Esmé Weijun Wang was born in the mid-1980s, and her journey through psychosis, diagnosis, delusion, and recovery began shortly after she graduated high school in the early 2000s, although she had always experienced some symptoms. Although progress has been made since the 2000s toward destigmatization and better social support for people with mental disorders, the issues that Wang outlines in her essay collection are still prevalent, important, and destructive to the people affected by them.

In several of her essays, Wang addresses the common misconceptions and demonization of schizophrenia that exist in Western culture. Whereas in many Eastern societies, the ability to hear voices or see visions is viewed as a gift, it is seen as a sickness, a curse, or a debilitating disorder in the West. Many factors contribute to the negative images of schizophrenia and related disorders. These include popular culture depictions that either exaggerate or mystify schizophrenia symptoms; Wang mentions The Exorcist, which depicts demonic possession, and Legion, which glorifies schizophrenia as a superpower. Neither of these exaggerated stereotypes is helpful, and Wang notes how negative depictions perpetuate fear and ostracization toward those with this disorder. Additionally, overly positive depictions act to add to her delusions.

In the real world, stories like the murder of Malcoum Tate contribute to fear and the stereotype of violence among people with schizophrenia. Tate was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1977 and cycled between psychiatric facilities, prison, and his home. His family found themselves unable to manage his disorder and were frightened that he would harm them, which ultimately led them to kill him. Regarding this case, Wang notes the deep fear that comes from misunderstanding mental illness: “[A] man who claimed to be sent by God to kill your daughter might seem like a man possessed by evil, and therefore capable of anything” (41). Outside of popular culture, organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, which claims to serve people with mental disorders, effectively paint people with schizophrenia as living burdens and their families as the true victims. While intentions may be good in these cases, the idea that people with schizophrenia are something that families must “suffer” through and “deal with” compounds stigma and decreases the self-esteem of people with the disorder.

In The Collected Schizophrenias, Wang recollects her disturbing experiences with institutions such as psychiatric hospitals, which severely failed her and others in their attempts to provide care. Wang notices how people with schizophrenia are treated as subordinates. They are considered unable to fend for or think for themselves, are often left out of treatment plans and not told the side effects of their medications, and are physically and emotionally abused by staff. Wang recalls being strapped down against her will and notes how each involuntary hospitalization did nothing more than traumatize her: “I believe that being held in a psychiatric ward against my will remains among the most scarring of my traumas” (110). Wang cites the idea of being trapped, at the mercy of someone else’s care, and being told that she would never get better that made the experiences so horrific.

Wang was also discharged from Yale University, a school she had wanted to attend since childhood, because of her repeated hospitalizations; when she improved and had the backing of doctors to show it, they denied her readmittance, showing overt discrimination. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) technically outlaws discrimination on the basis of mental illness, people with mental illnesses are routinely shut out of opportunities and institutions based on stigma.