Product Description

Since its first publication in 1983, Surviving Schizophrenia has become the standard reference book on the disease and has helped thousands of patients, their families and mental health professionals. In clear language, this much–praised and important book describes the nature, causes, symptoms, treatment and course of schizophrenia and also explores living with it from both the patient and the family's point of view. This new, completely updated fifth edition includes the latest research findings on what causes the disease as well as information about the newest drugs for treatment and answers to the questions most often asked by families, consumers and providers.

Customer Reviews (54)

Excellent resource manual
This book is an absolute must for any family dealing with schizophrenia.Our son was diagnosed 7 years ago and this book was recommended by his psychiatrist.It has been extremely helpful and pertinent as we have traveled the devastating world of mental illness, helping to demystify a heartbreaking diagnosis.Torrey explains terms in clear, understandable language.He also has chapters on how mental illness affects a person, the various kinds of medications along with their uses and side effects, and where one can find resources to help with rehabilitation of your loved one, to name a few.There is also a comprehensive index so "Surviving Schizophrenia" continues to be a great reference book.

This book is essential for guiding families in understanding their loved one and the world he/she now inhabits.By becoming educated, one is able to help advocate in matters of medication, hospitalization, social services and for numerous other needs that a previously independent person now requires.This book also offers hope through understanding, education, and information.

some good suggestions with focus on the biological
This book contains advice and suggestions for dealing with schizophrenia.There is a strong focus on the biological here. There is also a "getting through the day" approach and I think many people with mental illness are creatively gifted and in fact I believe that is part of the problem. I saw in a book related to the Johnson O'Connor aptitude testing foundation that "unused high ability is a torment to people" and I believe that is correct. People with any type of talent who are not trained in using it may really want to express themselves but not be able to and that can cause frustration until the person is trained in using the abilities he or she has, and is able to express them.

I am fortunate enough to have excellent medical care and believe in the importance of carefully prescribed and monitored medication, in a collaborative doctor-client relationship, for many people. I believe in psychotherapy as well, especially if the doctor is skilled, compassionate, and has time to listen.

I think the issues of forced or "encouraged" treatment are complex and Elyn Saks addresses these in The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness.It is better to work collaboratively than in an authoritarian way, if at all possible.Dr. Saks found that in England, clinicians treated her with more respect and gave her more choice in how she handled her treatment than what she experienced in the United States.

My suggestion is to use this book for informational purposes if you or a loved one has schizophrenia, but not necessarily follow it to the letter. This book plus other resources can be helpful.

I believe strongly in the importance for psychotherapy for people with severe mental illness, assuming they and their treatment providers are motivated.

While I respect some of Dr. Torrey's work, I disagree with him in many ways and one of them is that I think there are serious concerns with the forced use of medication.However this book can be useful in a "take what you like and leave the rest" way.There are practical suggestions in here that can help, and there is a sensory-based description of some schizophrenic symptoms that I found interesting.

If interested, I'd suggest reading it for informational purposes and using it as seems appropriate in one's own life.Some people have difficulty with some of Dr. Torrey's positions and if it does not help to read the book, that is their decision.

Dr. Torrey also has a theory of infectious etiology of schizophrenia that interests me.I initially described that in this review but decided that was tangential to the book, so I moved my thoughts to a discussion, below, on thoughts about infection.I edited this on 10/16 to improve a reference to terms.

Surviving Schizophrenia
Outstanding book.He has touched on all the points and answered all the questions.The only thing not there is the current state of medication.Definitely recommend this book.

help for family with relatives who live with schizophrenia
This books is really good, easy to understand, well organized, covering all topics needed, easy to read.... a must have book for either clinicians working with schizophrenics and their families or families who have a schizophrenic family member.
The only negative is that this book is very dated. I am sure there is a earlier version out there.

suicide survivor
My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and commited suicide.He was early in his diagnosis and we didn't have time to learn much about the illness as he kept many things hidden from us until the very end.This book has brought me so much help in my grieving process.Through the knowledge I've gained from this book, a lot of pieces have fallen into place.It doesn't make my pain any less, but it is comforting to have some questions answered regarding my sons behavior that I never associated with schizophrenia.I highly recommend this book and have been passing it around to family members so they can gain a better understanding.I wish my son would have been able to read it himself and see that there is hope.Even if you don't know anyone personally with schizophrenia I would recommend reading it just to gain a better understanding and compassion for those afflicted and their families. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Great guide book
My son was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and a bought a whole bunch of books in order to learn about the illness so I could help him. After the dust settled this book ended up as my favorite for use as a guidebook. I highly recomend it.
To help understand my son I bought "I am not sick, I dont need help".
That one is a real help also.
GOD BLESS

none
This purchase was a gift to a colleague of mine in the psychotherapy profession.I have no review to offer, other than that the book has proven helpful to me in my practice.

Mack R. Mathews 111,M.D.
Very well written and comprehensive. A must read for anyone who has family or friend with mental illness. Beauty!

Hope for schizophrenia
This is book is just what our family was looking for when we learned that our son had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. The biggest question my wife and I had was whether there was any hope for him. We were terrified by the diagnosis, and everything we'd heard about schizophrenia, and didn't know where to turn for help and accurate information. Fortunately, somebody at our local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapter recommended this book, and it has made a huge difference to our family.

The Complete Family Guide delivers a consistent message that there is hope for people with schizophrenia, and introduces the concept of recovery from the illness as a way of helping people rebuild meaning and purpose in their lives. This was a new and refreshing angle for us, considering all of the negative attention that is given to schizophrenia in the media. The emphasis on recovery had an important effect on our attitude towards our son, and how our family has coped with his illness. We've learned how to work together, including our son, and not against each other, and this has made our family stronger and closer.

A great deal of information is provided in this book, but it is written in a practical, hands-on, easily used style. The first two sections of the book describe basic facts about schizophrenia, and how the illness affects family members. The section on how schizophrenia affects different family members was very helpful, since there are different chapters for parents, siblings, spouses, and children. This allowed my wife and I to read about the experiences of other parents, and for our son's sisters and brother to learn about how other siblings have been affected.

The remainder of the book, which is most of the book, describes how families can help a relative with schizophrenia. This includes summarizing the principles of treatment and how to get professionals to work with your family. We found the advice about dealing with common problems such as medication non-compliance, reducing stress in the family, and coping with the symptoms of hallucinations, lack of motivation, and substance abuse especially helpful with our son. We found the guidance in the final part of the book on helping a relative improve different areas of living to be very useful, including relationships, school, and work.

