You won't want to put this book down. Raises all sorts of questions about diagnoses and mental illness. Wow, she does write with an immediacy that is only possible because she experienced it. She's writing about herself but almost in the third person.

Interesting and well written. Pretty scary stuff though

Absorbing and at times harrowing, this fascinating account of a descent into madness, the chancy diagnosis, and the author's slow process of recovery is unputdownable. The narrative is like reading one of Oliver Sacks case histories, only told from the point of view of the patient. In the best Sacksian tradition, it raises questions about the intersection of personality and pathology - where does one end and the other begin? The author's honest and raw immediacy further adds to the compelling nature of this book. Recommended.

At first I couldn't put this book down, but eventually it became somewhat repetitious and involved with events, feelings and descriptions that might be of interrest to the author but not necessarily to the general reader. I think the book is too long for its content.

Holy cow, what an ordeal this young woman and her loved ones went through! It is incredible really and she explains the disease, her diagnosis and her symptoms extremely well. She's a journalist, a talented one, and so the book reads very well. I'm amazed and uplifted by her loving and generous attitude towards her parents, and their conflicting personalities, as well as to the medical staff she encountered. This is a highly recommended choice.

Interesting and disturbing in its implications. How many other forms of psychiatric illness are due to conditions that are organic in origin and could be treated more directly than with drugs that treat the symptoms?

Incredible story! Gripping and emotional. Very well written and well researched, I learned so much about something I had never heard of. It's scary to think of how many people in similar situations have not been properly diagnosed. She was so very lucky to have had the support group she had. So very happy for her recovery and sharing her story.

A compelling and fast-paced read. Recommended for fans of Mystery Diagnosis and House

Not only is Cahalan's writing absorbing, but the message in this book is made clear by the dedication she writes: For those without a diagnosis. Truly this is an amazing read! She has the talent to mix excellent writing with a message that will shake you to your soul. A Must Read! Her journey through "mental illness" (actually a neurochemical autoimmune disorder) is gut wrenching.

With "mental illness" being an ever-increasing topic of news stories, this book is a must-read. Written by the author using notes and journals from other family and friends---because she has no memory of her "month of madness"---it explains how little we know about autoimmune disease (and the dreaded "inflammation" it causes) as it relates to and ultimately afffects the human brain. We will be hearing much, much more about this subject in the future, due to recent horrific events that seem inconceivable to rational minds.