Feuer im Kopf

Susannah Cahalan is 24 years old, freshly in love, and a talented college graduate who has already gained some experience as an aspiring journalist – and she is on the brink of the biggest nightmare of her life. Within a few weeks, she becomes seriously ill, suffering from unexplained symptoms that indicate a severe mental illness, and she becomes a critically ill patient in a psychiatric ward. Due to uncontrolled aggression and delusions, she is heavily medicated, restrained to her bed, and is in a vegetative state – closer to death than to life. However, her family does not give up until a renowned expert is finally brought in to assess her case. The esteemed neurologist Souhel Najjar diagnoses her with a recently discovered autoimmune disease just before she is about to be given up on completely. This condition causes the body to attack the brain, leading to various symptoms.