Hope Summary

Solomon begins this final section with the example of Angel Starky. Angel suffered emotional and sexual abuse as a child, the youngest in a family of seven. Angel developed depression very early in life and as she grew older, her depression grew worse and developed into a schizo-affective disorder, which caused her to hear violent voices and experience hallucinations. She was taking ten medications daily when Solomon met with her as an adult. Her body was so ravaged by self-mutilation that she was covered from head to toe in terrible scars. She explained that the pain she inflicted on herself was her only small source of happiness. Although many self-destructive patients turn their violence outward, Angel never hurt anyone. On the contrary, she took care in helping people and the hospital staff spoke fondly of her. Her episodes occurred on and off and...