Surviving Schizophrenia A Memoir Louise Gillett 9780956693730 Books
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What you are about to read is a true story. I am an apparently normal happily married mother of four, living the humdrum existence of an ordinary housewife. And I have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, something that I have always felt a deep sense of shame and embarrassment about, and kept hidden for many years. I have agonised for many years over whether to make my story public – I have written this book, re-written it, changed the names, changed them back again, written it again under a pseudonym, tried to change it into a novel... Finally, last year on a writing holiday at the wonderful Arvon Centre in Totleigh Barton, Devon, matters became clear. This is my story, and I am ready to stand by it. It is a true story and any value that it has for others lies in that fact. I have, however, changed the names of a very few people within the text to protect them from any repercussions of my tale.
Surviving Schizophrenia A Memoir Louise Gillett 9780956693730 Books
It's a memoir of the author's strange family and bizarre childhood and of the three breakdowns which led to her being "sectioned" (involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.) It's a mystery because it remains uncertain which of her problems stemmed from her illness and which from the largely ineffective and sometimes brutal "treatment" she received. Even her diagnosis (schizophrenia) is in doubt.She was the child of a passive, alcoholic mother and an angry, abusive father. The first years of her life were spent in emotional turmoil surrounded by luxury. The family lived in a huge old house with extensive grounds. There were servants, expensive cars, and private schools. Her father's compulsive gambling brought about an abrupt change of fortune. The children were removed from the boarding schools that were their only refuge and placed in day schools near the family's cramped apartment. The author (timid and nervous before) was shocked, frightened, and lost. Moving into her teens years, struggling to make friends and with no parental support or supervision, she became a regular pot smoker.
It is known that teens who smoke pot are more likely to develop schizophrenia. What is not clear is whether the pot is a causative factor or whether the teen is experiencing the beginnings of the illness and self-medicating. The author is convinced that using pot triggered her breakdowns. Her stories of the years when she was in and out of mental hospitals are incredible in their detail and emotional impact.
Amazingly, the story has a happy ending. Today the author has a solid marriage and four children. A supportive husband, motherhood, and success in her writing career have given her increased confidence and the courage to speak up. She has also benefited from the growing openness about mental illness and the trend toward encouraging the mentally ill to be decision making partners in their own treatment whenever possible.
Her mother is now sober and they have a loving relationship. Her father died from cancer. On his death bed he was unimpressed with her gifts of pajamas and razors. He demanded lottery tickets and had the numbers written out for her!
I read this book a year ago and I have thought about it so many times since then. I read 250-300 books a year and seldom find one that is as compelling and memorable as this one. The author's intelligence, honesty, and indomitable spirit shine through. Her story is another piece in the puzzle that we must solve in order to bring relief to those who suffer from this terrible disease. I thank her for having the courage to tell it.
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Tags : Surviving Schizophrenia: A Memoir [Louise Gillett] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. What you are about to read is a true story. I am an apparently normal happily married mother of four,Louise Gillett,Surviving Schizophrenia: A Memoir,Twynham Press,0956693733,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Personal Memoirs
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Surviving Schizophrenia A Memoir Louise Gillett 9780956693730 Books Reviews
Very well written. Gives much insight on mental illness. Author was open and honest about her life and all her experiences.
I appreciated, and enjoyed reading her book. IT was well written. i have a friend and also a brother who is has this illness. Unfortunately for them, they do not believe they are sick, and my brother has never been on medication. My friend, takes meds and still thinks she doesnt need them. Reading the book helped me to see from her perspective.
This was extremely well written and honest and it made me fall in love with Louise a little bit! She is writing her story of schizophrenia to help explain to her daughter what happened in her past -- all of those things that are hard to say without context -- and I think she has done a beautiful job of it.
I was very happy to read that the author continues to do well and has been able to manage her episodes and stay healthy. She's a writer with great potential and if she can manage such a painful and honest memoir (extremely difficult to do!) then she will have a bright future.
I read this book with great delight. I was pregnant at the time, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. I felt that I could identify with the author of this book.