After searching for answers for so long, we finally hit a goldmine in this book. Instead of helplessly sitting by and watching our son's life spiral out of control, we began to learn how to work together, with him, and with his treatment team. It has been a lot of work, but we now know there is hope, a future for all of us, and that it's up to us what we want to make of it.

Grateful father

Sprawling and disorganized but with a wealth of information
With 480 pages and 30 chapters this book is both too longand too unfocused for easy use or reading. Inadvertently, this book and its numerous worksheets could encourage trying to do everything to the extent that it would certainly overwhelm both caregivers and the schizophrenic family member. There is an overwhelming wealth of information but the book fails to provide the wisdom and perspective of how to make use of this information. E Fuller Torrey's Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providersis by far a more insightful and better organized work which covers similar ground. Torrey's book is currently in its fifth edition (2006).

Several useful areas stand out in my opinion. These include encouraging regular medication adherence and symptom and side effect monitoring for relapse prevention and side effect management. Another important consideration is developing a relapse prevention plan. In addition the authors describe an active and non-confrontational problem solving approach involving the schizophrenic family member.Barring a crisis in progress these are probably the most important areas to focus on for most families.

There is an overwhelming volume ofstrategies and information contained here for families actively involved in the care of family members with schizophrenia. The good parts aresometimes obscured by repetition oruseless generalities such as those in the section "Common Questions about Antipsychotic Medications". Similarly the short chapter on "Dealing with Stigma" fails to provide anything useful.A reading recommendation is that once you get a grasp of the strategy of having effective problem solving familymeetings (Chapter 15) the numerous accounts of such meetings can be skimmed over in most cases.

A finalcritique is that the importance of supports such as family therapy and general "care for the caregiver" are not emphasized enoughconsidering the potentially overwhelming difficulties of living with and caring for a mentally ill family member; granted some self care recommendations are scattered through the book.My recommendations to caregivers using this book are to be sure to take care of yourselves and to approach problems and this book one (part) at a time as they are most important to you and your family member. So yes buy the book but review or skim it and consult it as needed as problems or opportunities arise.

One excellent source of social support and education for families and the mentally ill themselves is NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of the mentally ill.See NAMI org for local support meetings in your area. The National Schizophrenia Foundation offers both online discussion forums that you may find useful and information on "Schizophrenia Support Groups and Related Resources" on their site.

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Product Description
Practical tools for leading a happy, productive life

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental disorder that afflicts one percent of the population, an estimated 2.5 million people in America alone. The firsthand advice in this reassuring guide will empower the families and caregivers of schizophrenia patients to take charge, offering expert advice on identifying the warning signs, choosing the right health professional, understanding currently available drugs and those on the horizon (as well as their side effects), and evaluating traditional and alternative therapies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

NAMI indebted book encourages status quo
Rossa Forbes is a contributor to Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change

The title, Schizophrenia for Dummies, is, indeed, correct. This book is for dummies, or at least will not further your ability to overcome schizophrenia if you buy what it is selling.

To begin with, the cover invites the reader to "learn to help their loved one live a happier, more productive life." How patronizing. Note that there is no mention of the person with schizophrenia learning to help him/herself take charge of their own life. Using the term your loved one when it comes to schizophrenia may at times be necessary but it has the chill of a body on ice.

The inside of the book subtly reinforces the idea that your relative is, and will continue to be, managed and dependent. The authors, Irene Levine, Ph.D. and Jerome Levine, M.D. are profoundly indebted, of course, to members of NAMI, an organization which, in my opinion, perpetuates stigma. The book trots out the usual stuff about myth busting such as the myth of split personality, the myth that people with schizophrenia are violent, the myth that bad parenting is the cause. All of these so-called myths have a basis that is conveniently forgotten these days. It is easier to call them myths than to actually figure out the understandable and surprising secrets that underly them. There are excellent and effective holistic therapies that can shine a light on these areas, but these therapies will not be found in this book.

There is a cartoon towards the end of the book that sums up the bias of the NAMI-indebted authors towards instilling a take charge of your own life perspective. An aging father is talking to his son in the son's bedroom: "Why don't we talk to your doctor about adjusting your medication, and then see about building that underground railroad to all your friends' homes." Humor is needed, but the message is not encouraging. Dependent, aging child, aging parent. How long is that child/man going to be living at home in the same bedroom he grew up in? The cartoon inadvertently raises the question, if the medications are really all that effective, as the father seems to believe, how come the kid is still delusional?

Very Good Book
It's good especially for those who don't know much about the mental illness. In my mind nothing has clarified more of what I'm going through than this book. I'm going to get my brother to read it so he can understand a little more.

Heavy Info
This a deep subject but I was able to follow and make sense of it.We used it for counseling.Out of all the books I have read on the subject, this one is the best.

schizophrenia for dummies
Book arrived in very good shape.Although it came within the time frame given, it did take longer than I had hoped.

A Smart and Indispensable Dummies Book
The doctors Levine have produced a remarkably understandable and, may I say, SMART edition to the Dummies series published by Wiley.I have struggled to read other books about psychiatry and various illnesses over the years, and have usually put them down to get a dictionary or to call my own psychiatrist for translation.Schizophrenia for Dummies does not insult.This book cares about families and patients who suffer, sometimes needlessly, through severe mental illness and when fortunate, to a life of recovery.This book explains basic facts and offers immediate support and resources.It is a clearinghouse without a toll-free number.

The book is a must-read for anyone who has a mental illness and has questions, as well as family members and the general public who need much of this education.

My mental illness struck at a young age and at a time when families had little to no resources to maneuver through the "system."I cannot recall my family's exact plight to locate basic information, but I know now that this book would have been indispensable.With accurate and thoughtful presentation of the material displayed here, I can only hope that today's families, patients, and consumers will find what they need to traverse the healthcare system and yes, their own illnesses and pathways to wellness.

Professionals in the mental health field are probably not "dummies," but a review of this book to gain additional and current knowledge should be required.I could see a copy of this book available in waiting rooms, self-help agencies, and organizations that represent persons with mental illnesses or who advocate for systems improvements.This sophisticated book combines practical information with scientific know-how.

Schizophrenia for Dummies is a refreshing contribution to the literature available in the lay world yet helps us to understand the science behind mental illness and the treatments that promote wellness in clear and hopeful terms.This is a true sign of a book that is accessible.The Levines have given us a smart book that I recommend to everyone.

