It's been awhile since I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to finish a book when I had to get up for work the next day but I got caught up in this one. In 2009, twenty-four year old Cahalan suffered what, at first, seemed to be a breakdown which became more severe and evolved into a complete psychotic break. Her madness included hallucinations, paranoia, and violent outbursts against friends, family, and total strangers. The first doctor who "treated" her, concluded she was just drinking too much and that stopping alcohol would solve the problem. But Cahalan was not drinking to excess. When she began suffering seizures it was thought that her psychosis was what is called Postictal Psychosis, essentially psychosis caused by seizures. Treating the seizures did not solve the problem. It took multiple doctors and countless tests before she was diagnosed with a little known autoimmune disorder that was attacking her brain. Cahalan, a New York Post reporter, has written a fascinating account of what she went through based on journals kept by family members, videos of her behavior when hospitalized, accounts from medical professionals, and her own memories.
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