I truly believed, after having read this book and other written work by others on the internet, that I could carefully discontinue my medication during my late pregnancy and enjoy a better life with my new son and my husband on into the future, with no more cares or worries about my mental health diagnosis. I was wrong. I had a full-on relapse. I believed all sorts of things about why my family had no right to even exist (I'm not saying that I was violent at all). The upside is that I was able to breastfeed for three weeks without any concerns about anti-psychotics being in my breastmilk. The downside was that I ended up in a locked psych ward against my will away from my baby son and family for weeks (and I don't necessarily believe that that was warranted either).
I am very happy that the author is able to describe her diagnosis in quote marks - "schizophrenia". It seems that this fits her own experience of it. But it hasn't been mine. Schizophrenia (defined in lots of different ways by lots of different people) does exist, even if the medical establishment is not the best place to get authoritative information about it either.
Note I also wrote a review about this book on the .co.uk site before the turn of events described above.
This book was recommended to me, and now I'm pleased to recommend it to others. The author's clarity of memory, honest self-reflections, and evocative descriptions of the difficult circumstances leading up to, during, and after three mental/emotional breakdowns are remarkable and admirable. Her experiences as a sensitive, gifted child growing up in psychologically abusive situations make her later self-destructive choices understandable; what is amazing and inspiring is that even with so many devastating blows to her sense of self-worth, with great effort she managed to ultimately heal and make her way to a fulfilling, purposeful, happy life.
It clearly took enormous courage to reveal so much of herself and her vulnerabilities through this writing, and through it she's given a great gift to anyone whose life or loved ones' lives have been touched by mental illness. One hopes that the ignorant and often barbaric practices in mental institutions - which are pervasive worldwide - might ultimately be changed through books like this. No matter what dire circumstances and unhealthy choices one may experience in the course of life, no matter how confused one may become about reality or how low one's sense of self value may plummet, Louise Gillett's life story is inspiring evidence that healing and happiness are possible. This should provide grounded hope for anyone.
It's a memoir of the author's strange family and bizarre childhood and of the three breakdowns which led to her being "sectioned" (involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.) It's a mystery because it remains uncertain which of her problems stemmed from her illness and which from the largely ineffective and sometimes brutal "treatment" she received. Even her diagnosis (schizophrenia) is in doubt.
She was the child of a passive, alcoholic mother and an angry, abusive father. The first years of her life were spent in emotional turmoil surrounded by luxury. The family lived in a huge old house with extensive grounds. There were servants, expensive cars, and private schools. Her father's compulsive gambling brought about an abrupt change of fortune. The children were removed from the boarding schools that were their only refuge and placed in day schools near the family's cramped apartment. The author (timid and nervous before) was shocked, frightened, and lost. Moving into her teens years, struggling to make friends and with no parental support or supervision, she became a regular pot smoker.
It is known that teens who smoke pot are more likely to develop schizophrenia. What is not clear is whether the pot is a causative factor or whether the teen is experiencing the beginnings of the illness and self-medicating. The author is convinced that using pot triggered her breakdowns. Her stories of the years when she was in and out of mental hospitals are incredible in their detail and emotional impact.
Amazingly, the story has a happy ending. Today the author has a solid marriage and four children. A supportive husband, motherhood, and success in her writing career have given her increased confidence and the courage to speak up. She has also benefited from the growing openness about mental illness and the trend toward encouraging the mentally ill to be decision making partners in their own treatment whenever possible.
Her mother is now sober and they have a loving relationship. Her father died from cancer. On his death bed he was unimpressed with her gifts of pajamas and razors. He demanded lottery tickets and had the numbers written out for her!
I read this book a year ago and I have thought about it so many times since then. I read 250-300 books a year and seldom find one that is as compelling and memorable as this one. The author's intelligence, honesty, and indomitable spirit shine through. Her story is another piece in the puzzle that we must solve in order to bring relief to those who suffer from this terrible disease. I thank her for having the courage to tell it.
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