Laura Van Tosh
Oregon, USA ... Read more

Product Description
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders is a guide to natural approaches to mental and emotional health. It is organized in terms of schizophrenia but includes material on depression, bipolar, autism, and behavior disorders. The book brings together over a half century of medical and psychiatric research with a detailed exploration of nutrients, herbs and biotypes, and the role of allergies, toxins, hormones, physical condition, and brain biochemistry in mental health.

Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders serves to inform and support patients and families, as well as physicians and researchers. It is updated and revised every few years, as new medical knowledge becomes available. Includes a glossary, a comprehensive index, current resources, and extensive references. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

this book could save a life
A family member seemingly had schizophrenia.Eventually we figured out it was a bacterial infection in the brain caused by Lyme Disease; antibiotics, vitamins, and healthy eating brought this person back to "good-as-new."This was one of the few resources available that presented the many causes of mental disorders along with natural cures and treatments availble. I highly recommend it.

Hope for Schizophrenics
I have studied orthomolecular psychiatry for the past 10 years, but did not actively search out clients (I am a nutritionist living in Israel) before the passing of the great Abram Hoffer, M.D., PhD. At that time, I felt that I must do my tiny part in carrying the flag of hope for those suffering from schizophrenia. To the best of my knowledge, there is only one other orthomolecular practitioner in my country who seriously deals with schizophrenia.

What I have found is that with most clients, I don't know which I need to treat more: schizophrenia or drug side-effects! Before a client even comes to my clinic, I have them fill out questionnaires for symptoms of schizophrenia and for side effect symptoms of the drugs they are on. Almost invariably, the drugs have more or less suppressed the illness symptoms as a trade-off for the physical suffering and mental degradation caused by the drugs. We accept this situation, willing to suffer physically, and even live with the drug depression, apathy and tiredness, because we identify with our minds - that's who we are, and if we are crazy we don't exist at all. That is our deepest fear. Still, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever recovers by using drugs - a condemnation to a deteriorating life.

The only hope for schizophrenics is orthomolecular psychiatry, or orthomolecular nutrition. Still, the path is difficult. Detective work is needed to uncover the underlying biochemical imbalances specific to each patient/client. The non-physician orthomolecular practitioner, or patient and family, must try to influence the psychiatrist to slowly lower the medications while the orthomolecular program takes effect. This book, "Natural Healing for Schizophrenia..." provides the knowledge and the clues to look for in finding the individualized path for to healing. RECOVERY - return to health, family and society, is possible. Good luck on the journey!!! Dolev Reuven Gilmore, author: Nutrition and Your Child's Soul: Don Quixote's Heart-Cry

Cautiously optimistic
This book is easy to read and understand even if you have very little knowledge of mental illness.Armed with the information I studied here I have started my son on a regime of fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.It's too soon to say what will happen but in just a few weeks his eye contact, memory and social skills have begun to improve.I believe every sufferer of schizophrenia should be taking nutritional supplements. Unfortunately, in the UK the protocol is to get them on drugs in order to make them well enough to be safe and that's it.I wonder what my son's life would have been like if I'd had this information seventeen years ago.If you have a mental illness or you care about someone who has this condition then find out everything you can about nutrition for the brain.

NATURAL HEALING FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA
GREAT CONSOLIDATION OF CUTTING EDGE INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS AND LAY PEOPLE WITH SELF HELP ADVICE.

An amazing amount of great information all in one place
I spent the last twenty years trying to sort out my emotional roller coaster of a life and trying to figure out why I have extreme levels of many heavy metals.This book led me -- finally! -- to the answer.Seems I have a genetic zinc deficiency that causes me to retain heavy metals in my body, and a histamine disorder. And thankfully, there is a simple (not easy, simple) nutritional cure for it all.BUT PLEASE NOTE:The book did not diagnose me but led me to the Pfeiffer Clinic in Illinois.THEY diagnosed me and I am now on their program and heading toward the light at the end of a very long tunnel.If you have or know of anyone with bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, this is a must have book.The wealth of information is unsurpassed.I would know -- my bookshelves and computer are FILLED with other books who give this piece or that piece of the puzzle.This book puts all the possible scenarios in one place AND gives information I'd not seen in other sources on these topics.Nicely organized, well written.I can only thank the author from the bottom of my heart. ... Read more

Product Description
Incorporating the most up-to-date concepts and clinical tools, the newly revised and expanded second edition of this popular manual is even more user-friendly than its predecessor. Presented are an empirically tested format and ready-made curricula for skills training groups in a range of settings. Part I takes therapists and counselors step by step through assessing clients' existing skills, teaching new skills, and managing common treatment challenges. Part II comprises over 60 ready-to-photocopy skill sheets (15 more than the previous edition), each one a complete lesson plan in itself. Other features of the second edition include an important new chapter on working with dually diagnosed clients; an overview of the empirical support for the approach; and additional assessment forms. Of special value for practitioners, the new 8 1/2" x 11" format makes it easier than ever to reproduce and use the practical materials in the book.
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Customer Reviews (3)

Good info
The beginning stuff was informational but not to helpful....but the stuff in the second half...now that is what I am looking for!!!

Excellent resource for clniicians working with this population
This step by step guide is very clear and user friendly.It is comprehensive and by outlining the activities step by step, it's a recipe for success.

Excellent for staff training and client work
This book on social skills training is useful not only for schizophrenics but also for other clients whose treatment includes the need to use role play to teach various skills. I purchased it for use in a new Dual Dx program at our agency but immediately saw its use for training staff to do more role play in our CBT-based substance abuse tx program for all clients. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Recommend
This is a well researched/written book, which keeps in perspectivet past literature and reseaarch, but forges new ground that could be helpful to the many who suffer from this disorder.

Mastery!
Beck et al. not only provide an excellent, clinically oriented assessment of CBT, but they also provide an incredible discussion on the pathology, etiology, & neuropsychiatry of schizophrenia that I've never before seen.It is clear, concise, and very easy to understand.Other authors tend to get wrapped up in the minutia of neuropsychiatry, but not these!I was amazed at how much better I understood schizophrenia after reading just the first few opening chapters.

Great book, but "chickens out" at key points
This book goes into depth about the psychological aspects of the problems that get diagnosed as "schizophrenia," while integrating that with the latest research, so there's a lot to recommend it. It contains some interesting perspectives and original thinking, and I learned a lot from it, even though I was already pretty well read on the subject. Most of the thinking appears to be top-notch, including both depth and coherence.

