Book from the early
Sixties based on a real-life case history from the files of
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. In it Deborah Blau, an
American Jewish artist, goes stark raving mad for five years and recovers with the help of "Dr. Fried". A good deal of the book is taken up with her fantasy life in Yr, a
Middle-Earth-like realm ruled by awe-inspiring Gods, and with its own language, Yri: seemingly "irrational" things she does are actually sacraments of the Yri culture. The "
objective" part of the book is taken up with the minutiae of life in a
mental hospital, the routines, personalities, and
treatments, which in that era were mostly confined to "calming"
meds,
wet packs, and
psychotherapy.
By the end of the book, Deborah is still in the hospital, but putting aside her fantasies in favor of a high school equivalency degree, with an eye towards work outside the system.