Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan | Summary & Analysis Preview: In her memoir, Brain on Fire: My Year of Madness, Susannah Cahalan recounts her battle with a rare, debilitating autoimmune disease that led to psychosis and, eventually, catatonia. Previously healthy, Susannah never guessed that one day she would wake up in the hospital with almost no recollection of her battle with a disease that threatened not only her sanity but her life. With the help of one particularly talented doctor, Susannah eventually obtained a diagnosis and began the long road to recovery. But first, she faced a terrifying descent into madness. Everything was going well for 24-year-old Susannah. She was a reporter at the New York Post. Her relationship with her boyfriend, Stephen, was getting serious. But in early 2009, she started to experience strange symptoms. First, when Susannah found what looked like a bug bite on her arm, she became convinced that bedbugs had infested her Manhattan apartment… PLEASE NOTE: This is summary and analysis of the book and NOT the original book. Inside this Instaread Summary of Brain on Fire: Summary of the book Important People Character Analysis Analysis of the Themes and Author’s Style About the Author With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.