The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman In the late 19th century, not much information was known about mental illness. The treatments prescribed to the mentally ill at that time were often bizarre and caused patients more harm than good. Plagued by a nervous breakdown after the birth of her daughter, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was familiar with treatment at the time; isolation and total rest. Based on the experience of a month-long stay in an asylum run by Dr. S. WeirMitchell, Perkins felt compelled to write a short story about a woman fighting her own battle with mental illness and the treatment prescribed to help her. In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", the narrator's illness goes through three distinct phases. The first distinct phase of the narrator's illness is mild depression. She appears to be exhibiting symptoms of baby blues, also known as postpartum depression. The narrator expresses an inability to bond with his son: “It's fortunate that Mary is good with the child. [. . . .] I can't be with him” (Gilman 706). Because the narrator is bedridden and unable to perform even minor tasks, it makes her feel like she is a burden to her husband and Jennie. The few things the narrator is able to do, such as walking in the garden and writing down her thoughts and feelings, quickly tire her. She begins to worry that she won't get better and tries to express these feelings to her husband John, who dismisses her as if she were a child. The burden of trying to hide the symptoms of her illness only seems to take it to another level. The second distinct stage of the narrator's illness is severe depression. He begins to cry often... halfway through the paper... three distinct stages: mild depression, severe depression and severe psychosis. By drawing on her treatment experiences and including Dr. S. WeirMitchell's name in her story, Gilman was able to make a statement about the treatment of mentally ill patients. Above all, Gilman wanted people to know that rest and treatment, isolation or depression could contribute to worsening problems. Years later, Gilman was told that Dr. Mitchell had read “The Yellow Wallpaper” and changed the treatment he used for depression. Today, treatments for mentally ill patients have been improved. Most people have a rudimentary understanding that friends, excitement, and escape are needed to combat depression rather than isolation. Perhaps if Charlotte Perkins Gilman had received a more modern treatment, a unique literary treasure would never have been created.