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75 pages 2 hours read

Lori Schiller, Amanda Bennett

The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness

Lori Schiller, Amanda BennettNonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1994

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Themes

The Roots of Schizophrenia

This theme is communicated consistently in the narrative. By inserting insights into Lori’s deeply-rooted issues of insecurity and identity that derive from the expectations of, and example that, her accomplished and idealized parents articulate from a very early point in the narrative, and consistently peppering the narrative with these insights, Schilling communicates that her illness—while spectacular and extreme—is rooted in the most common and banal human emotions. The pressure to please parents and society, expectations of femininity, and the expectations of presenting a composed and sane face to the world (in order to ultimately be able to contribute quantitatively and qualitatively to society) each exert a deep and almost inescapable pressure on Lori’s psyche. This pressure, combined with genetic and biological aspects, converges to create Lori’s illness. Through the development of this theme, we come to see Lori not as a medical or psychiatric curiosity, but as a relatable human being.

Patient Accountability

While Schilling does not sugarcoat her illness, she does resist successful treatment of it by persisting, for years, to refuse to recognize, acknowledge, and understand the reality and seriousness of it. Much of her early treatment is characterized by her stubborn belief that she is not actually truly ill, and that she can master the Voices by sheer will.

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