E. Fuller Torrey

“Schizophrenia is a cruel disease. The lives of those affected are often chronicles of constricted experiences, muted emotions, missed opportunities, unfulfilled expectations. It leads to a twilight existence, a twentieth century underground man. The fate of these patients has been worsened by our propensity to misunderstand, our failure to provide adequate treatment and rehabilitation, our meager research efforts. A disease which should be found, in the phrase of T.S. Eliot, in the "frigid purgatorial fires" has become through our ignorance and neglect a living hell.”

“Your daughter has schizophrenia," I told the woman."Oh, my God, anything but that," she replied. "Why couldn't she have leukemia or some other disease instead?""But if she had leukemia she might die," I pointed out. "Schizophrenia is a much more treatable disease."The woman looked sadly at me, then down at the floor. She spoke softly. "I would still prefer that my daughter had leukemia.”