Schizophrenia terrifies. It is the archetypal disorder of lunacy. Craziness scares us because we are creatures who long for structure and sense...
-- Wang (Diagnosis paragraph 1)

Importance: This opening statement establishes the overarching topic of the book, schizophrenia, and also one of its major themes, the idea that this mental health condition is subject to stereotypes and misconceptions in society that make living with this condition more difficult for those afflicted. People with schizophrenia are often viewed as irredeemably crazy, and potentially dangerous.

A diagnosis is comforting because it provides a framework—a community, a lineage—and, if luck is afoot, a treatment or cure. A diagnosis says that I am crazy, but in a particular way: one that has been experienced and recorded not just in modern times, but also by the ancient Egyptians...
-- Wang (Diagnosis paragraph 3)

Importance: Throughout "Diagnosis," Wang explains that, while some people dislike diagnoses, disparaging the "boxes and labels" (5) that go along with them...