The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller & Amanda Bennett

This is a fascinating and insightful revelation of what it's like to have schizophrenia. Having worked with people who struggle with mental health issues for nearly three decades, this was an eye-opening account of what someone who hears voices, as a symptom of her illness, actually goes through. Some of the people I have worked with personally who have schizophrenia also hear negative thoughts like Lori, but some hear informational/positive voices. One woman in particular simply lives in two different "worlds" and prefers it that way. We just have to ask her if she is talking about her birth family members or her "internal communication family members" if we get confused by what she is talking about.

Anyway, what I loved about this book is how honest and descriptive Lori is when sharing her journey. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to "silence" the voices in my head, especially such negative ones, while continuing to live daily life. In my field we talk a lot about using a combination of medications and therapy for best results, but so many people with mental health issues don't like being on medications because it can slow down their thinking processes or numb their creativity. Other people just want to be fully medicated and are reluctant to work through their mental illness using talk therapy. What's impressive about Lori's drive to learn to manage her symptoms is that she was willing to try so many medications and combinations of medications and different doses of medications; that she continued to have a strong bond with each of her parents throughout the long process; that she was willing to stop using cocaine, when confronted about her use, a few different times; that she asked to be put on an experimental, un-approved medication to relieve her mental anguish; that she persevered for years until she found a way she could live with her mental illness. It's an amazing story of strength.

I first started working with a man diagnosed with schizophrenia, who took Clozapine to manage his symptoms, back in 2003. At the time I didn't know much about this medication except that it was his "miracle med" when nothing else had worked for him. I worked with him for the next decade, taking him to his psych appointments where each appointment was a discussion of his medications and how to decrease or discontinue the number of meds he was taking for his symptoms, or relief from the side effects from his medication regimen. The psychiatrist was able to lower his dose of Clozapine to 400mg daily eventually and he is still on this same dose living a satisfying, productive life. I loved finding out about the "history" of Clozapine in this book. It truly is a "miracle med" for some people who are thought of as "hopeless cases".

This is a "must read" for anyone who has a friend or family member diagnosed with schizophrenia or another significant mental illness. It's extremely informative.

Wendy's Rating: *****