Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

As she researches her disease, Susannah realizes that she's not the only person who suffered from this disease and others like it. She explains that though her disease is rare, it's very common for women to contract autoimmune diseases because their immune systems are more complicated. Dr. Dalmau has also identified other autoimmune diseases that attack different receptors in the brain, which will hopefully allow medical mysteries to be solved.

After the article runs, Susannah's inbox fills with emails from people who either believe they're suffering from the same disease or suspect that their family members are. Susannah speaks with many fellow sufferers who experienced delusions and hallucinations, not all of whom returned fully to normal. Some individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia begin calling Susannah, desperate for another answer. These calls scare her, and she refers them to her doctors at NYU.

Susannah feels guilty that she survived and recovered when so many others do neither. One man calls Susannah and in an accusing, aggressive voice asks her why she got better when his wife died. Susannah tells the reader that even with treatment, there's still a 25% chance that a patient will die or be permanently disabled. Some of the people Susannah meets make her illness seem like a gift. One woman whose daughter developed the disease spends hours spreading awareness on Facebook and other sites to connect sufferers to survivors.

Susannah tells the reader that the most affirming moment of her life was when a man called her to share the story of his daughter, Emily. Emily, a college student, became paranoid, spent time in the ER and in a psychiatric ward, and was diagnosed with "psychosis, not otherwise specified." A family member saw Susannah on the Today Show and passed the video on to the man. When he brought it to Emily's doctor, the doctor was offended. Emily appeared to recover and returned to school, but over spring break, her condition deteriorated. She stopped speaking and couldn't eat. When her parents took her to the hospital, they learned that an MRI from the year before indicated that her brain was inflamed. Emily developed a blood clot and began having seizures.

Emily's dad shoved Susannah's article at a neurologist, who agreed to test her for the disease. Emily was moved to the University of Pennsylvania, where Dr. Dalmau's colleagues treated her. Emily made a full recovery. Her dad later sends Susannah a video of Emily ice-skating after her recovery.