Susannah Cahalan's autobiographical book Brain on Fire is a wild ride. She records the events which transpire after a lengthy hospital stay after a month of which she wakes up not remembering ever even being admitted. Her doctor's don't understand what's wrong with her brain, so she begins a quest to find someone who will take her seriously and work with her to fix the problem. Eventually she does figure out that she has a recently discovered disease called anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. The final section of the book details her recovery -- both physical and mental.
Cahalan is a resilient spirit. She fills the pages of this book with heartfelt, humorous, and sincere accounts of her real life. This is an exposé on mental health, so she holds nothing back. Since the book's publishing, numerous critics have praised Cahalan for her unreserved candor. She doesn't try to paint herself in a favorable light if that's not how she felt or behaved. On the contrary, she goes to great lengths to describe both what happened and how she felt about those happenings. Her clarity is admirable.
This book is yet another reminder that humanity knows less about the human brain than it acknowledges. The field of mental health as a science is relatively new all things considered, and this means there must still be people who have misdiagnosed or undiscovered diseases which keep them from living life to the fullest. In writing this book, Cahalan is reminding the public to pay attention to one another. Mental health is something every person has to learn how to control as best they can. And if they can't, hopefully someone is there to encourage them and help them when they need it. There are only so many things that can be controlled, but everyone chooses. Every moment is a choice, and Cahalan urges her readers to choose life and health and optimism.
