Men Have Called Her Crazy

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of mental illness, gender discrimination, sexual violence, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and self-harm. 

Mental health plays a central role throughout Men Have Called Her Crazy. The memoir opens with Tendler checking into an inpatient care hospital for treatment for her anxiety and depression. This decision is monumental for Tendler because of the social stigma surrounding seeking treatment for mental health, both in society at large and within Tendler’s family, a microcosm of society. Before seeking inpatient care, Tendler was even hesitant to try medication to help mitigate her anxiety symptoms. Her therapist, Dr. Karr, encouraged her to try medication, telling Tendler, “I would hate to see you not take medication for anxiety, a medication that could change your life drastically for the better, because of a stigma you’ve picked up from your childhood” (13). Dr. Karr explicitly utilizes the term “stigma” to describe Tendler’s reluctance to seek care, illustrating her awareness of Tendler’s motivations and the broader societal issues that impact her patients. Societal expectations in the American culture in which Tendler lives center on ideas of normalcy and adherence to certain norms surrounding mental health and expected behavior.