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Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of “Renee”
By: Marguerite Sechehaye, Grace Rubin-Rabson, and Frank Conroy, A Meridian Book, 1994, 184 pages, $12.95
Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder with specific symptoms that are classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (2000); however, this disorder can be an enigma for those who have not experienced these symptoms personally. It can be hard to comprehend what a person with schizophrenia is going through and how tormenting the symptoms of this disorder can be in one’s life. Those suffering from schizophrenia may have difficulties explaining their feelings of unreality in a way that others can understand. Furthermore, individuals with schizophrenia may not comprehend what is happening to them and may feel they are alone in their downward spiral into feelings of unreality. What can be beneficial in this situation is reading an autobiographical novel by a person diagnosed with schizophrenia that describes her symptoms and her fight to rediscover feelings of reality.
Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of “Renee”, by Marguerite Sechehaye, Grace Rubin-Rabson, and Frank Conroy, is a novel that can help people better understand the symptoms and the suffering that is attached to schizophrenia. The book contains short chapters where the title of each chapter describes the narrative it contains. This book, set in Europe, has been translated from its original language of French to English. In the first part of the book, “Renee” recounts her symptoms of schizophrenia to her psychoanalyst shortly after recovery and it is written with such vivid and impressive detail that it makes you feel you are right there with her. Her psychoanalyst, Marguerite Sechehaye, who conceptualizes “Renee’s” case from a psychodynamic orientation, writes the second part of the book. Ms. Sechehaye discusses how “Renee’s” ego functioning had been depleted of its energy and became fixated in the infantile phase of life. Her conceptualization of “Renee’s” case helps the reader understand from a psychodynamic perspective why some of the behaviors took place in “Renee’s” life.
The novel begins with “Renee” recounting her first psychotic break with reality at five years of age. She describes how unreal her experience felt and how people and objects became transformed into anxiety provoking images. The narrative follows her struggles with feelings of unreality, hallucinations, and her delusions of persecution. Several times “Renee” was admitted to a psychiatric hospital due to her exhibiting harm towards herself and she discusses her feelings about her stays there. “Renee” ends her story with her fight to regain reality without the use of psychotropic medication and how her psychoanalyst helped in this process. Her psychoanalyst, Ms. Sechehaye, ends the book with her interpretation of how this process was possible and explains from a psychodynamic perspective how “Renee” healed herself.
Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of “Renee” is an appropriate bibliotherapy tool for adults of any age with at least a high school education. It is beneficial for those who have had feelings of unreality either in childhood and/or in adulthood due to how the story follows “Renee” across her developmental stages and milestones. Although a female client recounts the story, males should be able to easily relate to the anxiety provoking feelings and symptoms of schizophrenia that were exhibited by “Renee” as well. This novel is appropriate for family, friends, and loved ones of schizophrenic clients who want to better understand how this disorder affects one’s life. The narrative of this novel is written with extraordinary detail that truly allows the reader to understand what “Renee” is feeling and experiencing throughout her psychotic breaks with reality. Lastly, this novel may be appropriate for psychotherapists that are interested in understanding schizophrenia from a psychodynamic perspective. The second part of the novel would help expand a psychotherapist’s view on the etiology of this disorder.
Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of “Renee” is not appropriate for children, low functioning adults, and individuals with less than a high school education. The novel is written with impressive and vivid details that may not be appropriate or understandable for young or low functioning readers. The abstract details that are included in this autobiography and the psychodynamic interpretation may prove to be too advanced for certain individuals and as a result may frustrate these readers.
The narrative format capably conveys the client’s perspective. “Renee’s” recounting of her life with schizophrenia is written in an intimate manner and readers suffering from mental illness should be able to relate to it. She discusses her struggles to retain her place among humanity and how alienated and alone she feels. Individuals with a mental illness who have struggled with these same issues may find this novel to be a benefit and a comfort in their own lives, especially those with schizophrenia. Another positive outcome of this novel is that “Renee” was helped by her psychotherapist without the use of psychotropic medications. This may seem inspirational to individuals who feel they have to utilize medication in order to become more fully functioning or feel that there is no recovery to mental illnesses.
Although this novel has many strengths, there are some limitations as well. The second part is written from a psychodynamic perspective on the etiology of “Renee’s” symptoms. If a client is in psychotherapy that utilizes a different orientation this interpretation may not prove to be useful or even easy to comprehend. Specifically, the terms used in this section such as, ego reconstruction, symbolic representation, and oral construction may be confusing if the individual’s psychotherapist cannot elaborate on their meanings. Another limitation is the fact that this novel was written from a European perspective on the treatments that were available to “Renee”. Her hospitalizations and treatment may seem unorthodox to a client from American culture. A psychotherapist recommending this novel as a bibliotherapy aid may have to initially explain that this novel was written based on the European culture and may not reflect American forms of therapy or hospitals.
This novel can be utilized in psychotherapy as a way to help one with schizophrenia better convey the symptoms that he or she is experiencing. Individuals who have entered psychotherapy for the first time may feel this novel is helpful when trying to describe their psychotic breaks with reality. The psychotherapist can assign chapters and have the client discuss his or her thoughts and feelings about what was read in order to open communication about what the client is currently experiencing. If a psychotherapist does not practice from a psychodynamic orientation the second part of the book does not have to be read in order to gain the benefits of this novel. Lastly, individuals may be assigned to read this novel as homework in order to feel they are not alone in this struggle with schizophrenia and that their psychotherapist understands their need to win this battle. The psychotherapist and the client can review what was read in subsequent sessions. Therefore, this novel can be used along with any type of psychotherapy in order to inspire the client that recovery can be possible from this disorder.
Overall, this novel is well written and inspirational to those who feel one cannot recover from schizophrenia. It is useful as a bibliotherapy aid due to its vivid and impressive details that may help the client feel they are not alone and understand better what they are experiencing. This novel is highly recommended to anyone that wants to better understand schizophrenia and its effects on one’s life.