The Collected Schizophrenias

Posted on 02 March 2018 by Esmé Weijun Wang

An intimate, moving book written with the immediacy and directness of one who still struggles with the effects of mental and chronic illness, The Collected Schizophrenias cuts right to the core Schizophrenia is not a single unifying diagnosis, and Esm Weijun Wang writes not just to her fellow members of the collected schizophrenias but to those who wish to understand it as well Opening with the journey toward her diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, Wang discusses the medical community s own disagreement about labels and procedures for diagnosing those with mental illness, and then follows an arc that examines the manifestations of schizophrenia in her life In essays that range from using fashion to present as high functioning to the depths of a rare form of psychosis, and from the failures of the higher education system and the dangers of institutionalization to the complexity of compounding factors such as PTSD and Lyme disease, Wang s analytical eye, honed as a former lab researcher at Stanford, allows her to balance research with personal narrative An essay collection of undeniable power,The Collected Schizophrenias dispels misconceptions and provides insight into a condition long misunderstood. New Download eBook The Collected Schizophrenias author Esmé Weijun Wang – kino-fada.fr Considering that the author had been through the mill herself with many diagnoses for her psychotic states, none quite fitting, until schizoaffective disorder and described them in detail, I expected a book that would engender emotion and empathy in me, if not identification What I got was a cold, dispassionate look at schizophrenia and associated psychoses from many different angles and treatments, including weirdly, astrology, told by an author I couldn t empathise with at all.This is not a Considering that the author had been through the mill herself with many diagnoses for her psychotic states, none quite fitting, until schizoaffective disorder and described them in detail, I expected a book that would engender emotion and empathy in me, if not identification What I got was a cold, dispassionate look at schizophrenia and associated psychoses from many different angles and treatments, including weirdly, astrology, told by an author I couldn t empathise with at all.This is not a criticism of the author, whom I don t know but about her writing about herself which is what the book is mostly about, herself and her experiences She wrote what a high achiever academically she was, how intelligent she was and how she had won this award and that prize and was a top employee in this that or the other occupation She was so beautiful that despite being only 5 4 she had been a model She thought that because she had a fashio...One of the most courageous books I have ever read In The Collected Schizophrenias, Esm Weijun Wang writes about her experience with schizoaffective disorder and Lyme disease Compared to mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, schizophrenia is still so stigmatized, so it is rare and beautiful to read a candid perspective like Wang s These essays span a wide range of topics relevant to health and illness, ranging from how the mentally ill are institutionalized in a way that removes their One of the most courageous books I have ever read In The Collected Schizophrenias, Esm Weijun Wang writes about her experience with schizoaffective disorder and Lyme disease Compared to mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, schizophrenia is still so stigmatized, so it is rare and beautiful to read a candid perspective like Wang s These essays span a wide range of topics relevant to health and illness, ranging from how the mentally ill are institutionalized in a way that removes their agency, to how mass media portrays people with schizophrenia I most loved how Wang refuses easy answers in these essays Though my human instinct for closure felt annoyed at times because of this lack of resolution, Wang s commitment to complexity and nuance over neat endings exemplifies her skill as a writer and a thinker These conversations about illness and wellness must continue, and I...This collection of essays is extraordinary Through exploring her own experiences with schizophrenia, Wang is able to do a great job of looking at society s views of mental illness and the lack of information and understanding around schizophrenia That combined wi...The book reads like a memoir It possesses a mastery of tone that s deeply satisfying I think I may have found a substitute not a replacement for Dr Oliver Sacks, who was a dreamy writer on subjects neurological Author Esm Weijun Wang s perspective though is that of a patient She suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which I have just learned has a manic aspect She has been involuntarily institutionalized three times, and her last psychotic episode in 2013 lasted 7 months How she comes The book reads like a memoir It possesses a mastery of tone that s deeply satisfying I think I may have found a substitute not a replacement for Dr Oliver Sacks, who was a dreamy writer on subjects neurological Author Esm Weijun