Mental Illness

All throughout her childhood, Patty Duke suffers from bouts of irrational fears, such as a deep fear of death, that she cannot understand or shake. Patty reaches out to the adults in her life for help, but they mock her fears and instruct her to act more like an adult. Patty often lies in bed telling herself there must be a pill that will help rid her of these fears, but one never comes along. As Patty grows older and breaks from the relationships that shaped her childhood, she finds herself facing even more fears. Patty cannot be alone, she has never learned to be alone. Patty cannot sleep, sometimes she cannot eat, and quite often Patty cannot control her tongue or her spending habits.

Patty marries and believes this will make everything in her life all better. However, shortly after this marriage begins, Patty suffers a...