The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

Submitted By ktribe84
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Schizophrenia
At a young age while attending law school at Oxford, Elyn Saks experienced a complete schizophrenic episode. It turned into an agonizing journey in which Mrs. Saks struggled for many years, but she came through thanks to consistent medication, talk-therapy, and the support of her friends, co-workers, and family.
After reading The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness, I was really able to feel just how real and intense mental illnesses can be. What a courageous woman Mrs. Saks is to have risked everything she worked for by exposing her demons to the world only to help us gain a better understanding of the horrific illness we know as Schizophrenia. I went back through the text and compared symptoms of Schizophrenia with other mental illnesses. I found myself applying what I have been studying to a real situation which, in my opinion, is the best way to learn.
What I liked most about this reading assignment is that it is a memoir written by an accomplished professional who suffers from Schizophrenia. It’s not just another case study created by a doctor or someone who reiterates what they read in a textbook. Mrs. Saks speaks on a personable level. As I read through the three exerts assigned, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Wow, the struggles are real and this is only a glimpse of what she has endured throughout her life.” Through it all, she was able to overcome both positive and negative effects of Schizophrenia and worked to become a lawyer and professor.
People who suffer from Schizophrenia have a MAJOR mental illness in which they will never fully recover from. Ever since I watched the movie Me, Myself, & Irene, I have associated the split personality with Schizophrenia. I learned that they are actually 2 different illnesses and that those who suffer from Schizophrenia show more of an “out of touch with reality” behavior where they are unable to decipher between what’s real and fake. Some can overcome the negative
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