Recommended Reading

I highly recommend a book, The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks.  It is a memoir written by a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia.  It follows her journey from high school to Vanderbilt University, Oxford, Yale Law School and USC.  It describes, from a deeply personal perspective, the mental health system in the US and England.  It taught me so much about the disorder, which has been invaluable to me as a mental health professional and family member.

I also highly recommend another memoir, Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight. It's written under the pen name of M.E. Thomas.  Sociopaths, narcissists and borderlines tend to target trusting, trustworthy, kind, helpful, and responsible people.  Becoming wiser, not cynical or jaded, may be helpful over the long haul in our profession where we may stumble upon these souls more often as a personal and professional hazard. We can't help being a target but we can choose not to be a victim.

I am grateful for stories that help us make sense of our sometimes complex lives and relationships.  I am grateful for the power of stories to inform, inspire and heal.