Dressler Psychiatric Hospital

Dressler Psychiatric Hospital is the mental hospital Cory's parents take him to in the opening chapters of the novel. They hope the hospital can help him with his alcohol abuse, but it immediately becomes clear that the other patients will ostracize Cory if he stays. The hospital itself looks like an asylum: the walls are white and there are no windows. There is hardly and light. The entire building, including the ceilings, is covered in metal grating, like a giant cage.

Tourette's Syndrome

Tourette's Syndrome is a medical condition that causes the neurons in the brain to misfire causing uncontrollable actions - either physical or vocal - known as tics. Cory's first symptom of Tourette's Syndrome appeared when he was five years old. From then until the age of sixteen, Cory suffered from a wide range of symptoms.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is...