The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan review – psychologist in the dock

This inquiry into a 1970s experiment that shook the world of psychiatry makes for a compelling readThere are precious few biological tests for mental disorders, so diagnosis still rests on the observation of symptoms. Susannah Cahalan ’s first book,Brain on Fire, described her first-hand experience of how catastrophically wayward such diagnosis can be.Cahalan was working as a reporter at theNew York Post in 2009 when, aged 24, she developed what appeared to be a kind of paranoid schizophrenia. She believed bedbugs were invading her apartment, that her father had tried to abduct and kill his second wife, she heard voices, spoke gibberish, was unable to sleep and descended into catatonia. It was only the persistence of her parents, and an extra series of tests, that discovered an extremely rare autoimmune disease that was attacking her brain. The diagnosis saved her from the psychiatric ward, where, left unchecked, her illness would have left her cognitive functions irreparably damaged.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Health, mind and body books Psychology Culture Source Type: news