WHY I LOVE THE NOVEL BRAIN ON FIRE

I like to go to the movies when I'm bored, and I mean very bored. I just really enjoy
watching films. It has the opportunity to benefit us to have a good time. We can use our
free time to watch movies. We can do it either alone or with bunch of friends. Which can
be a pleasurable experience. Going to the movies can also provide us with useful
knowledge. Some movies tell us more about such significant events. I've seen a lot of
movies in my life, ones which make me feel in love, one which make me realized how
fortunate I am as well as a few others. However, none of them have had the same
tremendous impact on me as the 2016 film Brain on Fire.

A film that was inspired by Susannah Cahalan's memoir Brain on Fire: My Month of
Madness. The film provides a new insight on how people with specific illnesses deal
with their circumstances.

It was based on the author's hallucinatory and delusional urges, which were caused by
a rare disease. It cast doubt on her sanity and renders her even more vulnerable to
external events. Her family and friends begin to question her judgment and mental
health.

Susannah Cahalan's rare medical condition and the dramatic turn of events surrounding
her are the subject of the film Brain on Fire. Cahalan was on the brink of a lifetime of
happiness and prosperity. She was in the process of forming a serious relationship with
a nice guy. She also started a rewarding career as a reporter for a well-known New
York newspaper.

Her life was irrevocably changed after she discovered she has a rare autoimmune
condition that causes her brain working at the age of twenty-four. It began when she
awoke in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she arrived.

She was unable to move or speak because she was bound to the bed. This was the
product of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, which had previously caused her to have
aggressive, psychotic episodes.

Cahalan was examined by a number of physicians before even being correctly

identified, including those who came up with inaccurate hypotheses regarding her
deteriorating health. It wasn't until Dr. Souhel Najjar, a neurology specialist, learned
what was wrong with her that she realized what was wrong.

Susanna was in pain because the right side of her brain was inflamed due to anti-NMDA
receptor encephalitis, an auto-immune disorder. which eventually led to the title of this
novel. Susanna was quickly placed on the mend, and after several months, she was
able to return to work. She finally received the medical attention she needed to recover
and treat her illness.

Cahalan became ill so young because she had been mistreating her body by
consuming large amounts of alcohol and overusing her body in other ways. She had a
childhood dream of becoming a journalist for a New York newspaper, and in order to
achieve this, she had been staying up late studying and beating herself up just to get
into the company.

The entire event lasted one month, but Susanna has no recollection of it. Her only
knowledge of what had happened to her and her acts came from a journal held by her
father when we were watching over her in the hospital. Susanna wrote a book called
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness after chronicling her experience in a 2009 New
York Post report.

The book's film rights were finally acquired, and the film was directed by Gerard Barrett.
Netflix bought the distribution rights to the film after it premiered at the Toronto
International Film Festival in 2016. Today she's become a source of inspiration for many
people.

Susannah Cahalan's remarks struck a chord with me " "Have you ever been trapped?
Lost in your own body, lost in your own mind, lost in time? So desperate to escape, to
just get out." It's almost as if it keeps me guessing until the very end, which is a
metaphor for our existence as chronic illness sufferers.

She's been berating herself and focusing all of her attention on her goal in order to
achieve her dream. I came to the conclusion that this was the cause of her illness. We
can make better decisions if we pay attention. As a result, focusing solely on one aim
might have a massive effect. We have been ignoring much more important aims in our
ways, ignoring important opportunities, and ridiculing ourselves as well as our insanity.

Not only was the film enjoyable, but it also provided the audience with additional
information. Its aim was not only to make a profit, but also to spread ideas to the public
about mental health illness. 

This film will help individuals like Susannah in dealing with this heartbreaking news,  to
just let them know that they have complete freedom to express whatever they like and
feel, and also that we understand and support them.

The film also helps the patients' families to be more compassionate and open-minded
about certain things, since this disease does exist, believe it or not. Aside from all of
that, at this point in their lives, all they wanted were always the people they know,
trust and cherish. They were only in desperate need for sour attention, encouragement,
and affection.

It also serves as a warning to the patient's friends and acquaintances that they, too,
need complete understanding for their circumstances.

This film also serves as a warning to all professionals to do their jobs well, particularly
those whose work is critical since it involves their patients' health. Fortunately, Dr.
Souhel Najjar is a dedicated professional who has never been satisfied until he
discovers the primary cause of Canalah's condition.

Not all people with mental health illness can be as Cahalan. She is undeniably a great
reporter, and Brain on Fire is a breathtakingly bold book. But, more than that, she's a
naturally gifted literary stylist, whip-smart but never pretentious, and it's practically hard
to put the book down without reading her, even at the most excruciating portions. She
adds, "Reflecting on the discovery of a piece of jewelry I'd lost during my illness," "Life
often wraps analogies in little bows for us exactly when we need them. When you
believe you've lost everything, the things you really need appear out of nowhere."
Cahalan's unflagging, stubborn hardness finds salvation in Brain on Fire, which comes
from a place of profound agony and unimaginable isolation. One of America's most
courageous young journalists has given me an unexpected gift of a book.

I'm grateful that I was able to see such an awe- inspiring film . Considering my chosen
profession, and my love for mental health awareness. I now have the idea from the
perspective of my future patience with me. I have all I need to execute my job
successfully thanks to this film.