological thriller Betrayed. Methods: The book Betrayed is analyzed from the perspective of descriptions of bipolar disorder in Skram’s own life, based on current knowledge of prevailing themes of bipolar disorder and classifications of mental and behavioral disorders in ICD-10. Results: Several distinctive depressive and manic episodes diagnosed in Skram’s biography correlates with the psychological downfall of the two protagonists in Betrayed. The book also covers several of the psychological themes relevant to bipolar disorder. Limitations: Biographical studies are illustrative, but not definitive, and are influenced by the biographers point of view and the biographical subject’s own incapacity in elaborating on own life. Conclusions: The correlation between Skram’s life and her fiction is evident. Betrayed gives an insight into the author’s personal experience of living with a bipolar disorder. The book is an example of how literature can be used to provide a greater comprehension of the qualitative aspects of having a bipolar disorder.