1/25/2024 0 Comments Brain on fire authorAll’s well at first, but her paranoia soon returns. Susannah returns to the city under her father’s care. Once again, Susannah is thrilled to get a diagnosis, however dire it is. A psychiatrist in their circle suggests that Susannah has bipolar disorder and is having a manic episode. Settling in, Susannah tries to work on an article for the Post, but she’s unable to write. The following morning her mom and stepfather bring her to their home in New Jersey. After conducting a series of tests, the hospital discharges her over Stephen’s objections. She tries watching a TV show, then everything goes hazy. Stephen cooks Susannah an elaborate meal, but she can’t eat it. Her doctor calls to tell her she doesn’t have mono after all. When she pitches two more stories and they’re both rejected, she blames her poor performance on mono and takes another day off. Her brain on fire symptoms were all over the place, so a virus was possible. Bailey suggests Susannah has a virus, possibly mono. He prescribes an MRI, which comes back normal. Ineffectual Diagnosesīailey conducts a routine neurological exam and declares everything is normal. She contacts her doctor, who refers her to Dr. She ignores the numbness until it moves down to her toes. The tingling lasts for days, but Susannah is more worried by her uncharacteristic behavior than by her physical symptoms. Her left hand begins to tingle, then goes numb. She digs through his dresser until she finds letters from ex-girlfriends. She opens his computer and combs through his correspondence until she finds old messages from his ex. Her paranoia was part of the brain on fire symptoms. Suddenly Susannah is hit by another thought that’s completely out of character-an overwhelming compulsion to read his emails. They’ve only been dating a short time, but their relationship is trusting and comfortable. Susannah doesn’t know she’s suffering from Ekbom syndrome, an obsession with bugs that can signal the onset of psychosis. This was the start of Susannah’s brain on fire symptoms.Ī few days later, Susannah wakes up contentedly, alone in her boyfriend’s bed Stephen’s a musician, and he’s already at rehearsal. She’s convinced her apartment is infested, even though an exterminator says otherwise. Uncharacteristic Behaviorĭuring the height of the Manhattan bedbug scare in 2009, Susannah finds two red dots on her arm. Like most 24-year-olds, she thinks nothing can go wrong with her vibrant, happy life. She’s admired by her colleagues and respected by her editors. Onset of the Disease in Brain on FireĪt 24 years old, Susannah Cahalan is an ambitious, dedicated reporter for the New York Post. Read more about Susannah Cahalan and her journey to diagnose the disease in Brain on Fire. It is a rare disease that was difficult to diagnose. The disease in Brain on Fire is anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis. What was the disease in Brain on Fire? How did the disease in Brain on Fire change Susannah’s behavior? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading. "A fascinating look at the disease uld have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life" ( People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "Brain On Fire" by Susannah Cahalan. In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family's inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn't happen. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she'd gotten there. An award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller-and inspiration for the major motion picture starring Chlo? Grace Moretz-that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman's struggle to recapture her identity.
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