Who were Susannah Cahalan’s parents? How did the parents of Susannah Cahalan keep pushing until she was properly diagnosed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susannah Cahalan’s parents are divorced, but they came together to fight for their daughter. When doctors wanted to say she was mentally ill or alcoholic, they refused to accept that answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more about Susannah Cahalan’s parents and how they helped her during her illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Alerted to Susannah\u2019s seizure by Stephen, Susannah\u2019s mom and stepdad pick up Susannah the following morning to bring her to their home in New Jersey, where they can look after her. Susannah Cahalan’s parents took turns keeping her in their home, starting with this stay in New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Settling into her mom\u2019s home in New Jersey, Susannah tries to work on an article about a troupe of disabled dancers, but she\u2019s unable to write. Desperate to tell her mom and Allen about this new breakdown in her abilities, Susannah wanders to the family room, where she has another hallucination and goes into a trance. Her mom and Allen make an appointment with Dr. Bailey for the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susannah and her mom visit Sarah Levin, the psychiatrist recommended by Dr. Bailey. Susannah makes the case for her being bipolar. Levin concludes that Susannah is experiencing manic and depressive states, and she prescribes a drug commonly used for mood and thought disorders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susannah\u2019s mom has doubts. She calls Susannah\u2019s younger brother, James, and asks him if he thinks Bailey\u2019s diagnosis of alcoholism and Levin\u2019s diagnosis of bipolar disorder are correct. James says no to both. Susannah\u2019s mom agrees with him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allen and Susannah\u2019s mom agree to let Susannah return to Manhattan under her father and stepmother\u2019s care. Susannah Cahalan’s parents just want to make sure one of her parents is watching her. All goes well at first, but as Susannah and her dad head for the subway, Susannah\u2019s paranoia returns. She starts screaming on the street, and her father has to push her into a cab to get her to his home in Brooklyn. \u201cThey\u2019re kidnapping me!\u201d Susannah yells at the cabbie. She tells her dad she\u2019s calling the police. She\u2019s convinced she isn\u2019t safe in his care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exhausted by the time they get to her dad\u2019s place, Susannah just sits on the couch and stares as her dad and stepmom, Giselle, prepare her favorite meal, pasta. When they set it before her, though, Susannah has another hallucination; the tomato sauce is too bright. The basil pulsates. The cheese glistens. Susannah refuses to eat. After dinner, she has another hallucination like the one she had in the car with Allen. She thinks she hears Giselle saying, \u201cYou\u2019re a spoiled brat,\u201d even though Giselle\u2019s lips don\u2019t move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susannah has other hallucinations that night. A painting comes alive. A bust of Lincoln follows her with its eyes. Her childhood dollhouse is haunted. Her father is beating Giselle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Convinced her father is going to kill her, Susannah is desperate to get out. She runs to the front door of the brownstone and bangs her fists against the door, screaming, \u201cLet me out! Help!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n