A Road Back from Schizophrenia: A Memoir

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For ten years, Arnhild Lauveng suffered as a schizophrenic, going in and out of the hospital for months or even a year at a time. A Road Back from Schizophrenia gives extraordinary insight into the logic (and life) of a schizophrenic. Lauveng illuminates her loss of identity, her sense of being controlled from the outside, and her relationship to the voices she heard and her sometimes terrifying hallucinations. Painful recollections of moments of humiliation inflicted by thoughtless medical professionals are juxtaposed with Lauveng's own understanding of how such patients are outwardly irrational and often violent. She paints a surreal worldsometimes full of terror and sometimes of beautyin which "the Captain" rules her by the rod and the school's corridors are filled with wolves.
When she was diagnosed with the mental illness, it was emphasized that this was a congenital disease, and that she would have to live with it for the rest of her life. Today, however, she calls herself a "former schizophrenic," has stopped taking medication for the illness, and currently works as a clinical psychologist. Lauveng, though sometimes critical of mental health care, ultimately attributes her slow journey back to health to the dedicated medical staff who took the time to talk to her and who saw her as a person simply diagnosed with an illnessnot the illness incarnate. A powerful memoir for sufferers, their families, and the professionals who care for them.

Reviews

Drawing on her own terrifying experiences to address the carefully constructed definitions and understandings of the disorder, [Lauveng] challenges some entrenched ideas about schizophrenia, especially the idea that she had to live with her condition for her entire life, and she deconstructs and examines in different combinations the ideas of how it affects different individuals. Emphasizing a personal approach to clients is not unique to Lauveng, but this chronicle of her specific experiences carries extra weight. --Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

Arnhild Lauveng studied at the University of Oslo, and now works as a clinical psychologist. She is a successful Norwegian author and a popular speaker. She was awarded the Mental Health Prize in 2004 for her openness in discussing her battle with mental illness.