Having read one perspective on schizophrenia, in Henry’s Demons by Patrick and Henry Cockburn, I decided to investigate another point-of-view, and one that particularly made reference to childhood and adolescence (though onset of schizophrenia in childhood or early adolescence is comparatively rare). And so I found myself reading Me, Myself, and Them by Kurt Snyder (published by Oxford University Press).
Me, Myself, and Them is Kurt Snyder’s own account of living with schizophrenia, an experience that began for him at the age of 18. But his account is supplemented by observations from an academic in the field of psychiatry, neurology and radiology (Raquel E Gur) and a journalist specialising in mental health issues (Linda Wasmer Andrews).
Kurt looks back to his childhood, and although he identifies two unfortunate incidents which overly preoccupied him for some considerable time, it seems he was a relatively happy, if reserved, child. It was at the age of 18, shortly after having begun an engineering degree course, that symptoms of schizophrenia emerged.
He started to believe he was a genius on the verge of a major breakthrough in mathematics, but the breakthrough eluded him, and so he began to feel he simply wasn’t thinking hard enough. But he also became forgetful, disorganised, and very paranoid. Not surprisingly, his college work suffered.
Kurt’s symptoms intensified after dropping out of college and pursing work in general maintenance. As he tells his story, the reader is allowed into his world of fear, where hostility appears to lurk behind every corner, and where he believes his every movement is being watched. And these symptoms are contextualised in a useful overview of the different varieties and manifestations of schizophrenia.
It is hard to find anything much to criticise in this book. If I have one very minor criticism, it is that more hasn’t been done to address the issues of stigma and stereotyping in connection with schizophrenia. These issues are not ignored, but they are dealt with rather fleetingly towards the end of the book. My own feeling is that these are very important matters that should have been raised earlier, and dealt with more thoroughly.
There are two major benefits to this book, as I see it. First, it mixes personal experience with explanatory detail in a very readable way. Some of the background observations tend towards the technical, but they are offered in a straightforward and readily understandable way. The book also offers some guidance on legal and financial matters (for sufferers in the United States), thus adding another dimension to its more practical aspects. This book strikes the perfect balance between specialised medical description, advice for sufferers, ordinary everyday narrative, and emotional involvement.
Second, and perhaps more important, is the fact that this is a very positive, optimistic book. It clearly gives the message that schizophrenia is treatable. While it cannot actually be cured, substantial recovery is achievable. With treatment matched appropriately to the individual, a sufferer can go on to lead a very full and rewarding life, with the condition downgraded to little more than an occasional inconvenience – I certainly wasn’t previously aware that such a positive outcome was possible.
All these features make this book highly suitable for a variety of readers, including individuals or families affected by schizophrenia (or other mental health conditions). I would also suggest Me, Myself, and Them as a useful resource for teachers, tutors and lecturers, whose classes may include students with the kind of problems described. This book may also be useful for other community workers (youth leaders, clergy, etc.) who may, from time to time, encounter sufferers of this condition. And, of course, this book would be invaluable for anyone who wants to get away from popular misconceptions and gain a better-informed understanding of what schizophrenia is.
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Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person’s Experience with Schizophrenia by Kurt Snyder, with Raquel E Gur and Linda Wasmer Andrews, is published by Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-19-531122-8
Delivered Unto Lions by David Austin is published by CheckPoint Press
ISBN 978-1-906628-21-5
For more information visit www.davidaustin.eu
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