“No amount of serotonin will bring Darcy to the door.” Understanding mental illness in contemporary autobiographical writing in English
“No amount of serotonin will bring Darcy to the door.” Understanding mental illness in contemporary autobiographical writing in English

Summary/Abstract: Autobiographic writing about the experience of illness is becoming increasingly popular in English-language literature. Among many subjects addressed in patographies, the origin and treatment of mental disorders is a recurrent theme. Authors who have received a psychiatric diagnosis analyse the nature of their mental suffering, attributing it to biology, upbringing, traumatic life events or cultural stressors. Their opinions make an important contribution to contemporary discussions about mental health issues, gender roles and medicalisation of everyday life.The aim of this article is to present various approaches to mental illness and the brain-mind dichotomy voiced in many narratives. Although contemporary psychiatry tends to see mental disorders as brain diseases, some patients find this view reductionist as it robs them of agency. Others, on the other hand, support the biomedical model of madness and seem fascinated with neurological and biochemical explanations of their own moods and emotions. The third group comprises individuals who try to find an eclectic explanation, combining biology and socio-cultural factors.

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