It never occurred to me how people with such severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia could lead normal lives. It surprised me when I found out that Elyn Saks, who suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia, was married and a professor at a university. Her struggle with schizophrenia truly amazes me.
A schizophrenic scholar by name of Elyn Saks was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia in her early college years, while she was studying at Yale. She spent a lot of time in mental hospitals, being mistreated by the employees there. They would tie her up to beds and neglect her for days on end. They told her that she had "grave" schizophrenia. "Grave" meaning that she would never have a normal life. She decided to share her experience because she feels that people with severe mental illnesses should be treated as human beings.
I took away that people with severe mental illness should be given proper medical care. I never realized that there were treatments that could let people with severe illnesses like schizophrenia live normal lives. I also never realized until Elyn Sak's intense descriptions how awful schizophrenia truly is. Hopefully we can find a cure for all people suffering from mental illness.
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