10 Books Written by Schizophrenics

Schizophrenia is not easily understood. However, there have been various books written by authors who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia have tried to portray their surreal experiences. Though words on a page will never translate the true struggle of mental illness, it is an outlet of expression and a form of storytelling. These books are a key to the minds of others, and it is a privilege for us to be able to read them.

If you're not entirely sure what exactly schizophrenia is, you can brush up on the definition of the ailment. It's one of the most complicated and difficult to treat mental health issues out there, making it fascinating to read about. Firsthand encounters have a certain intimacy and the opportunity to grant understanding more than anything else.

Me, Myself, and Them by Kurt Snyder is a firsthand account of Snyder’s experience surviving schizophrenia. This book was written by someone suffering from schizophrenia that provides an interesting insight because Kurt is writing this book as an adult reflecting back on when he first became schizophrenic during his second semester of college. He had been convinced that he was going to discover a new mathematical principle until his thoughts slowly turned into paranoia. His mental health issues spiraled from there.

The Center Cannot Hold is a memoir written by Elyn Saks. Not only is Saks surviving schizophrenia, but she is also a professor, lawyer, and psychiatrist. Despite struggling with a severe illness, she has worked incredibly hard to keep pursuing her goals. She continues to have episodes of schizophrenia to this day, and in this story, she reveals her journey from her first time experiencing mental health issues and the many troubles she has had to face since.

In The Quiet Room, Lori Schiller tells a moving story about her battle with mental illness and surviving schizophrenia since she was 17. She talks about her suicide attempts, her hospitalizations, the doctors she dealt with, and the many family members who suffered with her. She explains how mental illnesses such as schizophrenia make you hear voices in your head and make you feel tormented day in and day out. Though this story is heartbreaking, Schiller ultimately finds her way out of the madness and into recovery. It is uplifting to know she has found peace.

In Kristina Morgan’s memoir, Mind Without a Home, we see someone diagnosed with schizophrenia struggling day in and day out in a very real way. Of the books written by schizophrenics, this one feels even more personal than most because it is written in journal form. Morgan’s words feel as though she is only writing them for herself. They are intimate, and her struggle is raw and vulnerable. She's perfectly honest about the measures she took to try to keep her schizophrenia in check and it's heartwrenching to read about.

This is one of the most moving books written by schizophrenics. It tells the story of young Renee, who descended into schizophrenia when she was only five years old. The ailment usually develops later in life, but Renee was struck with it when she was terribly young. She called her land of delusions and paranoia "The Land of Enlightenment," which is a rather ironic name. Renee makes her way through hospitals, and she eventually comes back to reality with the help of her analyst, Marguerite, who writes an afterword to this memoir as well.

In Henry’s Demons, both Henry, son, and Patrick, father, narrate the story of Henry’s journey through schizophrenia, which began when he was 20 years old. Together, Patrick and Henry create an interesting book that shows the parallels involved in mental illness. Patrick’s chapters give us perspective from the outside, while Henry’s chapters give us perspective from the inside of his mind, which is still struggling with schizophrenia every day.

In The Day the Voices Stopped, Ken Steele tells a story of true struggle through thirty-two years surviving schizophrenia. Throughout the first three decades of Steele's life, he dealt with countless thoughts of suicide, delusions, and paranoia. He finally finds a way to fight his demons and recover from his disease by becoming an active advocate to fight the disease and help others who also struggle. This is a story that will help others feel a sense of hope that recovery is possible.

Divided Minds is a very interesting book written about twin sisters, one of which is diagnosed with schizophrenia. This memoir is co-written by both sisters, and it gives their alternating experiences as they grew up in the 1950s. While one sister is surviving schizophrenia, the other is trying to understand and ends up becoming a psychiatrist. The fact that these two worked so hard together, one to recover and the other to assist, makes this book a touching story of sisterhood.

While Schizo is not one of the nonfiction books written by schizophrenics, it still gives a rather realistic account of a teenage boy suffering with mental health issues during a transformative time of his life. In this novel, Miles has a schizophrenic episode and thinks he is in recovery, but in reality, he is spiraling further into madness. He is paranoid and obsessed, and the world he’s living in continues to shrink around him. The book was well-researched and his illness is presented accurately.

Treating schizophrenia is never easy. There are many different types of medicine and therapy that help, but it's painful climb for the people living through it. One approach is treating schizophrenia with Compazine Prochlorperazine, one of the drugs that can lessen the symptoms. In this fictionalized account, we see the protagonist struggle with trying to cope with schizophrenia without medication and suffering more because of it.

In Memoir of a Schizophrenic, Karl Willett explains his innermost thoughts and feelings about his mental health and his experience surviving schizophrenia. Not only does Willett talk about his everyday thoughts, but he explains how he feels about natural disasters, terrorism, and other specific events in time. Willett is a paranoid schizophrenic, and periods of his memoir were written while he was having psychotic episodes. This book will get you as close as possible to the real story.

The struggle of mental illness can never be fully translated to outsiders, but these books written by schizophrenics do an excellent job of allowing readers to take a glimpse into the minds of the misunderstood. Learning what it feels like to have schizophrenia is vital to understanding the people who live with it.

It’s important to read books like this so we can try our best to be empathetic towards others before we ever judge them for what they are going through. You can pick these books up at Barnes and Noble.