The Centre Cannot Hold

* Highly articulate and self-aware, Elyn Saks offers a moving insight into the world of a schizophrenic; this compelling account will bring hope to sufferers and understanding to all

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Elyn Saks grew up in a pre-Disney World Miami, a bright and spirited girl with caring parents. She thrives at home and school ? until gradually she starts to need more and more time for 'preparations': ordering, washing, controlling her diet. Soon there are the night terrors and the fear of an unknown invader. Then, leading up to the first severe episodes that terrify both her and those who love her, comes the sensation that will define her experience of this disease ? the sense of the boundaries of reality blurring. Her centre giving way. In this startlingly honest account of mental illness, Elyn Saks lifts the veil on schizophrenia. From the early indications in childhood and adolescence that something is wrong, to periods as an in-patient while a student in Oxford, she talks about how with medication and psychoanalysis she has learned to live with this debilitating disease. While battling both the stigma and the stultifying side-effects of medication, Elyn Saks studies at Yale and Oxford, excelling in her field. Tentatively at first, and then with confidence and courage, she forms friendships, falls in love and defies the odds to become an extremely high achiever.Powerfully told, The Centre Cannot Hold is an extraordinary memoir that is as informative as it is moving.