Official Review: Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Whe...

[Laila Hashem]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Wherever You Go" by Stephen Debar.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Wherever You Go by Stephen Debar starts with the author’s first schizophrenic breakdown, an event that changed his life. His symptoms are described in the first chapter as he started to hear people constantly speaking about him behind his back and realized they wouldn’t make eye contact with him. He also sensed that he was being watched through infrared cameras and listened to through microphones embedded in his apartment’s walls.

At the time, Debar wasn’t aware that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was convinced that a device was implanted in his head to give him supersonic hearing. Eventually, though, he realized that what he was going through wasn’t normal and decided that he needed to do something about it. The rest of the book describes his journey as he struggles to recover from the illness, live within a community that doesn’t understand mental health issues, and achieve his goals in life without letting his diagnosis hold him back.

This book does a fantastic job of spreading awareness about paranoid schizophrenia and the treatments available for it, dismantling the myth that the disorder is completely untreatable and encouraging those with mental illnesses to seek help and be more hopeful about their future. The author describes his daily life as a paranoid schizophrenic in such detail that I felt his confusion, fear, and paranoia, myself, as his vivid descriptions communicated his emotions perfectly. The fact that the author highlights the ways in which the community failed him as a mentally ill individual is extremely beneficial; it will help readers discover how important it is to understand such illnesses, stop stigmatizing them, and confront those who have prejudices against them.

Normally, I tend to avoid books about mental illnesses due to the emotionally heavy scenes that are typically depicted within them. That’s why I like that Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Wherever You Go doesn’t go into detail about the author’s emotional turmoil; it allows for sensitive readers to read the book and understand the illness without being triggered by intense emotional scenes. For example, when discussing his suicidal thoughts, the author only mentioned that he had them. He didn’t go into details about what these thoughts were or vividly describe attempts that he imagined.

Due to all the aforementioned positive aspects and the fact that there wasn’t anything I disliked about the book, I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Additionally, This book was clearly well-edited since I only found two spelling and grammatical mistakes. I encourage readers from all backgrounds who are aged 13 and above to read Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Wherever You Go since it will help them gain insight into the disorder.

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Schizophrenia It’ll Follow You Wherever You Go
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[Kavita Shah]

Schizophrenia is something that more needs to found about. The Author's recount of his first ever schizophrenic experience gives it an emotional feel. And I would like to read to understand a little. Thank you for an informative review!

[Becca Olsson]

I commend the author for being so open about his mental struggles and for seeking help in the first place. It takes a lot of strength. Thanks for the great review

[maggi3]

I tend to avoid books about mental illness for the same reason, so I’m glad the book isn’t too emotionally draining. Schizophrenia is a frequently misunderstood and misrepresented disorder, and I admire the author’s courage in writing about his experience. Thanks for the review!