From the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USC press release:

Elyn Saks, a USC law professor whose struggle with schizophrenia has informed her advocacy on behalf of those with mental illness, is among the 24 winners of this year’s “genius” grants from the MacArthur Foundation. Honorees receive $500,000 to be used at their discretion.

Saks, 53, kept her schizophrenia hidden while excelling academically, earning a philosophy degree from Oxford University and a law degree from Yale University. In addition to her work at the USC law school, Saks is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego, where she does research about society’s rejection of the mentally ill and how high-functioning schizophrenics cope.

Saks came out of the mental health closet with her 2007 memoir, “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness.” The book described the night terrors she had suffered throughout her life, her earlier beliefs that she had mentally caused the deaths of thousands of people, and the often-inhumane treatment she had received at mental health facilities.

Saks said in an interview that she would use at least some of the prize money to extend her memoir by interviewing other people with schizophrenia who are doing well.

“When I’m traveling, people always say, ‘You’re unique.’ Well, I’m really not,” she said. “I would just like to tell other people’s stories as well to further give people hope and understanding.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 11:09 am and is filed under law, mental health, NOT2BEMISSED, public attitudes, stigma, success stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.