Sylvia Plath

The complex mind and writings of Sylvia Plath have fascinated readers for decades. The combination of her literary brilliance and her emotional struggles gives her a unique voice among our great writers.

After a childhood and adolescence filled with one accomplishment after another, Plath’s success earned her a scholarship to Smith College in 1950, where she distinguished herself even among the most brilliant minds in the nation. Despite her success, Plath always despised herself for being a “scholarship girl” among the students from more wealthy families. She also began to experience a clinical depression, in the days before effective antidepressants. After a violent suicide attempt, a benevolent sponsor paid for Sylvia to get treatment at one of the finest psychiatric hospitals in the country, McLean Psychiatric Hospital. At McLean, Plath received terrifying electroconvulsive shock treatments with no restraints, tranquilizers, or doctors. Although the treatments did show some improvement, the depression would be a lifelong struggle.

Upon graduation in 1955, Plath earned a scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England. While in England, she had a more serious interest in men. Because of Plath’s charm and charisma, she received a lot of attention.  However, her intensity and unpredictability made it hard to sustain a relationship. According to one author, “because of her unusually low self-esteem, fragility, and self-destructive tendencies, she made some spectacularly poor decisions.” The most prominent example is Ted Hughes, the man she eventually married, despite his violent reputation.

After a marriage consisting of intensified emotional turmoil and the birth of two children, Plath eventually took her life in 1963. The poems she wrote in the months before her death are often considered the greatest by literary scholars.

What can we learn from the life of Sylvia Plath? We learn that mental illness affects people of all different backgrounds. Even today among America’s brightest college students, many could have similar stories. The college years can often be the happiest and the most challenging at the same time. Hundreds of our students juggle families, jobs, and academics, even with a complex health profile. The Access Center staff serves to meet these challenges as we all work together to solve problems and meet needs.

If Sylvia Plath were alive today, she would have more resources, and we’d like to close by sharing some of those with you.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

The Crisis Call Center 615-244-7444

United Way (food, clothing, shelter) 211

McLean Hospital, where Sylvia Plath was treated, is still a national leader in mental health. You can visit their website at www.mcleanhospital.org