The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

What are some of the stereotypes about mental illness that are explored in the book? How does the narrative attempt to dismantle them?

Compare and contrast Elyn’s relationships with the different therapists she sees. Whom does she seem to work best with? Why do you think so?

Kaplan suggests that Elyn inhabits three different selves or identities: “Elyn,” “Professor Saks,” and “the Lady of the Charts.” How do these three identities interact and eventually reconcile over time?

Explore how Elyn’s need for control and stubbornness works both to her advantage and to her detriment at different points of time in the narrative.

Trace the role that social support plays in Elyn’s mental health journey.

Elyn recounts her experiences with different therapists, the approaches they employ, and the different medication she is prescribed, in great detail. Why do you think she chooses to do so?

Elyn constantly struggles with questions of identity and suggests that this is a common experience to those with mental illness. In your opinion, why would people with mental illness think about identity more so than those with physical illness?

Elyn’s character, in addition to medication and therapy, seems to have helped in the eventual successful management of her illness. Which character traits do you think played a role? Substantiate with examples.