A book Review

BRAIN ON FIRE BY SUSANNAH CAHALAN

I read this book in two days, yep, two days.

A true story of a smart, 24 year old girl newly college graduate

who had began a job with a prestigious newspaper

finds herself, within days having delirious thoughts.

This began a month long hospital stay with many 

diagnosis of mental illness.

Bipolar illness and schizophrenia were two of

the diagnosis labeled to her as her family and loved ones

watch her go through psychosis, catatonia

and heading towards death.

Her parents refused to give up on her and fought

for better treatment, better testing insisting this illness

was not mental disease. Finally a doctor comes into the picture

and asks for permission for a brain biopsy.

There he finds her diagnosis which is not mental but

a very serious inflammation of the brain, a newly discovered

autoimmune disorder that, had it been left untreated would

have either caused death or a lifetime of mental institutions.

Cahalan writes the book herself and puts the puzzle pieces together

of her month of insanity by reading notes from hospital charts

as well as writings her father kept through his long days

supporting her at her bedside. Also, she depended on the memory 

of her mother, boyfriend and friends as she had very vague memories

of the whole month. Amazing what a family can do when they refuse to give

up, fight for more testing, to be heard.

This book had me wondering exactly how many others are in 

jail, in psychiatric hospitals or dead because of misdiagnosis.

It also has me thinking of the shootings at Sandy Hook and other

tragedies over the world, how many of these are actually physically ill

causing their mental handicapped symptoms.

If you enjoy true stories of medical incidents, this is a must read book.

Such an interesting story.