But that's not why I'm writing this review. While I was struck by the quality of the thinking in most areas, I found that when it came to discussing the possibility of doing therapy without medications, it suddenly seemed that dogma was taking the place of thinking.

At one point (page 317 to be exact) it is stated categorically that "cognitive therapy alone cannot treat the symptoms of schizophrenia...." On page 305 it is stated that "The use of cognitive and other forms of therapy may lessen the amount of medication needed but not eliminate the need completely." The problem is, this contention flies in the face of actual outcome data in many cases. For example, it's well known that all of the long term outcome studies on schizophrenia show that large percentages of people, 25% or more, manage to get off medication completely and do well. In one of the earlier studies of CBT for psychosis (Kuipers et al. (1997)), at the end of the study 25% of those in the CBT group, but none of those in the control group, were off medication. Many case reports show successful outcomes using CBT with clients who decline to use medication, and having good results. A number of studies using psychosocial only approaches had outcomes at least as good as those achieved by medication treatment (such as the Soteria project.)

To add insult to injury, on page 305 a statement is made implying that the only reason a practitioner might want to treat a person with therapy only, and not medication, is because of a "personal preference." Given that medications cause innumerable negative effects on health, some of which are potentially fatal, and given they often both subjectively and objectively have many negative effects on mental and emotional functioning, it would seem that there really are other reasons a practitioner might want to try therapy without medications in cases where it seems that might work.

So, why do the authors of an otherwise thoughtful book make a claim so at odds with the facts, and then imply that anyone who disagrees with them is somehow morally defective and operating out of simple "personal preference"? I think I detect the heavy hand of politics here - it seems that the authors must have caved in to pressure to not present CBT as a possible alternative to the medical model, but only as a "supplement." Certainly, in many circles, CBT is likely to face easier sailing if it is presented that way. But really, people deserve the truth, even when it makes the establishment uncomfortable, and that's why it is sad that the truth got left out here.

Certainly it is true that we don't have a psychological treatment that in all cases can treat the symptoms that get labeled schizophrenia without the use of medications. But the evidence seems clear, from a huge number of studies (not just the ones I mentioned above) that in many cases, psychological or psychosocial treatment alone can be adequate, and comes without the serious hazards of treatment with medications. These facts argue for a more individualized approach, open to the possibility that some will be able to make it without the medications. It's too bad that the authors of this book did not accept those facts and argue for an individualized approach as well, or discuss the unknowns and conclude that that more research is needed, rather than making a blanket & untrue statement that medications are always necessary.
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Product Description
The disease is not fatal but few diagnoses have the capacity to instill as much fear in the hearts of patients and families. Here is a profoundly reassuring book that shows there can be life after a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The book includes thirty-five first-person accounts, along with chapters by professionals on a wide range of issues from hospitalization to rehabilitation. Jargon-free and technically accurate, the chapters are short and offer up-to-date information on medication, coping skills, social services, clinical research, and much more. Patients and their families can read the book from cover to cover or skip around and select topics as the need arises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

There is better.
This is at most a general introduction to schizophrenia.As one who has the disease, I expected a more intelligent discussion on the topic.Instead, the book is a dumbed down version of material available elsewhere.In fact, the book seems most appropriate for children and young teens who need an introduction on the subject.The only positive feedback I can give is that quite a bit of it is funny.I suggest reading the first chapter, then moving on to something better; for example, Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative) (Paperback).This book covers the same material but in a more interesting and intelligent manner.

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia
This review is in Spanish, but in general it was very helpful for my, its a eay reading book that provides general concepts and terms for family and professional. Es un libro sencillo, corto, fácil de leer y bastante completo. Es un buen comienzo para ir ampliando la lectura con otros libros más específicos. Pero en particular este libro, como profesional de la conducta humana me ayudó a entneder esta población a la cual aún no me había expuesto. Es un buen inicio, además te brinda información clara sencilla para tu explicarle a ellos y su familia.

Great Book!
I purchased this book after my brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia.The book was easy to read and gave the viewpoints from actual people who have it.It helped me learn and relate to my brother better.I am planning on giving this book to my brother so that he can feel that he can relate to others who are going through something similar.The book is broken up into small, easy to read chapters, and the writing is simple and easy to read.I highly recommend this book to anyone.

diagnosis schizophrenia review
Diagnosis Schizophrenia is a very good book interviewing mental health patients to give their views. It gives a very personal feel to the book and I enjoyed reading it very much.

Factual, a real page-turner
I am a consumer with schizoaffective disorder.I purchase books but do not do much reading.When I got this book out of the public library, I kept it, 'way past its due date.Whenever I am in a waiting room, out comes Diagnosis: Schizophrenia.I wish that this book had been available to me when I first became mentally ill!I spent years in denial and doubt about the medications.The descriptions of symptoms are convincing ("This is me!"), and the kicker is the last narrative chapter where patient after patient tells about being restored to normal reasoning and productivity.I do not consider this book to be dated at all.Highly recommended for consumers who may be considering noncompliance with treatment.When I get some money, I intend to purchase my own copy to lend to friends. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite recent advances in medicine and psychology, schizophrenia remains a complex and challenging disease. In this practical manual, Roberta Temes explains what the disease is, describes treatment options and resources, and presents an innovative 'collaborative cure' that brings together a support team to help the person with schizophrenia lead a fuller life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Getting Your Life Back Together When You Have Schizophrenia
My Father and my brother have Schizphrenia. I've read several books over the years and I can tell you that this book really opened my eyes and heart and let me know what they have gone through. It's easy to read and not long or boring...I bought a book for each member of the family. Awesome Book!!!

Excellent Text
This text is easily read and tends towards practical advice. There are any nuber of comprehensive texts, however this book covers the personal aspects of dealing with a disease with an gargantuan effect. Any one who has to deal with this disease would be well advised to purchase a copy.

geting your life back together when you have schziophrenia
An excellent easy to read book that helps those who have this devestating illness, and their family members.

