Women From Away

Year Three Book Five: 

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

March 3rd, 2016

Lauren: Five stars for me is always the kind of book that I'm riveted by, that I can't put down and I carry it around the house with me. And this was one of those. I think what I liked most was how technical it was. I found it particularly fascinating how doctors go about diagnosing mental illness. One part was explaining how they get people to attempt to draw a clock. They start with the circle and fill in the numbers. Just this simple task can tell so much about what the person is struggling with. Things such as the size of the circle they draw, issues with the layout of the numbers, graphical difficulties with the drawings of the lines/hands and even difficulties with understanding the meaning of the clock can hint at problems with the human brain including what lobe of the brain may be affected.

While reading other reviews, I noticed quite a lot of criticism on how she didn’t seem to incorporate her own feelings and emotions into this book, but I think that’s actually part of what I liked about it. She wasn’t present for a lot of what went on in her life during this time. There were large periods of time where she actually blacked out completely and has no recollection of it. So I think that she wrote the book in the best way that she could – explaining what she went through and explaining how mental issues can be physiological rather than psychological. This is not only a very interesting concept… but also terrifying.

I think this is an important book for people to read and very relevant today. There is so much we don't understand still about the human brain. And so much we don't understand or can't relate to in terms of what other people may be experiencing. It reminds me a bit of these commercials that are out right now where the people are discussing someone missing work because of mental illness. There is still so much negative stigma around these types of illnesses. I found her to be very open and honest about an issue that may have been embarrassing for her and I appreciate that she told her story.

Angela: Here's a surprise - I really enjoyed this book!  I felt that Susannah did a great job of combining the neurological, physiological and personal aspects of her journey together into an engaging and honest narrative. There were parts throughout her telling of the hospitalization where it came across as detached and impersonal but that connects directly to the fact that she has no memory of it.  She did a thorough job of piecing together her own story from other's accounts however you still get the impression that it is just that - other people's stories. 

I found it compelling in that I read it in two sittings and went on to read more about her work afterwards.  I found myself wishing to have a bit more insight or opinion from others and really enjoyed when she did fill us in on the emotions of her family as they went through it with her.  I think her journalism background really came through in how factually she presented her condition (which I appreciated) but also led to the detached nature of her writing style. 

This book really made me think about some of the people I've worked with and known who have been given labels, diagnosed, medicated and/or hospitalized for various 'mental health reasons' but how really so much about the brain is still a mystery.  At the end of the book when she talks about how if she had gotten sick 3 years earlier (before the discovery of her condition) or if she had gone to a different hospital or been assigned a different doctor OR if they had taken the Dr Bailey's word that she was an alcoholic ... what the outcome could have been.  She could have been been dumped in the psych ward for years or even died because of lack of knowledge about what could have saved her.  (My mind explodes just thinking about that!)  

In the end I give it a 4.  Well written and I would recommend it to others.

Amy: This story is wild! Straight up wild! I give it a 5 out of 5! 

I randomly picked this out of the shelf from the Public Library because they had it on display, so when I started I had no previous knowledge about it. After starting it, I couldn't put it down! 

One of the things that really struck me hard and has stuck with me in the year and a half since reading it the first time, is how mental illnesses are perceived. For Susannah is was discovered early that her "brain was on fire" because of an autoimmune disease that affected her in a lot of ways. At first Susannah presents like hundreds of people with mental illness do, but for some combination of luck and privilege she was properly diagnosed and treated. But interestingly, even I have a bias that says "Well, I mean she had an autoimmune disorder. She's not mentally ill!" and some how categorize an Axis I or II as being 'less than' kind of illness. But truly, how are these two types of illness different! So, definitely Susannah's story has challenged my perception of illness that hurt the brain so to speak (ie. delusions, paranoia...).  

Great pick Robyn! We'll all have to watch the movie together!