Brain On Fire

Cahalan has had a seizure in front of Stephen. She can no longer hide her problems from him or from her parents. At this point in the story, Cahalan begins to interject science she has learned as a result of knowledge gained during recovery: “I had also been experiencing complex partial seizures because of overstimulation in my temporal lobes […] the parts of the brain responsible for emotions and memory (42).

Her symptoms expand even further than before, and some are quite rare. While at the hospital, she has an out-of-body experience following the seizure she’s had in front of Stephen. This is the first time of multiple times throughout the text that Stephen saves her life.

At the start of this chapter, Cahalan awakes in a hospital room. She violently objects to being in the hospital. Her mother and stepfather, Allen, take her to her childhood home in Summit, New Jersey. There, she tries to rest, but her symptoms persist and begin to horrify both her mother and Allen. Cahalan’s self-imposed isolation increases, and she turns away calls and inquiries about her well-being.

Dr. Bailey misdiagnoses Cahalan as suffering from alcoholism. He adds she may be showing early signs of bipolar disorder because of work stress and partying.