Brain On Fire

Prior to her sickness, Cahalan was bright and eager. She was hardworking, focused, and well-liked. Cahalan was not a “typical” girl, yet she was still popular among her colleagues and former classmates. This version of her “was a nostalgic pack rat, who held on to poems” from the 4th grade, and who held on to “twenty-some-odd diaries that dated back to junior high” (9). She was best friends with her mother, and her boyfriend and brother are close seconds. Her memory worked very well and she was usually well-prepared for any situation. This Cahalan thrived on being busy, and enjoyed home-cooked dinners with her boyfriend, Stephen.

The version of Cahalan during her sickness is quite different. She seems to desire to intentionally hurt herself and others as much as possible. She accuses her father of kidnapping her and refuses to allow him into her hospital room. She repeatedly accuses Stephen of desiring other women, to the point of violating his personal privacy to rummage through is private belongings, in addition to violently accusing him of plotting to leave her for her friends and coworkers.

In the hospital, she feverishly swears that television stations and radio stations are full of broadcasts bad-mouthing her personally and professionally.