Wang s perspective though is that of a patient She suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which I have just learned has a manic aspect She has been involuntarily institutionalized three times, and her last psychotic episode in 2013 lasted 7 months How she comes out of that with a gift for fine expository prose is a mystery indeed There s a lurid exp...Esmeralda Weijun Wang wants to be a high functioning individual while she contends with her multiple diagnoses To understand her ability to concentrate long enough, organize her thoughts to allow her to write these essays, and to seek costly medical and alternative type medical care is to come to the conclusion that she is financially very well off She is not homeless, going hungry, under or unemployed,lacking facilities for hygiene, etc As part of her high functioning mask she applies Tom Esmeralda Weijun Wang wants to be a high functioning individual while she contends with her multiple diagnoses To understand her ability to concentrate long enough, organize her thoughts to allow her to write these essays, and to seek costly medical and alternative type medical care is to come to the conclusion that she is financially very well off She is not homeless, going hungry, under or unemployed,lacking facilities for hygiene, etc As part of her high functioning mask she applies Tom Ford lipstick, Chanel foundation, and dress...Words that came to my mind when reading this book Superb Important Smart Interesting Honest Thought provoking Empathy building This is a memoir in essays by a woman relating her experience living with schizoaffective disorder, both internal and in the world experiences She also writes about other ailments and other aspects of her life and her relationships.The writing and storytelling are great I love her writing and will check out her other books This book is a mix of autobiography, Words that came to my mind when reading this book Superb Important Smart Interesting Honest Thought provoking Empathy building This is a memoir in essays by a woman relating her experience living with schizoaffective disorder, both internal and in the world experiences She also writes about other ailments and other aspects of her life and her relationships.The writing and storytelling are great I love her writing and will check out her other books This book is a mix of autobiography, history, psychology, psychiatry, science, cultural, political, and literature, art the arts, etc topics I respect how she is able to make use in her story and in her writing of things from all of these subjects I admire this woman and admire her writing too She i...Early on in The Collected Schizophrenias, Esm Weijun Wang points out that, as a culture, we seem to focuson how schizophrenia makes us i.e., non afflicted people feel than on how people with schizophrenia themselves might feel I immediately recognized the truth of this sentiment Isn t it the case that the whole thing freaks us out a bit Isn t it the case that we tend to assume people with schizophrenic disorders might not know what is best for them Wang thankfully turns this entire Early on in The Collected Schizophrenias, Esm Weijun Wang points out that, as a culture, we seem to focuson how schizophrenia makes us i.e., non afflicted people feel than on how people with schizophrenia themselves might feel I immediately recognized the truth of this sentiment Isn t it the case that the whole thing freaks us out a bit Isn t it the case that we tend to assume people with schizophrenic disorders might not know what is best for them Wang thankfully turns this entire narrative on its head As a person with schizoaffective disorder roughly, schizophrenia plus bipolar , she is sometimes in the midst of te...Stunning TCS is the most moving account of living with mental illness that I have read to date, and I think that s because it s not trying to convince anyone of anything Wang wrote essays about her condition and journey, and within these essays, she constantly admits that she is writing about herself and no one else Her accounts of struggles are hers and not representative of a group of others afflicted with schizoaffective disorder, and even within her writing about chronic Lymes she never s Stunning TCS is the most moving account of living with mental illness that I have read to date, and I think that s because it s not trying to convince anyone of anything Wang wrote essays about her condition and journey, and within these essays, she constantly admits that she is writing about herself and no one else Her accounts of struggles are hers and not representative of a group of others afflicted with schizoaffective disorder, and even within her writing about chronic Lymes she never seeks to convince the reader Her pain leaps off the page, and as a reader, I wanted nothingthan for her to find relief in a solid diagnosis and treatment The essays are riveting I read this in less than 24 hours and completely readable even by those unfamiliar with psychiatric language and the DSM I was a bit lost in Beyond the Hedge given my complete lack of background knowledge about sacred arts and mysticism that is my failing, not Wang s.As an ed...

English
02 March 2018

Esmé Weijun Wang