Amanda Bennett (1) (1952–)

I don't want to belittle the author's experience, but I can't help but think of the modern version of this story. Girl gets sick, doesn't have health insurance, cannot afford treatment. Or: Girl refuses treatment and legally cannot receive the help she needs and cycles in and out of jail and homelessness.

Lori put a lot of work into her mental health -- but she should be damn glad she didn't get sick 20 or 30 years later. And she should also realize that many of her contemporaries without money didn't get the same level treatment she received.… (meer)

It’s no secret I like memoirs by people who have mental illness, but The Quiet Room goes deep. Lori Schiller is schizophrenia and manic depression (bi-polar) and the way she is able to write about her disorders brings great insight. She doesn’t remember it all and parts she felt were important that she didn’t remember she had family members or doctors write what she was like during that time. She hears voices and experiences mood swings, she lived a normal life at first with these issues, she graduated high school when it first started and did great in college before it took over her life. She tries to commit suicide, she is hospitalized and develops a drug problem.

Lori does not hold back on her emotions and actions that occurred. It allows the reader to learn and empathize with her. I liked that it is addressed there is no cure, you will always have your mental illness, so the best people can do is fight the symptoms so they can live their life. I think many people dismiss lesser disorders as being something that can be stopped and cured, that a person isn’t trying hard enough, but this book shuts that down and explains how it actually works. Lori explains the treatment process and how medications are guess work until doctors find the right combo. Her experiences at hospitals vary, some want to cure her and get her out to have a high turn over rate, but this doesn’t work for her. It’s not until she goes into long term care does she start to improve. Highly recommend reading… (meer)