The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays

Esme Weijun Wang’s The Collected Schizophrenias is a remarkable and essential read. In this stunning collection of essays, Wang navigates the complex landscape of mental illness—specifically schizoaffective disorder—with breathtaking clarity and grace. The book is not just a memoir of illness, but a brilliant exploration of how we define sanity, identity, and credibility. Wang writes with an elegant, almost clinical precision that makes the difficult subject matter accessible without ever sacrificing its emotional weight. She dissects the experience of being labeled, hospitalized, and pathologized, challenging the reader to reconsider their own perceptions of "madness." What makes this book truly great is Wang’s ability to find beauty and structure within chaos. Her voice is powerful, vulnerable, and deeply intelligent. It is a vital work of literature that offers profound insight into the human experience and the messy, beautiful reality of living a "high-functioning" life while navigating a broken mind. Highly recommended for anyone seeking empathy, understanding, and brilliant prose.

I was hoping as I read the Collected Schizophrenias (Italics) that I wouldn’t be triggered and I wasn’t and very much appreciated the straightforward and truthful explorations and research she did into her own illness. I felt that her self-care and approach to this illness was very responsible and insightful. Really related to the Cap De Gras Syndrome. I was immediately drawn to the book because of the title of one of the chapters “Yale Won’t Save You.” Ms. Wang is eloquent in her research and understanding of this illness and she covers a lot of the socio-political aspects of the illness and what it means to have this illness and be a student or having this illness and being able to hold a job. I was impressed 1.9k people read this book and reviewed it—a real achievement Ms. Wang. Congratulations on a responsible piece of literature. Author of Photography and Schizophrenia (italics), Jean Manthei, MA, LPC, CAS

I enjoyed most of this book. However, I think towards the end it really dragged out. There is a lot of fluff throughout the book as well. I also found it difficult to follow the book as there was a lack of flow from topic to topic. Despite this, I would say anyone who treats schizophrenia, or deals with schizophrenia personally should read this book. It provides excellent insight into the illness and gives a fully realized depiction of schizoaffective disorder from onset, to diagnosis, hospitalization, deterioration, medication management and therapy, and finally remission. I think the writer is very brave to tell her story with such detail and honesty. I would recommend.

I really appreciate the perspective and information offered in this book. A great read for anyone in the mental health field or just interested in mental health in general.

The form of this book may come as a surprise to those not used to the current use of mixed essay, where a subject is looked at from several different angles in succeeding essays. Not only is this an accepted and popular form it is especially applicable for the subject of schizophrenia where reality itself takes varying forms. Wang, a diagnosed schizophrenic, gives the reader the best she has in these essays, delving into the recesses of what a psychotic break looks like and feels like from the inside. She is brave both in her life and in her writing. I don't think she is snobbish or elitist in the least. She does make her point that having attended Yale and Stanford gives her a cachet that most mentally ill people do not have. She proclaims her achievements not to brag but to inform those of us who think schizophrenia, in any form, makes for a life lacking in accomplishments or cognitive intelligence. My only thought is that the last few chapters, about religion and new age spirituality could use a little more sussing out. Perhaps that could happen in another collection of illuminating essays. I highly recommend this book.

This book gave me the chills!!! As someone who has anxiety, some parts of this book scared the hell out of me…. I really feel for the author and admire her.

Ms. Wang's collection of essays draws a vivid picture of her schizoaffective disorder, one of the rarest and most severe of mental disorders. As a retired mental health counselor and language arts educator, I find this to be an astonishing memoir. Obviously, the author drew on her many strengths, both personal and professional, in order to accomplish this work. Her use of language, dialogue, relevant detail, and a mix of interior narrative with the exterior observations of other persons, keep the memoir's pace moving forward, although the essays overlap in themes and time. The only feedback I would offer the author would be to include more direct discussion of the role of character, i.e. her willingness to tell the truth to safe others, in her seeking of stability. In my experience, this has more to do with the level of functioning a person with severe mental disorder might achieve than the severity of symptoms. I deal with bipolar disorder and found truth essential to managing my chronic symptoms and to keeping relationships with family, friends, and therapists. Ms. Wang illustrates gratitude for all persons who have helped her, even when she was numb with delusions about them. Her balanced, non-judgemental reporting about the social or professional context of non-helpful interventions-- well, I wish I were that forgiving. Read this book, not only for its insights into the world of mental illness, but to learn what it is to accept a very challenging life on life's terms.

