The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett

wow. what a vivid vision of the torment and insanity that a person with acute schizophrenia has to go through to stay alive. we begin lori's story when she is in high school at 17 in 1976 and continues through 1989, when her only saving grace, clozapine first became available.

Lori's skill at describing her mind and reaching great depths, into what seems like pure memory, is phenominal. At times I felt as though i was right there beside her and she was telling her story. at other times, i was actually participating in the memory, kinda floating omniciently above the scenes.

But wait! there's more. Lori includes chapters narrated by those who experience the torture with her: her father, mother, two brothers, and sometimes the doctors themselves. This ingenious homogeneiously melds to create not only a scene of being in the shoes but also by adding all the different angles she masterfully extends the scene beyond first person personal narration. I felt like i was there experiencing it while everyone was sharing their versions of the story.

I can't imagine having audible and even visual hallucinations on a constant basis. It's a miracle that those who suffer from this terrible disorder live. It has to be one of the worst. Lori Schiller's story takes bipolar to the extreme by adding these hallucinations and delusions. I believe i've reached the dilusionally insane before, and i have had audible hallucinations from time to time, but i sure as hell didn't have the endless hallucinations that go along with schizophrenia. Typically the insanity with bipolar disorder is cyclical, so mania doesn't last forever, at least not without improper medications. Lori's account of her drug use seems amazingly easy for her to not become addicted. She seems to be able to stop when she wants to or when someone bops her into reality. But her point rings true to show the relationship with obsessive use of self medicating relates to those in the mental disorders family's use of drugs in order to deal with the madness. It seems to be the only way they survive at times. i think i can relate to that as my previous excessive drug and alchol use i can attribute very much to therapy.

I would recommend this book not only to those with interests in mental conditions but even those close by who get caught up in the tornado. Parents, friends, commerads, this, along with Kate Jamison's An Unquiet Mind, is a good "Al-Anon" book for you. It really describes the condition well. Even though it's next to impossible to relate to someone unless you've experienced if first hand, this book will give you tremendous insight. You must read it.

enjoy,
doc

Oh gee! sometimes i actually forget i have this thing...

I've got some more reviews comin down the line. this time i'm targeting memoirs of mood disorders. I've covered 5 books since i last spoke here. So now it's time to discuss my findings...;)

The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett

Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

passing for normal by Amy S. Wilensky

Manic by Teri Cheney

A Mind Apart by Suzanne Antonetta

Yes, I Am a Madman! whatever by doc