Welcome, Silence: My Triumph Over Schizophrenia

""A perfectly normal child,'' unusually intelligent, North was six years old in 1950 when her psychotic symptoms were noticed and subsequently misunderstood. Born in an unidentified ``hick hometown,'' she was raised by watchful parents who blieved she was unduly fearful, not mentally ill, as she progressed through high school and into college while suffering the agonies of schizophrenia. Visions assailed her while ``Other World'' voices ranged from nonsense questions``Do you want a cigar?''to orders to kill herself. Hospitalized after a breakdown, she was diagnosed as incurable. Under the care of a psychiatrist, North was able to function and, in time, recovered. The effective treatment, dialysis, should interest readers with family members deemed hopelessly split from reality. Now a psychiatrist herself, North practices in Missouri. (June 1)