Action

The aspect of “action” in Bitter Medicine is presented in a few ways. Chief among these is the illustrations by Olivier Martini sprinkled throughout the memoir. These illustrations depict Olivier’s particular actions and experiences throughout various parts of his struggle with Schizophrenia, such as his experience as a night-shift security guard for a security company (Bitter Medicine, pg. 103-111). Clem’s narration acts as a precursor to Olivier’s illustrations, providing the reader with the appropriate context with which to understand, and by extension, sympathize with Olivier’s situation and experiences.

Another aspect to “action” in Bitter Medicine is Clem Martini’s retelling of facts and statistics that he and his family accrued over the course of their experience regarding mental health, government support. When the full scope of these facts, such as provincial stipend caps (Bitter Medicine, 163), antipsychotic medication side effects (Bitter Medicine, pg. 173-175, 179-180), and the perpetuation of minimal government aid (Bitter Medicine, pg. 163-167) correctly evokes a level of outrage at the situation. Bitter Medicine’s retelling is, in its entirety, a call to action from Clem Martini to his readers to do what they can to improve the healthcare system and government regulations so that stories like Olivier’s become less and less common.

- Mark Philips