Schizophrenia With a Dash of Schmaltz
When Iris Rainer Dart\’s cousin was diagnosed with schizophrenia decades ago, the illness sent shockwaves through her Jewish family. \”They were from the shtetl and superstitious,\” said Dart, 59, the best-selling author of 1985\’s \”Beaches.\” \”They thought that the illness was a curse, that the parents must have done something wrong and that it was perhaps contagious.\”
Dart\’s cousin was spoken of in hushed tones and kept behind closed doors, a fate that haunted the author.