Analysis Of The Book Henry s Demons By Patrick Cockburn

In the book, Henry’s Demons by Patrick Cockburn, Patrick and his family explain the extensive, long term effects of schizophrenia on the people who are diagnosed, and their loved ones. Henry goes through his first psychotic breakdown in 2002, when he almost drowned trying to swim the Estuary at Newhaven. He spends several years at the mental hospital, attempting to escape more than 30 times, fighting with himself to recover. This book truly teaches about the disorder and explores the subjective experience of being diagnosed with this disorder and the effect on family and friends. The book also shows how the biological,psychological, and sociocultural perspectives that develop behind this disorder. There has been increasing evidence showing†¦show more content†¦He first shows symptoms when Jan and Alex,his mother and his brother, come to visit him while he is away at school. They notice the early triggers such as his mistrust him clocks and technology, he takes his pho ne apart and explains how cell phones control society and he does not trust the use of them, along with clocks and telling time. He believes time is a false concept. Alex doesn’t see that his brother is not thinking clearly, and questions his logic with the clocks, explaining that they are just objects.Henry begins to get aggressive and confused. â€Å"Henry looked at them mushily, drawing his eyebrows together as if his mother and brother were in conspiracy not to understand him.†(Cockburn, page 17). Along with these triggers, he also heard voices from animals and trees telling him to do certain actions, Henry often felt forced to do things that he also didn’t want to do. Another example, the trees told him that he needs to strip down and jump down the Estuary, therefore he was actually never suicidal, but instead threatened by the inner voices in his head. Henry went through many episodes and was tormented by his symptoms and did many things wrong, even thou gh he knew better. A number of factors have been linked to schizophrenia:genetics, psychological vulnerability, and poor environmental surroundings. The understanding the of this mental illness is called