Chapter 30 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 30 discusses the division between mind and brain. Kaysen defines mind as that difficult-to-pin-down "something" that animates us and makes us human; whereas, she defines brain as the biological collection of neurons that make up our nervous system. She argues that in 1968, nearly all mental illnesses were considered issues of the mind; the brain, unless grossly damaged, was assumed to be functioning correctly. In more modern theory, the brain is thought to be more culpable, and many conditions which were formerly diagnosed as mental illness and treated with therapy are now treated with the outpatient administration of drugs.

The chapter also includes an enjoyable conversation between two "interpreters" in one brain. The discussion allows Kaysen to present a thought process as an internal debate between a rational viewpoint and a crazy viewpoint. The person used in the example looks at an...