The Quiet Room Analysis

In The Quiet Room, Lori Schiller and multiple people who knew her put words to the illusive nature of a specific disability of mental health—schizoaffective disorder. It’s no secret that mental illness often carries an intense stigma, more so, perhaps, than many other types of disabilities. This stigma is woven into the pages of this memoir, a reflection of the perception of mental illness in society, which is often fueled by inaccurate and negative representation. The memoir may mostly focus on Schiller’s experience with schizoaffective disorder, but it speaks to the larger narrative of disabilities of mental health as a whole. Mental illness, defined by the CDC Mental illnesses refer to disorders generally characterized by dysregulation
Her father states early on, “If Lori were really sick, my training told me, then I was to blame. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. So I refused to believe that Lori was really sick (Schiller 45). For Marvin Schiller, his disbelief stemmed from past perceptions of the cause of mental illness—that a disability of mental health is a result of upbringing. This perception, though negative and extremely problematic, is quite different from perceptions from ancient culture, which attributed it to being a punishment (Adair). Additionally, Schiller’s friends showed frustration. Her friend recalls, “Some of our friends weren’t sympathetic at all. In fact, a lot of the guys thought she was just bullshitting us” (30). Also, her brother expresses an unfortunately all too common concern when it comes to invisible disabilities: that Lori was faking it for attention. He says, “I was actually angry that she was so smart that she could make up an illness that no one could disprove” (179). The tendency of the people in Schiller’s life to head straight to suspicion speaks to the issue of mental illness being discarded as nonexistent, which only exacerbates the stigma when it is “proven” in some way, through a diagnosis, a witness to a hallucination, or even a suicide attempt. Short of instances such as these, mental illness tends be contested. In her article “My Body, My Closet,”
In an episode of the popular sitcom Full House, “Shape Up,” DJ Tanner under-eats and over-exercises, but she recovers from her negative relationship with food and exercise by the end of the episode. Though it should be noted that this episode does not claim to represent a specific eating disorder and does not glamorize eating disorders in any way, representations like this solidify the stereotype that eating disorders are easily solved and recovered from. Also, eating disorders can be tied to other disabilities of mental health, including bipolar disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety, and depression (Adair). Disabilities of mental health in general are often intertwined. This can be seen in The Quiet Room; Schiller often shows signs of depression and anxiety during treatment. In Schiller’s case and in many others, disabilities of mental health can snowball in many ways. Disabilities of mental health are common, but not many people are talking about them. As strong stigma is attached to them, and mishandled representation only furthers the stigma. Lori Schiller pushed through the silence to present a narrative that shows the complex ways in which a mental illness can affect someone and those around