Mental illness
One of the most significant themes in Strangers to Ourselves is the connection between how mental illness is perceived and culture. In her book, Aviv argues that the way people perceive mental illness and those who suffer from it depend on the culture that person is in. For example, in the book's introduction, Rachel tells her own story of her struggle with several eating disorders. Her family reacted in a loving and caring way to their discovery of her eating disorder. They got her help immediately and eventually sent her to an inpatient facility. In contrast, another woman that Aviv profiles in the book, who is Muslim and lives in a Muslim country, did not understand the woman's mental illness and treated her with hate, scorn, and contempt.
Self-harm
Self-harm is another theme in Strangers to Ourselves. Each of the women featured in the book engage in self-harm in one way or another. Because of her mental illness, Rachel self-harmed through her eating disorder and suicide attempts. Other women in the book cut themselves because of their mental illnesses'; some even attempt to kill themselves. None, however, were successful. In one way or another, each of the women in the book harm themselves. Most harm themselves through no fault of their own; their self-harm came about as a result of the negative self-talk their disease created inside of them.
Compassion
Compassion is one of the most positive and hopeful themes in Aviv's book. Throughout the book, there are people in each woman's life that shows them compassion—doctors, friends, family, fellow patients, and members of their support groups. It is with the help of this compassion that the women featured in the book—all of whom deal with mental illness in one form or another—are able to heal and live a better and more meaningful life. And it is compassion, Aviv argues, that the world should be giving to those who suffer from mental illness. Not scorn or ridicule or negativity.
