Episode Details

Ten years ago, Susannah Cahalan's life pivoted rapidly in a radically different direction. Recounted in her New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire, Susannah bravely shares her harrowing story of being diagnosed with a rare + newly discovered neurological disease.

Fully recovered + thriving, Susannah calls in from the tour of her newest book, The Great Pretender. It dives deep into an investigation of Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan + his landmark 1970s study which led many to question the validity of psychiatric diagnoses.

If you're seeking a miraculous story of triumph, this episode is for you. Susannah will articulately show you how to overcome with gratitude, grace + tenacity.

SHOW NOTES:

• In 2009, 24-year-old Susannah was working as a tabloid reporter for the New York Post when what seemed like depression rapidly morphed into psychosis, paranoia + hallucinations.
• Various diagnoses were presented during her month-long hospitalization including alcohol withdrawal, bipolar, schizoaffective disorder before a creative thinking Dr. Souhel Najjar was able to properly diagnose Susannah with anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis.
• Road to Recovery: It took a year and a half of treatment for Susannah to fully recover. Looking back, she is able to pinpoint a belief of a bedbug infestation as the beginning of her tailspin.
• Before being diagnosed, Susannah vividly remembers "high emotional content" like the belief that Abraham Lincoln was following her around her father's house.
• She credits her family taking her to a hospital versus a psychiatric hospital as the reason she was able to get the proper care + be alive today.
• Mirror Images: Susannah has met others who have diagnosed with her same illness, but were given different + unsuccessful treatments at their psychiatric hospitals.
• The Half Clock: Clinician + researcher Dr. Najjar asked Susannah to draw a clock, which was the piece of evidence to the puzzle that didn't make sense in diagnosing schizoaffective disorder. It led to a brain biopsy + spinal tap which confirmed the suspicion of anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis.
• Medical Marvel: Writing The Great Pretender helped Susannah recognize the full extent of her journey + how lucky she was to be the 217th patient properly diagnosed with her illness.
• In her latest book The Great Pretender, Susannah examines a 1970s experiment created by Dr. David Rosenhan, where eight volunteers posed with classic mental illness symptoms to challenge the validity of psychiatric diagnosis.
• Watch Susannah Cahalan's TEDx Talk here.
• Get a copy of Susannah Cahalan's New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire here.
• Get Susannah Cahalan's latest book The Great Pretender here.

If you enjoyed hearing from a New York Times bestselling author, listen to our Bestselling Authors playlist, featuring my conversations with bestselling authors like Mitch Albom, Judith Viorst + Gary Sinise.

SUSANNAH CAHALAN'S LIVE INSPIRED 7

1. What is the best book you've ever read? Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

2. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today? I had a strong sense of tenacity.

3. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the oppor