The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Weijun Wang is essential reading for those interested in trying to understand the experience of serious mental illness. I have had clients with schizophrenia with very complicated life stories full of trauma, abuse, homelessness, abandonment, unchecked drug and alcohol use, criminal histories, and so on. You can probably paint yourself a fairly accurate picture of this type of serious mental illness. However, this book answers the secret question about myself I didn’t realize I was asking—what would it look like if I (or someone like me) had a psychotic break?
Wang is an Ivy League educated, designer fashion wearing, New York Times bestselling author who happens to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. She writes clearly and concisely about her diagnoses and her experiences in a way that is measured and lucid. Yet she also includes excerpts in her essays from times when she was experiencing delusions and hallucinations, giving insight to those who do not have personal familiarity with these symptoms.
Part of what I like about the book is the way it led me to examine my own fears about losing my mental capacity. Perhaps what is most inspiring is her modeling that serious mental illness is not a death sentence—it is possible to continue to be cherished by loved ones and contribute to society after a devastating diagnosis.
Beyond her book, I have discovered Wang to be an inspirational person with a lot of other cool projects going on. Her website is worth checking out: https://esmewang.com/ . Her tagline to the website is “Award-winning writer. Friend of ambitions people living with limitations.” I love this phrase—ambitious people living with limitations. Limitations do not have to stamp out ambitions, yet I think many of us unconsciously take the stance that limitations should decrease the scope of goal setting and dreaming to something more “reasonable” without realizing we’ve done so. Wang has created a ton of wonderful online resources for people who fall into this category with free downloads, mailing lists, a Facebook group, and more. Check it out!
