UCSD Professor Talks About Her Struggle with Schizophrenia

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published February 5, 2008 at 9:09 AM PST

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Schizophrenia is a medical illness that affects approximately 2.2 million Americans. A disorder of the brain, the illness causes psychotic episodes of varying duration and severity. In the book The

UCSD Professor Talks About Her Struggle with Schizophrenia

Originally aired Sept. 12, 2007

Tom Fudge: About one percent of America's population is schizophrenic. That means there's a fair chance you know someone who has the mental illness, but you just don't know it. For years, Elyn Saks hid her schizophrenia from her friends and co-workers. When she was young, even her parents didn't know.

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But now the woman who is professor at both USC and UC San Diego has told everyone, basically. She's written a book about her experience with mental illness called The Center Cannot Hold .

Guest

Elyn Saks, professor of law, psychology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at University of Southern California's Gould School of Law and adjunct professor of psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine. She's written a new book called The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Though Madness .

UCSD Professor Talks About Her Struggle with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a medical illness that affects approximately 2.2 million Americans. A disorder of the brain, the illness causes psychotic episodes of varying duration and severity. In the book The

Schizophrenia is a medical illness that affects approximately 2.2 million Americans. A disorder of the brain, the illness causes psychotic episodes of varying duration and severity. In the book The