Before we dive into Susannah Cahalan’s illness, let us get to know who Susannah Cahalan is and what she does for a living.
Susannah Cahalan biography
The best-known work of Susannah Cahalan, an American novelist, and journalist, is her memoir, “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness,” which details the terrifying experience she had while receiving treatment for a rare autoimmune condition.
She is currently employed for the tabloid “New York Post” and graduated from “Washington University.” Up until she started exhibiting behaviors that seemed to be indicative of a psychological problem, Cahalan was leading a normal life and enjoying a successful career.
Sadly, she received the wrong diagnosis. Until Dr. Souhel Najjar determined that she had a neurological ailment, her condition was unknown. Cahalan made the decision to write about her experience, and as a result, she published her best-selling, award-winning book, “Brain on Fire,” which was eventually turned into a “Netflix” movie.
She is currently a well-known person who supports the treatment of uncommon illnesses and mental problems in America.
Susannah Cahalan Illness: What Disease Does Susannah Cahalan have?
Cahalan started feeling numb and paranoid when she was 24 years old. She also exhibited unpredictable behavior and light sensitivity.
She regularly experienced severe migraines even at the sight of the neon signs in “Times Square,” and she would feel the walls of her office come to life, as she wrote in her memoir. At first, she thought it was because of stress from work.
Sadly, her condition deteriorated and she started having hallucinations. She also experienced a severe seizure attack. Her psychosis and personality disorder worsened, and eventually, she developed catatonia.
She frequently drooled and was constantly exhausted. She spoke with a twisted tongue. Her illness remained a medical mystery for about a month.
She was in wonderful health according to Cahalan’s first neurologist. She was given medication for bipolar disorder when a second psychiatrist made the diagnosis.
Some of her medical professionals even developed hypotheses that claimed she was “partying too much” and suffering from schizoaffective disorder.
Cahalan was suffering from left-side spatial neglect, and the right side of her brain had inflamed her left field of vision, according to Dr. Najjar, who recognized this straight away.
He described it to her parents as though “her brain was on fire.” In order to validate his diagnosis, he recommended a few tests.
A biopsy supported Najjar’s prophecy, and it was found that Cahalan had anti-NMDA receptor autoimmune encephalitis, which caused inflammation in the brain.
However, as the disorder had only been recognized two years previously, the cause of the inflammation remained unknown.
She was the 217th person to receive the illness diagnosis.