We have a son that was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder, OCD and Bi-Polar. Your book gave us great insight into what he has gone through and how he must feel and may not be able to convey to us. Well written and very enlightening.

Insightful and honest personal story, helps ‘understand’ the world from the mind of someone living with psychosis, to the extent that is ever possible. Overall very balanced with some passages tinged with emotions that are both warm but also challenging.

Wang personal narrative digs deep and shares a multitude of possible reasons for the “schizophrenias.” Clearly, culling out a cure for schizophrenia, either from drugs or genetics, may not be possible in the near future. Her experience of the changing criteria for diagnosis makes the problem itself a moving pseudo-target. She talks of a medication-resistant schizoaffective disorder. We need to acknowledge there is such a thing. What percentage might have it? Can we ever know given the protracted treatment sometimes required? Wang has made me curious about the possible parameters for defining “medication-resistant” given the unabashed narrative of her experiences. She further attempts to provide a reason for schizophrenia in the existential scheme. For example, she implies that schizophrenia may just be part of the evolutionary engine. It may help; say in finding balance between human civilization and nature, along with its instincts. I also agree that what one should do about the condition cannot be addressed in its entirety without attempting to explain, or be free of puzzling over, the how and why of existence, personal adequacy, and even society and civilization. Manifestations of the schizophrenias tear into the very fabric of society and culture. Is Wang a not so common extreme? Is she different in terms of the lack of desired outcomes of her treatment? Are the oscillating manifestations and severity of Wang’s condition unique? Wang’s onsets of manifestations seemingly occur whenever stimulation crosses a threshold. She explains how she sometimes wilfully choose macabre stimulus, which invited extreme moods. Perhaps her threshold of tolerance is different from others with the condition. I tend to tentatively conclude that any person with a similar "diagnosis" be extremely careful in drawing parallels to one's own experience and its treatment. Each person’s threshold could be very different. Wang suffered from a smorgasbord of problems, some may be brought on, and some seem from medical mismanagement. One gets a feel from the narrative that hospitals are not humane. Patients are statistics. They are objects to be pigeon-holed for ease of handling. Hospitals don't take dipstick tests and listen as often as is really required. Many luxuriously assume that patients have all the time in their lives to get better. Wang also confesses that something in her has a deep-set need for recognition. This is similar to how some of the afflicted that are in remission crave. They crave overwhelming achievements to nullify the experience and stigma of schizophrenia. The social definition of "high functioning" to mean being productive in social terms, leaves people with the condition feeling inadequate. I proffer an affected person should instead build from small mercies, for example, I am personally thankful for being able to read. Wang concludes, “I wanted to create a container for what had happened to me and shove the nastiness in.” Seeking supernatural ability or metaphysical cures may be one such container. Each person's container would probably express very differently. The initial read started off by reminding me of Three Men in a Boat, a fictional story by Jerome K Jerome (1889). After doing some research on various diseases, Jerome somehow concludes that he has all the diseases known to man except for housemaid’s knee. But then, I soon came to see, Wang has been dealt a bad hand, and one can't but admire her ability to narrate her experiences in spite of the tremendous pressure she constantly carries. Switching back and forth on the timelines of her life and still retaining gripping coherence is a tribute to her writing prowess. Her conviction proves there is life after the last straw, and her message is one of hope, despite the seemingly bottomless pit.

A literary and beautiful account of a devastating illness

Llegó en excelentes condiciones

The book was in poor condition. I expected a better condition