The Schizophrenic Scholar

Elyn Saks is a powerhouse high achiever by anyone's measure. Top of her class at Vanderbilt, Oxford-trained, a Yale Law grad, and now a high-profile law professor at USC.

Elyn Saks is also a full-blown schizophrenic, a brilliant veteran of — her word — madness.

For years she hid it, even from family and friends. Now she's talking about the voices in her head, the suicidal fantasies, the imaginary fears, the hospitalizations and leather restraining belts.

It's a rare firsthand account of a life lived in full through a minefield of psychosis.

This hour, On Point: Elyn Saks, schizophrenic — and very much alive in the world.Guests:

Elyn Saks, diagnosed schizophrenic, law professor at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law, and author of "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness."

Dr. Stephen Behnke, clinical psychologist and attorney, longtime friend of Elyn Saks, and director of ethics at the American Psychological Society.

Dr. Thomas Smith, psychiatrist, medical director at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and associate professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center.