Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

42 reviews

hooligansmoo's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

meg_merr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

loregoodwin's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Ableism

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

After reading this book, the hypochondriac in me is grateful to know the existence of this disease, in case it happens to me and I need a doctor to look into it.

I’m sorry she had to go through this. My mom was misdiagnosed for a long time, and by the time we finally got an accurate diagnosis, we had only three weeks left together. So I know a little about this, even though my mom’s disease was something entirely different. As such, my compassion meter was very high on this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

amis's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a great read about the horrifying reality of undiagnosed illnesses and how so many can closely resemble one another. I can relate to a lot of the things Susannah reported about her own illness, such as all tests coming back normal. It takes a caring and determined doctor to keep trying when all else fails. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

leefox's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

toriepeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

rosie_valadez's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Chronic illness and Fatphobia

Minor: Body shaming and Alcohol

elvahn's review

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This book highlights the importance of empathy in the medical profession and calls attention to the grave harm of misdiagnoses that can result from lack of information or simply not taking the time to dive deeper into a parent's case.

By the end, there is also some hope in that though sharing her story, others get access to real help, and medical science is furthered. Even the doctor who had decided she was simply "partying" too hard rather than take her symptoms more seriously (my rage boiled over reading about this man) eventually refers to her experience to direct patients to help.

Part memoir, part call to action, part humane medical text(??), the author weaves us through her month of madness, using interviews, journals, and hospital footage to help complete the story. Engaging, well-done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia