Exploring Women’s Mental Health in the Yellow Wallpaper: A Medical Humanities Perspective

This study examines the complex portrayal of women’s mental health and the treatment of mental illness in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, based on the principles of medical humanities. The study contextualizes the protagonist’s struggle in the social and medical landscapes of the late 19th century. The story unfolds against the backdrop of prevailing gender norms and the rise of the medical profession, particularly the controversial “rest cure” for women. Analyzing the Imprisonment of the main character in a room decorated with yellow wallpaper, the study reveals the layers of meaning and symbolism. From the lens of medical humanities, the study sheds light on gender bias in diagnosis, the ethical dimensions of medical procedures, and the impact on caregivers, especially the dual role of the protagonist’s husband as both physician and husband. Additionally, the study links historical attitudes toward women and mental health to contemporary debates about mental health stigma, gender bias in medical diagnosis, and patient narratives. This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the intersection of medicine, gender and social expectations. It provides insight into the issues of women in relation to historical health care settings and responds to the health care debates of today.