I do not have schizophrenia and I am a Byzantine Jesus
I am told that that was a thing called Psychology and I am 33 and I have been entirely celibate.I went to Bucks County Community College from Fall Semester 1998 straight through until Spring Semester 2002.I started at age 24 and was 28 when I left.Weekdays 2006 Monday July 24th 2006 to Friday July 28th 2006.I went to Kutztown University from Fall Semester 1992 straight until Spring Semester 1994.I was 18 when I started and 20 when I dropped out.A Weekend in 2006; Friday August 18th 2006 to Sunday August 20th 2006.I don't wand HIV/AIDS and I am still a virgin and Daniel Sathler is Sigmund Freud's and Daniel Williams is Karl Jung's Bipolar Case Study. ... Read more

Product Description
During his second semester at college, Kurt Snyder became convinced that he was about to discover a fabulously important mathematical principle, spending hours lost in daydreams about numbers and symbols. In time, his thoughts took a darker turn, and he became preoccupied with the idea that cars were following him, or that strangers wanted to harm him. Kurt's mind had been hijacked by schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder that typically strikes during the late teen or young adult years.
In Me, Myself, and Them, Kurt, now an adult, looks back from the vantage point of recovery and eloquently describes the debilitating changes in thoughts and perceptions that took hold of his life during his teens and twenties. As a memoir, this book is remarkable for its unvarnished look at the slow and difficult process of coming back from severe mental illness. Yet Kurt's memoir is only half the story. With the help of psychiatrist Raquel E. Gur, M.D., Ph.D., and veteran science writer Linda Wasmer Andrews, Kurt paints the big picture for others affected by adolescent schizophrenia. Drawing on the latest scientific and medical evidence, he explains how to recognize warning signs, where to find help, and what treatments have proved effective. Kurt also offers practical advice on topics of particular interest to young people, such as suggestions on managing the illness at home, school, and work, and in relationships with family and friends.
Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, My, Myself, and Them offers hope to young people who are struggling with schizophrenia, helping them to understand and manage the challenges of this illness and go on to lead healthy lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not what I was looking for
Let me just say that after purchasing this book I learned a valuable lesson: always read the reviews before buying.This book is very much like something I would have read as a freshman in Psych 101.In spite of the title, it tells surprisingly little of the author's story and focuses mainly on the causes and treatment of schizophrenia, and how to deal with it on a daily basis.Don't get me wrong, that is the intent of this book, and it was very well written, it was simply not the book I was looking for.Unless you have schizophrenia yourself, or are close to someone who does, this probably isn't the book for you.
The patient, Kurt, tells his story in a very serious and straightforward way, with a lot of candor.Unfortunately, just when his story would start to draw me in, it would be interrupted by various vignettes, statistics, and case studies written by the book's co-authors (Raquel E. Gur, MD, PHD, and Linda Wasmer Andrews).I actually found myself skipping entire sections just to maintain the flow of Kurt's story.Despite having the disease over a period of years, Kurt's experience with schizophrenia is very condensed, and very little focus is put on the details of his hospitalizations, which is something I was curious about.
This book serves its purpose as a rudimentary resource on schizophrenia; however, if you are looking for detailed memoirs of someone who suffered with the disease, this may not be the book for you.If you are curious about the mind of a schizophrenic patient, I would recommend The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett, or Center Cannot Hold, The: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks, instead.

Valuable Book but Misleading Title
This book is one of a series of books by the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative founded by The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. It's goal is to inform young people about the scientific research and treatment of common mental disorders including schizophrenia. Dr. Patrick Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania states in the forward that the book is aimed at adolescents who are struggling.

Kurt Snyder, the author of this volume, tells his story of developing and recovering from schizophrenia and does so from multiple points of view. It is his story but he does not ignore the fact that there are millions of people in the US (and elsewhere) who are also faced with this challenge. Like many with schizophrenia, he initially refused to take his medications and mixes his personal account with the big picture. While hospitalization is a not too pleasant experience for anyone, he points out that there may be times when it is required and lists the positive benefits to be achieved from being in hospital.

What he does emphasize on P 89 is that schizophrenia is a very treatable disease. The fact that Kurt was on medication for six years at the time of writing and was able to put his life back together again, should serve as a positive example for adolescents or anyone struggling with this issue. What is also important is that he reports that side effects of prescribed drugs have been infrequent. That is often one reason that people refuse to take what is prescribed.

My only complaint is that the title is too close to the film Me, Myself and Irene which presents the old myth about schizophrenia as being multiple personalities. A companion piece to this book might be the DVD Cutting For Stone which presents a realistic view of an adolescent's descent into schizophrenia and its impact on him and his family.

Marvin Ross
Author of Schizophrenia: Medicine's Mystery - Society's Shame

not the best book for finding answers
This book is one of the most elementary, rudimentary books I have read on this topic.The information is very vague and general.Perhaps if it was the first book someone read on this subject, it MIGHT be beneficial.However, for someone who has read on shizophrenia extensively, it is filled with very general, encyclopedic information that they will feel to be trivial at best.Save your money for a better book.I would recommend The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks or Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greengerg.Definitely the biggest waste of money I have spent on books for my Kindle.

I learned much reading this book.
A very well written and informative book.It provided information and insight into the illness of schizophrenia.I learned much from reading it and gained new insight and perspective about the disease.We all need to know more about mental illness-only when we all do, can we collectively remove the stigma attached to it.Thank you for writing this personal and painful tale and educating me.

me, myself and them
I've enjoyed the book. I agree that a lot of people with schizophrenia do not accept their illness and we need to understand that. ... Read more

Product Description
Argus Ward is a former U.S. Secret Service agent who runs a protection agency catering to the rich and famous. His best-kept secret--which he shares with lawyers and doctors and even psychiatrists--is his status as a high-functioning paranoid schizophrenic. One day, with little warning, he turns psychotic for the first time in twenty years. Helands in a secure psychiatric facility, charged with the murder of his most famous client, high tech industry billionaire John Helms, the wealthiest man in America.

Argus has no memory of the killing. A blood test suggests to him that some unknown enemy had switched his anti-psychotic medication with identical-looking dummy pills to purposely drive him insane.

A sign of lingering paranoia? His doctor thinks so. Even his wife.

Yet Argus escapes incarceration to prove his theory. With the law on his trail and a ticking time bomb in his head--due to a lack of medication--he discovers that his disease had been "weaponized" by a powerful group to secretly assassinate John Helms as part of a multiple assassination conspiracy of world-wide significance.

Or has Argus simply lost his mind again? What in the end is "real" and what is only imagination in his story?

And what is justice for the criminally insane?

Come lose your grip on reality. Read CRACK-UP.

