In Esmé Weijun Wang’s The Collected Schizophrenias, she chronicles her experiences being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorders in various essays. As avid scholars of psychology, Tijana and I were excited to read this collection and better understand Wang’s perspective. Well, we got her perspective and more, both good and bad: stigma, frustration with mental health care, a heartbreaking and touching exploration of whether to choose motherhood, and a better sense of empathy. While we didn’t love the book or its portrayals of the careers Tijana and I have devoted ourselves to, Wang’s collection gave us lots to discuss in a nuanced and detailed way.

And for those who may need it, please visit http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or call 1-800-273-8255 if you find yourself experiencing thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself.

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We welcome any discussion points, questions, or commentary you want to add to our next episode, or if you want to suggest a book for us to read, you can also email us at [email protected].

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