In Elyn Saks’ memoir, “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness”, she discusses her experience navigating life with schizophrenia. Her story provides an example of mental health recovery and resilience, illuminating the challenges of managing a serious mental illness while still accomplishing significant life goals. Saks proves that with the correct treatment and support, there is hope for everyone with a similar illness to be successful. Saks’ story is a true definition of mental health recovery and resilience. Saks is an example of mental health recovery because she receives ongoing treatment, gains self-understanding, and is building a fulfilling life. Saks is on an ongoing treatment plan, she’s on a medication regimen and in therapy. …show more content…
Another strength that Saks has is her high level of self-awareness. She was able to recognize the symptoms of her illness and understand the importance of treatment. An example of this can be seen when she has a severe episode while at Yale, she recognizes it and seeks help. Another example of her self-awareness is that she recognizes her need for a structured routine. Being a law professor provided the structure she needed to maintain focus and control over her thoughts, decreasing the impact of her illness. Saks’ strengths – her desire to learn, her perseverance, and her self-awareness — allowed her to navigate the challenges of her mental illness and be successful. Saks faced countless challenges and was able to overcome them. One of the challenges Saks encountered as a child was her relationship with her parents. Saks started showing symptoms when she was younger. She had little quirks and believed that there was someone outside of their house to kill them. I think this was a challenge because she was met with impatience and dismissiveness. When she had her quirks, her parents would tell her to hurry and when she expressed her thoughts about someone being outside the house, she was