********

This ebook also contains bonus excerpts:

Chapter 1 of THE PROPHET MOTIVE by Eric Christopherson

Chapter 1 of FRAME-UP by Eric Christopherson and Brad Schoenfeld

Chapter 1 of ORIGIN by J.A. Konrath ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Interesting Story, Poorly Edited
This book is in desperate need of a good editor. While I found the plot to be compelling I really struggled with how poorly written and edited this book was.

Hooked from the start
`"Listen to me, son," said the caller. My father? "Kill John Helms." Then he hung up.'

What happens when the lines between reality and delusion start to blur? Paranoid schizophrenic Argus Ward sees and hears things, but how much of it is real? What about the voices telling him to kill his most famous client...

Crack-up hooked me from the start. By the end, I was almost as paranoid as Argus. A fast-paced, excellently crafted thriller, gripping from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Amazing, Original Thriller
This is an amazing look into the mind of the paranoid schizophrenic, complete with auditory and visual hallucinations. Conspiracy theorists will love the plot with its many twists and mysteries, each compounded by the fact that every single minute could be a delusion or hallucination or could be real...the reader, trapped in the mind of the unmedicated schizophrenic is along for the ride, trying to parse out what's real and what isn't, all while trying to solve a conspiracy that could lead to (another) murder.

The fast pace of this book makes it feel short, although it's actually a pretty good length for a novel. It's well written, with almost no formatting errors, and kept me entertained with it's unusual and original premise. Despite it's fantastic nature, the novel actually reads like it's a believable situation and you will find yourself second guessing your first assumptions over and over again.

A great read. Well worth the 99 cents they were charging for it in Kindle edition. I'm looking for other novels by this author, and I wouldn't be surprised if they up the price soon because the quality is worth much more than that.

awake all night
Very different plot and a great page-turner.Fine writing style with dry humor and some amazing facts.Can't say anything negative (and I'm a book snob).Enjoy!

Hard to Believe
Not bad writing. Not a bad idea. Problem: believability. I just couldn't buy, the whole time, that a crazy guy who has to take drugs not to see hallucinations would ever be allowed anywhere near the presidential secret service. I've worked in Washington and other guv jobs, (but never in secret service). I can tell you there is NO WAY he would get such a job if there was even a blip of uncertainty on that lie detector or drugs in his records. No way. Not ever.

Nor would such a person be allowed to be a hot-shot rich guy's bodyguard. Background checks would be performed there as well. These stark pieces of reality kept occurring to me throughout the book, and halting my enjoyment. I still give it 3 stars, because the book isn't bad otherwise and its cheap.


... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Couldn't put this one down!
This writer allowed me to enter his world! This is a very brave individual who gave me a full picture of what it is like to have schizophrenia.Very well written, fast read.A particularly great book if you have a family member with this diagnosis.It gave me more insight into what my family member has suffered.

VERY good book.
GET this book for yourself and anybody you know that might be influenced by schizophrenia.This biography clearly describes the struggle the author has with schizophrenia.Reading this completely helped me understand the confusion I had about schizophrenia and explained behavior and circumstances in a very heartfelt and real way.I've purchased copies for everybody I know that wants to learn more about schizophrenia.

Lovely story
I like to read personal accounts of mental illness. This book is an artwork. It is a pleasure to hold, read, and look at. It is well organized, very entertaining with many drawings made at different times of the author's illness. I felt he was very honest, humble and friendly.

I like the fact that he is a young writer. I guess the book was written when he was just 30 years old, so many young readers can identify with his art and music.

There are many reasons he recovered. Among them his supportive family, supportive friends, he took up humble jobs along his illness even though having a university degree, modern medicines, he was able to balance the pros and cons of his medicine's side effects and keep taking them,...

[...].

Quick, interesting read
I read this book to make a recommendation to the Psychology teacher at the high school where I am the librarian.The teacher created an assignment for her classes where groups of kids would read a book together on a psychological condition in a book group type setting.I read many books on all different types of conditions over a fairly short period of time and then selected twelve books or so for her students to read.This book made the cut.I thought it was a very accessible book on the topic of schizophrenia in terms of language and length for high school students.

I have talked to several of the students who were assigned this book and all seemed to think that the book did a good job explaining one person's story with schizophrenia without boring them with a lot of psychological/medical terminology.

I will recommend this book to students who come to my library wanting to learn about schizophrenia.

For allinterested in learning about schizophrenia, how to seek treatment and how to cope with it
I stumbled accidentally on this book. Running a search through the online database at a local library branch, the title popped up on the screen. I cross-referenced it with the opinions of other readers from Amazon.com and decided it'd be an interesting overview of this incredible disease - schizophrenia.

I found out after checking the book out that it won the Australian Book of the Year for 2004, which intrigued me further. Having read it, I am also of the opinion that it deserves the award. The book is short and easy to read (in terms of narrative), but it reveals the complexities of the disease. The author narrates his experiences from the moments the symptoms appeared to the medication phase that restored order in his daily existence.

The book is written in snippets of experiences and often the reader is hurled one story after another of the patient's psychosis, paranoia, search for codes or deciphering of codes and secret messages, the delusions of voices the author heard and his reactions to them. In addition to these experiences, he inserts numerous e-mails from other schizophrenia patients he'd received or read on mental illness-online boards, as well as messages from family members of mental patients and how they coped with them. Since he is a graphics designer by trade, he'd added plenty of visual representations of his internal torments.

I recommend this book to all readers interested in learning about the symptoms of schizophrenia, how to seek treatment and how to learn to cope with the disease.

-by Simon Cleveland ... Read more

Product Description
An "introduction to the nonfascist life" (Michel Foucault, from the Preface)

When it first appeared in France, Anti-Oedipus was hailed as a masterpiece by some and "a work of heretical madness" by others. In it, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari set forth the following theory: Western society's innate herd instinct has allowed the government, the media, and even the principles of economics to take advantage of each person's unwillingness to be cut off from the group. What's more, those who suffer from mental disorders may not be insane, but could be individuals in the purest sense, because they are by nature isolated from society. More than twenty-five years after its original publication, Anti-Oedipus still stands as a controversial contribution to a much-needed dialogue on the nature of free thinking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

More Taxes! Less Bread!
Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's Anti-Oedipus radically reconceieve the cartography of politics fused with a reconceptualization of desire, a desire that eschews and condemens Freud and Lacan's egregious transmogrification of what Deleuze and Guttari espouse its fundamentally positive nature. So the question that undergirds the text 'why do men fight for their servitude as stubbornly as thought it were their salvation?" posed by Reich and Spinoza because a diving board for Deleuze and Guattari as they excavate and render in new ways how the nature of desire has become directed towards socially sanctioned avenues, avenues that became conducive for the triumph of capitalism.

