User blog:Bittermedicine/Themes

UNHAPPINESS "Medicate us all, I wanted to tell the nurses. Give us whatever you've given him, and a dark room to lie down in. We all need to recover. Maybe a long sleep will do the trick" (Martini, pg 33).

 The Martini family dealt with unhappiness after the death of Ben and of their father.

"As you prepare for sleep, you pose the same questions. You feel exhausted when you wake. You don't share your hurt with anyone because you know that everyone else is struggling as well. Why burden others?" (Martini, pg 51).

Liv Constantly tried to work in order to mesh back into society after being diagnosed and prescribed multiple medications. An attempt at working at a print company failed as he was later fired same day for being too slow.

"'Oh well' and fall silent again. 'Oh well what?' I'd ask. 'Just, oh well'" (Martini, pg 129). There was no hope or excitement in Liv anymore.

FRUSTRATION

The memoir describes the process of trying to rehabilitate Liv frustrating as the resources run dry from the government.

"Abandon all hope as you settle in this most final destination, the Fifth Circle of Mental Health Hell" (Martini, pg 141).

Clem explains that those with mental illness usually end up on the streets with no where else to turn. Drugs have failed them, government has failed them, employment has failed them.

"Liv wasn't buying it and remained unconvinced. 'You don't understand,' he told me. 'What don't I understand?' I asked. 'Everything'" (Martini, 181)

The frustrations with dealing with a brother with schizophrenia is tough enough, there is a large barrier in communication as those without the mental illness are unable to understand the illness.

FEAR

 <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 25.6px;">"I phoned Olivier the next day and asked what was going on. He laid it out for me. Someone had been kidnapped. The television was sending him signals. He was being followed. There was a conspiracy. I interrupted him and asked whether he felt these thoughts were normal. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">No, he answered hesitantly, but that didn't mean they weren't real. Shouldn't he seek some help? I asked. He considered this question for a long time and finally answered he was too frightened. Frightened he'd be abducted, frightened that 'they' would do something". (Martini, 57)

<span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">There was not only fear with the Martini family about Olivier being schizophrenic he also had fears. Perhaps they are seen as fears that can be fixed with medication. But as the memoir goes on to show the reader that the medication that is usually prescribed to patients gives them awful side effects and makes them unable to feel anything.

<span style="color: #f7158a; display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">HOPE <span style="color: #f7158a; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 160%;">Another theme which is present in this memoir, and may have been one main reason to write it in the first place is hope. Hope in the people to repair the broken health care system, hope for better treatment, hope in collapsing the negative light that those with mental illness are constantly cast in.

<span style="color: #f7158a; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 160%;">"To start with, those in the highest levels of our health care system must stop shutting their eyes, pretending that nothing is wrong, pretending that psychiatric services are receiving adequate support. they're not. Above all, both federal and provincial governments must finally demonstrate leadership and behave in a manner that communicates to the public that mental illness isn't a lapse of character, isn't a product of degenerate morality, isn't something that if swept onto our streets or concealed behind bars will simply disappear. It hasn't it won't and we all deserve better." (Martini, 259)

<span style="color: #f7158a; display: block; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">Clem and Olivier together create a gripping and interesting memoir on mental illness. It shows a personal account of their family turmoil with schizophrenia in hopes that governments will realize that something needs to be done to help those in need.

A video describing some of the myths of schizophrenia.

-Anna Garcia Ambler