Reflections of 20th Century Psychiatrists

     Mrs. Dalloway serves as a time capsule of England in the early 20th century, from the descriptions of the streets to how the characters changed because of their environment. I found the depictions of the psychiatrists from the time period to be especially eye-opening, as it really allowed me to see how much we have progressed as a society to be more accepting of mental health issues.

The two doctors that are associated with Septimus in this book are Dr. Holmes and Sir William Bradshaw. Virginia Woolf had personal experiences with psychiatrists, and both doctors serve as an emblem of society’s views on mental health. Dr. Holmes represents the common man in England, the one who dismisses mental health and especially PTSD as a hoax. It is fitting that Dr. Holmes has the lesser title of the two (Dr. vs Sir), which represents how he is more like the average person. Holmes never truly believes that shell shock is real and suggests that Septimus can heal himself if he takes his mind off of the war. He tries to shame Septimus into getting better by implying that he is hurting his “pretty little wife” and should just start being happier. Even as Holmes watches Septimus commit suicide, he calls him a “coward”, which shows how little he believes in the effects of shell shock. Woolf does not think of Holmes as a true doctor, and it is evident in how dismissive he is of Septimus and the absurdity of his suggestions. 

The other psychiatrist in the book is Sir William Bradshaw. While Woolf blatantly disregarded Dr. Holmes as a true doctor, her analysis on Sir William Bradshaw is more complicated. To some level, Woolf recognizes Bradshaw as a doctor. He understands that what Septimus is going through is a real problem and not something Septimus is using to get attention. However, Woolf’s opinions on Bradshaw are far from positive. In fact, I think she might dislike Bradshaw even more than Holmes. In the case of Holmes, she was appalled by his lack of knowledge on his own expertise. In the case of Bradshaw, we know that he understands the implications of shell shock, but he doesn’t care about his patients as people. Instead of genuinely trying to help Septimus, Bradshaw sees him as an experiment to heal. He also thinks that shell shock is a taboo and tries to hide Septimus away from the rest of society. In the end, it is ultimately Bradshaw that drives Septimus to suicide by trying to take him to a mental institution. 

Through Septimus’ inner thoughts, Bradshaw is depicted as an evil in the world, someone who understands Septimus’ pain and still refuses to help. 

Both doctors in Mrs. Dalloway provide extremely intriguing insights into the stigma around mental health in the early 20th century. Virginia Woolf’s own struggles with mental health most definitely shaped her depictions of the characters, and she does a wonderful job getting into the minds of psychiatrists and how little they cared about their patients. The two different doctors depict two sides of the same stigma - the unaware and uneducated, and the aware and uninterested.