Book Review: the Quiet Room - a Journey Out of the Torment of Madness

The Quiet Room: A Journey out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett is a chilling account of one woman's struggle with schizophrenia. Lori Schiller had a fairly ideal childhood. She was the oldest of three children and was loved and supported by her parents. She was a straight A student and a member of many clubs in High School. She went to one of the best colleges in the country and it was there that she began to lose her mind.

Ms. Schiller lets us into her own private hell. A place where "the voices" take over telling her that she is worthless and needs to die. When she first begins hearing the voices Lori struggles to drown them out. Throwing herself into "normal" activities, trying to maintain the image that she has carried with her throughout her life. When the voices begin they are not constant they come and they go and in the periods of silence Lori is able to mend her life long enough to put the pieces back together. After graduating from college the voices return and this time they never really leave. Along with the voices Lori experiences visual hallucinations.

Ms. Schiller takes us on a journey into the mind of a schizophrenic. Many of the passages appear to be streams of consciousness. Many different voices saying many different things none of them pleasant. Throughout the book the voices become louder and stronger and Lori enters the revolving doors of mental hospitals.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that her parents, brothers and one friend contribute chapters. Lori shares her experiences and perceptions of time and events and you then read how her parents and others experienced Lori's illness. Her father is a psychologist and he has a very hard time admitting to himself, his family and his friends the extent of his daughters illness. Her mother blames herself for Lori's predicament and Lori's roommate gives an account of watching someone go slowly insane.

The book does not sugarcoat mental illness nor mental hospitals nor the impact that mental illness has on a family. You will see the inside of the mind of a person in the middle of visual and auditory hallucinations. Throughout the book you will read about different treatments and clinical perceptions for schizophrenia. The book ends on a high note. Eventually Lori, the doctors and her family find a way for Lori to begin to live with her condition. With that said the book was written in 1994 and there is no further information on Lori Schiller. My hope is that she continues to be able to live with her illness but one does not know.