Judy Garland’s performance in The Wizard of Oz has captured Americans’ hearts for generations.
However, Garland was truly playing herself as a lost little girl, desperately
trying to find her way.
Throughout her childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood,
Garland emerged as one of the premiere entertainers in our culture. A highlight
of her career was her performance in the Wizard of Oz at the age of 16. However,
her mother and her agents put her on high powered, addictive drugs so Garland would
have superhuman strength. As psychiatric
and substance abuse problems continued to escalate, Garland became deeply
troubled. According to a biography by Jeffrey Kottler, “Her behavior was
tolerated because of her gifts. People put up with her tantrums and fits, her
explosions of anger, her delusions and paranoia, her drugged mind, fearful that
she would stop performing, and the financial investment and expectations they
had made would collapse and fall.”
Instead of addressing these issues with her psychiatrists,
she made up wild stories in her therapy sessions, unable to separate fantasy
from reality. Garland was constantly an actress playing a part, even in real
life.
Despite her brilliant performances, MGM eventually had to fire
Garland for her erratic behavior, including paranoid delusions and assault of a
cast member. When she was fired, Garland tried to slit her throat because she
was so distraught. Garland did eventually reinvent herself, shifting from film
to stage. Once again, her fans were enamored with her performances while her
colleagues struggled with her wild emotions.
After a final performance in Carnegie Hall in 1961,
Garland’s life began to unravel even more as she approached her last days. She
was performing in bars to get money for wine and drugs. Sadly, she was found
dead in the bathroom of a London hotel at the age of 47, after a drug overdose.
Although Garland had a tragic life, there are lessons we can
learn from it.
- The relationship between a psychiatric diagnosis and an addiction (often referred to as dual diagnosis) is a complex one, but help is available. Here are some resources:
- As we consider the challenges to Garland’s care, she may have benefitted from a team approach, with various professionals collaborating. At the Access Center, we have the opportunity for “Access Team Meetings” in which students, Access Center staff, and instructors come together to discuss strategies to maximize learning. Instructors can schedule an Access Team Meeting by contacting Andrew Mason (3741) or Gina Jones (3721).
- While we encourage our students to succeed, we should also encourage their well-being. As Michael Sandler states in his book College Confidence with ADD, “while good grades are great, I want to help students discover their inner talents, joy, and passions so they may love, laugh, and achieve their dreams while living life to the fullest.”
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