Addiction, Suicide, & Healing: Mare of Easttown
Image: HBO
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
This post has been a long time coming! I initially started writing this on - believe it or not! - the same day I went into labor with my first baby (which perhaps explains why it’s taken me so long to finish and post this!). Now, four months later, here I am, writing about Mare of Easttown, a series that has as much to do with motherhood as with the weighty topics I’ll focus on below: addiction and suicide, trauma and healing. There is lots to share, especially given this show’s brilliant portrayal of very difficult themes, so I’ll do my best to succinctly share relevant research on these taboo topics, reveal how they’re linked, and explain how MoE gets it right.
I’ll start off with addiction which perhaps faces some of the worst stigma in our society. MoE is filled with varying shades of substance use, from the most serious addiction problems such as Mare’s son, Kevin, and her friend’s brother, Freddie - who are addicted to opioids - to less severe, but still impactful, problems including Mare herself, with her constant alcohol use. The many layers depicted of substance issues - ranging from misuse to full on addiction - reveal just how insidious this problem is for so many. While stigma and criminalization contribute to the view that substance problems are a moral failing, the reality is much more complex. Fascinating research illustrates how addiction literally rewires the brain, causing a person with addiction problems to seek the drug over even the most basic needs such as food, shelter, and social connection; by hijacking brain centers focused on reward, motivation, decision making, and basic needs, the individual believes the substance is necessary for survival. There are countless examples of this in MoE, with perhaps the most heartbreaking being Mare’s son, Kevin, and the harrowing scene where he and his girlfriend, Carrie, attack Mare while desperate for money to buy more opioids in Episode 4.
As the series progresses, we learn about another aspect of Kevin’s short life, ie. that he died by suicide. We also learn, through Mare’s therapy sessions (more on this later!) that her father died by suicide. Similar to addiction, suicide has an intergenerational and genetic link which Mare wonders about in Episode 5, musing to her therapist that perhaps it’s “something you inherit”. Research shows us there is indeed a genomic component to suicide, just as with other mental health issues that appear to run in Mare’s family. For example, we learn that Kevin had a history of mental health issues as a young child, and that Mare suffered from postpartum depression. Suicide does not occur in isolation, and episode by episode, MoE peels back the layers of risk factors, including previous mental health diagnoses, family history of suicide, and addiction. The cycle of shame and self blame that follows a family member’s suicide is also depicted, with Mare wondering in a session if she wasn’t “enough” for her father - and, while left unsaid in the series, perhaps she wonders this about her son as well. The ripple effects of suicide are quietly, powerfully portrayed in Mare of Easttown, illustrating how many are impacted when someone ends their life.
The underlying factor that MoE explores is, of course, trauma (if you can’t tell by my previous Journal posts, trauma is a passion of mine! and something I strongly believe is relevant to almost all mental health problems). Trauma is often a root cause of the central issues impacting Mare’s life: addiction and suicide. A definition of trauma I find especially useful is: “A horrific event beyond the scope of normal human experience” - and we can name several such experiences in Mare’s life: her father’s and son’s suicides of course, as well as the daily trauma she witnesses in her profession, from rape to overdose deaths to murder. Beyond Mare’s life, trauma is everywhere in this series: the missing girls, the relentless wave of addiction and loss. We watch Mare grapple with trauma by numbing (those Rolling Rock beers are everywhere right?!) and avoiding, by struggling to connect romantically or be open in therapy, until finally she begins to focus on healing. In the last few episodes, Mare of Easttown masterfully depicts many central aspects of healing from trauma: in Episode 5 we see Mare begin to be more vulnerable in therapy and with family; in Episode 6 we observe her grappling more head on with grief than she has in the past; and finally in Episode 7, we witness her begin to approach forgiving herself after her mother shares that she did so when Mare’s father died, and breaking the cycle of avoidance, shame, and blame in the emotional closing scene of ascending the ladder to the attic where Kevin hung himself - a step towards healing and closure. Thus, MoE leaves us with a powerful set of tools to combat trauma: compassion, vulnerability, connection, and hope.
MoE’s genius is in revealing the links between trauma, addiction, and suicide, the way these problems play off of one another and grow exponentially when unattended to. Shockingly, life expectancy in the US has been on a decline due to addiction and suicide, leading those in the health field to name these problems ‘diseases of despair’. But somehow, this show doesn’t get bogged down by the weightiness of these issues. In fact, it illustrates that no matter the depth of pain and spread of the struggle, healing is always possible.
**A few notes! While there are some aspects of the therapy scenes that didn’t sit well with me (such as the therapist asking too many questions in a row in Episode 5, a common problem in most depictions of psych treatment; therapy typically should be more conversational and less interrogation like!), overall I felt the therapeutic relationship and Mare’s journey from resistant to vulnerable were beautifully shown. There’s a few reasons I think this show likely did well in how it portrayed therapy and psychological issues: the use of a psychological consultant and grief counselor, as well as Kate Winslet digging deep into her character’s psychological history - something a psych consultant can also help actors, writers, and directors do. Additionally, as a former Philly native, I was astounded by how perfectly Winslet and others captured that Delaware County (“DelCo”) accent and vibe! Staying true to the community illustrates how important authentic representation is to the strength of a production.
More resources:
Another strong (and very well done) psychological component of MoE: portraying how family systems are impacted by mental health and addiction issues, something I have a professional interest in. Take a peak at this article I co-wrote on a group I led for college students impacted by family addiction and mental health issues to learn more!
Another show that deals with the opioid crisis: Dopesick, a new scripted series on Hulu that examines this multilayered problem including stories of individuals struggling with addiction, as well as a depiction of the Sackler family and how their pharmaceutical business created this crisis along with corrupt government officials, and the legal and law enforcement journeys to seek justice.
