Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia Book

I had a lot of reasons for why I wanted to read this book. The first was that I am a twin, so there was something to learn and identify with regarding the struggles of constant comparison, the path to seeking individuality and the toll these things take on the relationship. The second was my interest in mental illness and that I knew very little of the daily struggles facing someone with schizophrenia.

What a gift these two sisters gave, not only to myself & other readers, but to the mental health community as a whole. This book is as much a story of the relationship between two sisters, as a documentation of what happens to someone's mind & life when suffering with schizophrenia. The voices, the hospital stays, the daily disappointments, the breakdowns, the psychosis, the medicines & treatments, and the countless doctors mixed with the ever-changing societal views of people with mental illness & the evolving medical practices make this book a time capsule in itself.

When Pamela had her first breakdown, it was in the late 1960's while away at college. Having a basic understanding of the evolution of mental illnesses in both the public view & medical practices will give this book more context. Though Pamela displayed classic symptoms of schizophrenia throughout childhood & adolescence, even as early as 6 years old, the awareness for this illness was not where it is today, nor was the compassion. Hindsight is 20/20.

It is great fortune that both Pam & Carolyn are talented writers. Hearing the same story, eloquently written from their differing perspectives, gave a holistic view of their lives showing how the disease not only wreaked havoc on Pamela's life, but on Carolyn's as well. This style leant itself nicely to the more common psychological issues of being a twin in adolescence.

On a personal level, I connected very deeply with a lot of what they faced. Though my sister and I will never deal with something as frustrating as chronic schizophrenia, we do share a lot of the other things associated with being twins. There is this memory that both Carolyn & Pamela share about getting ready for school. Pamela hasn't taken a shower for days & Carolyn is embarrassed saying "but people will think I am you" (or something to that effect). Pamela can only simply tell Carolyn that she [Carolyn] "makes it look so easy". This small memory brought back memories of my own - when my sister couldn't understand why she didn't feel like wearing makeup or using a purse. The pressures from society telling her something was wrong with her, and the guilt that I had for being "normal" reminded me of how Carolyn must have felt as she got older. In a way, this book has helped me recognize where some of these feelings originated, and achieve resolution through their story.