Brain on fire

Susannah Cahalan, a young New York Post reporter, is a healthy and active woman until she suddenly falls into a strange illness. When she wakes in a hospital bed, she cannot recall the preceding month, a stretch marked by fits of rage and vivid hallucinations. Her illness is the rare autoimmune condition anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, but reaching that diagnosis takes a long time. Doctors offer a series of wrong explanations, from a supposed overdose of partying to schizoaffective disorder.

The book traces how that diagnosis was finally reached, following Cahalan's treatment and the medical detective work that led to the answer. It is also a portrait of a patient struggling to understand what happened to her mind and body.

The story continues after her recovery, including her reaction to viewing video recordings of herself during the psychotic episodes she had in the hospital. Her account asks how much of identity depends on memory and how much a patient can rely on the people treating her.