no easier
One would think postgraduate degrees would make these types of works readable, but unless there is plenty of time to spend on it, I think it advisable to purchase also some sort of Anti-Oedipus companion. Who knows, perhaps one has also to be smoking something. Despite the previous, one can get sufficient glimpses of some creative thinking and pondering about modern life in general and about western capitalist societies in particular, enough to make one pay close attention or go for a post-second reading. Foucault's preface misleads one into thinking the book is a piece of cake: great marketing strategy.

guide to an anti-fascist life
While studying philosophy at university, I was fortunate enough to have read this book. Some years hence, I am now middle management at a Fortune 500 company (it's very strange to me), and have just recently re-read it. The ideas about egalitarian models of leadership in this book are almost solely responsible for allowing me to remain a fundamentally good person. Without this book, I know there would have been instances where I would have done things unthinkingly and in error.

Amazing Stories
Although Deleuze and Guattari are usually invoked as part of a "postmodernist" litany, this work is refreshingly different from most postwar French theory. Derrida and Foucault, for all their revolutionary ambitions, are fairly traditional *maitre-penseurs*: the expectation is that you have a tip-top understanding of Hegel and other historical heavyweights, the better to appreciate their reversal. By contrast, *Anti-Oedipus* resembles nothing so much as the "philosophical" part of a work of hip science fiction: the line of argument is neither dialectically nor formally elaborated, but asserts only its plausibility in the context of the world being evoked.

I say this as a form of praise: in fact, unless you are (somewhat foolishly) expecting that an "intimate" knowledge of this book will advance your academic fortunes, your reading doesn't have to be especially careful to get something useful out of the book. As for its relation to thinkers who are properly venerated in the academy, it is (for all its contrariness) more accepting of Freud and Marx than most contemporary discourse is, so it actually isn't all that devastating a critique of them. But the enthusiasm they display for new hypotheses about these two is infectious: this is a book that makes you want to read *more* economics and psychology, not slam your head against the wall in protest against the impossibility of all understanding.

In the theory of schizophrenia advanced here, the "clinical" schizophrenic is carefully marked off from their treatment of schizophrenia as a process, so the anti-psychiatric implications of the book are only of the most general kind. Furthermore, a great deal of this process is elaborated with respect to imaginative literature by eccentric writers, not case studies of the clinically ill. But this means the results are not fundamentally incompatible with a contemporary understanding of psychotic illnesses: what opposes their resituation of schizoid desire as located at the most basic levels of work and social interaction are the normative intentions of those who study and control (or simply detest) the mentally ill, not scientific findings per se.

A thought-provoking book requiring no "theory" masochism to enjoy.

Original, brilliant... insightful, but distorted in perspective.
Why am I giving this book a five star rating? Because this work is an effort at a new theory that is systematic and terminologically consistent and must have been a torture for the writers to conjure up in their head.

It certainly is a torture to read this work. Not because I can't understand hard-core philosophy - I have read, understood and liked Hegel, Heidegger, Sartre and Derrida, considered amongst the most abstruse stylists - but because it is difficult to empathize with writers who characterize themselves and their readers as 'desiring machines' rather than as subjects with consciousness and will.

Is desire the only thing that defines human beings - what about will, thinking, compassion, judgment? And further why am I supposed to be a machine and in what sense? These are the questions that came to my mind. The authors never explain. The question of the subject is dismissed in one sentence.

It is also difficult to agree with writers who dismiss all seeking of power and all active resistance by implication as fascism and preach escape/flight as the most radical ideology of resistance and hope.

And it is difficult to find hope in the vain jargon of molecular vs. molar, in the lines of escape or flight, or in a schizoid approach to life (a schizophrenic has no control over himself - is a machine and hence is the authors' favorite).

The authors fail in their synthesis of Marx and Freud although they come close and fail to understand Nietzsche, one of their favorite philosophers. Marx, Freud and Nietzsche would turn violently in their graves, if they ever know what Deleuze/Guattari did to their philosophies. They speculations on incest, kinship etc., are just too weak, sketchy and merely assertoric to be taken seriously.

I do not endorse the philosophy of Deleuze/Guattari. To be sure they offer brilliant insights but their line of argument has as many holes as Swiss cheese.

Yet there are a few things that are brilliant in the work and it certainly remains an original and challenging work. Having, stated my disappointment with the work, now let me also state the better aspects of this work. This work has a very well argued theory of control mechanisms in primitive, barbarian and capitalist societies.

The authors rightly point out that capitalism governs well because it always generates new rules to survive (new axiomatic) and controls because all social codes are 'decoded' (de-codified) into flows (loose, lawlike systems of control) and de-territorialized. (Other writers have explained the same things in simpler jargon, but Deleuze-Guattari need to be given due credit for the brilliance of their analysis of capitalism, although their libidnalization of economics doesn't add anything valueable to the analysis of either libido or economics and seems forced).

The other hallmark of this work is that it offers one of the more interesting critiques of Freud's Oedipal complex, psychotherapy and its role in making humans conformist. They demolish the Daddy-Mommy-Me triangle and its implications in making us conformists quite effectively.

However, it may be borne in mind that there have been better criticisms of Freud's theories and Deleuze/Guattari are in some respects more Freudian than Freud with their libidinal interpretations of human beings as desiring machines and of economy as investment of desire (libidnal economy).

To sum up, this work is worth reading for its analysis of capitalism, and to some extent for its critique of psychoanalysis. However this is not a work that offers hope for the oppressed or an agenda for political action although followers of Deleuze/Guattari like Antonio Negri and Alain Badiou take their philosophy in a more positive direction. The best portion is the third section, followed by second. The least satisfactory portions and the last and the first, although they are essential to read in order to understand the relevant middle portion of the work.

And of course human beings are not desiring machines no matter what Deleuze/Guattari say. Beyond a metaphor, machinism is delusory. We are what we are. Happy to be human and animal rather than machines. Much as post-structuralist and post-modernists dismiss the question of the subject, the question remains - alive and active and kicking. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

good
Browsing through this book, it seems to be very useful in my practice.I intend to use a lot of the techniques I have read about so far.Thanks!

Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia
An excellent source of information for any professional working with patients living with schizophrenia, emphasizing the importance of therapy for this population in adjunct to medical treatment. Various symptoms and their therapeutic management are discussed in an effective way, simplifying the underlying concepts for practical implementation. The importance of an individualized approach to patients in therapy is highlighted with hope for understanding each individual's personal journey and experience of the psychotic symptoms and adjustment to it. An important reading for anyone working with individuals with schizophrenia.

Working well with schizophrenia.
I have been working with the chronic mentally ill for over 25 years. I was also utilizing my own form of cognitive therapy with schizophrenia prior to books like this one appearing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone working in the field. It is a practical and concise work to apply to one's therapy and dealings with such a serious cognitive disorder. The clinicians in England are making a difference in applying cognitive therapy or REBT with patients. It stands on all of our desks at the hospital.
Anthony Papania, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist; Office of Mental Health, NYS. ... Read more

Product Description
COMBAT SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH THE MEGAVITAMIN AND NUTRITIONALSTRATEGIES OF ORTHOMOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY - Schizophrenia is a diseaseand syndrome with biochemical origins that has the hallmarks ofdebilitating perceptual disorders and thoughtdisturbances. Orthomolecular psychiatry, a treatment strategy thatuses megadoses of vitamins B-3 and C in conjunction with correctnutrition, yields a 90 percent recovery rate in acute cases and up to50 percent in chronic patients. This guide by the cofounder oforthomolecular therapy offers a step-by-step approach so that patientsand their families will get the maximum benefits from treatment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

It is very very helpful
I just received it today and jumped into reading it, it is very good little book and contains very useful information for me as I now can be quite confident to convince my best friend who is schizophrenic and his family to let him take it. I do believe that it would help him recover. It makes me feel so happy thinking about that. This book is just an evidence in paper and ink, in fact, I have been searching on Orthomolecular therapy for a while and my best friend has secretly taken it as my advice and it has been two weeks so far since he took it on and he has showed significant improvement! I strongly recommend this for people who suffered or have their family member or their friends suffering from schizophrenia.

Orthomolecular treatment saved our Marriage!!!
I am a Doctor with a wife, daughter, and wifes sister that all developed Schizophrenia. We have followed the typical Medical road for 20 years that included all types of Psychotropic Drugs, anti depressants, psychotherapy, that never really cured her disease, but just made her into a drugged out person.
And always caused severe side effects from the medications.
20 years ago we came across the orthomolecular approach, and now 20 years later, as long as I keep my family on megadoses of nutrition, they remain relatively symptom free! There is a definate corralation that people with mental illnesses have a brain chemistry that is out of balance, and many of them become niacin deficient and dependent. If anyone would like to hear more, feel free to email me @ wetrock@bellsouth.net.
Dr. Bob & Carol Waterstone

We should all thank Hoffer
Hoffer has done us all a service. Following his suggestions, even using lower doses of the recommended vitamins, has resulted in marked improvement in a family member's symptoms. The symptoms occurred after multiple jaw and teeth fractures left her anorexic. Five months after the accident that caused her mouth to be wired shut, she snapped. No one suggested pellagra could be involved, but she had the classic symptoms. Everyone is eager, chomping at the bit actually, to prescribe tranquilizers and anti-psychotics, some causing irreversible side effects, but I can find no one in N.C. so far who will consider orthomolecular treatment.Shame.
The only down side to having Hoffer's info is the frustration one faces trying to get health care providers in the U.S. to look at it. Living in the South, where pellagra was once epidemic (after the Civil War), you'd think they'd be the first to get it, but they seem, rather, the most resistant.
I'd like to see this as required reading at all university hospitals, especially in the South. In epidemiology courses at these schools they tell about the guy, Dr. Snow, who removed thepump handle from the water source he was sure was poisoning a community, causing Cholera.He was right. Sometimes the simpler and most resisted solution is the best one.

Very Helpful
I found this book to be very helpful.I was able to better advise my paitent. The nutrients discussed are common and easy to aquire.

Response to B. Chiko's statements
The study Chiko references is the 1973 APA report, one which was highly misleading, poorly designed and flawed. It used the wrong vitamins on the wrong patients, for all intents and purposes. To see a better explanation of why the 1973 report is misleading read Abram Hoffers retort to it 'megavitamin therapy'. it used niacin alone on chronic schizophrneics, bipolar patients & schizoaffective patients to prove that niacin & vitamin C (vitamin C reduces adrenochrome and is integral to treatment) doesn't work to treat acute schizohprenics. Using the wrong medications on the wrong patients usually doesn't work. Abram Hoffer claims in his 128 page retort to the 1973 report that nobody has recreated his studies (as of the mid 70s), all studies have been small and/or poorly designed, if not intentionally misleading like the 1973 studies. In fact, after one of the 1973 authors realized his study was poorly designed he created a well designed study and found benefits to niacin therapy. At the moment the US government is conducting a legitimate, unbiased, fair study of vitamin therapy for schizophrenia and the results should be ready by 2009. Anyone who wants to read Abram Hoffer's retort to the 1973 report should click on citation #13 under 'abram hoffer' in wikipedia. Understanding all sides of a story is necessary to making a good decision. I urge everyone here to read HOffers books, the 1973 report and HOffers 128 page retort to the 1973 retort. And always think critically while you are doing it, don't just accept one or the other at face value, always ask questions and ask for evidence.

Several recent research projects have also shown that the gene coding for the enzyme glutathione transferase, an enzyme that metabolizes adrenochrome, is defective in many acute schizophrneics. If this research continues to grow this adds weight to Dr. Hoffer's adrenochrome hypothesis. This could lead to a renewal of the adrenochrome hypothesis for the 21st century with gene therapy replacing niacin & vitamin C (for those who don't know, niacin & vitamin C remove toxic adrenochrome, which Hoffer feels is a major cause of schizophrenia).

As a society we must never mistake medical dogma for medical science. Just because an idea is weird or new doesn't make it bad or stupid. Germ theory was once weird and new too, and because of that it took a long time to catch on due to heavy resistance. With over 100,000 improved patients on niacin & vitamin C, a valid hypothesis and at least nine studies showing benefits of niacin/vitamin C deserves a place in the treatment of schizophrenia. But I'm sure some people will assume that all 100,000 patients who experienced improvements are just placebos.

... Read more

Product Description
A modern view of schizophrenia based on neuroscience that goes far beyond the symptoms of the illness. "Green has lifted the bar in this realm of explanatory neuroscience-based psychiatry. If you wish to read an enjoyable and instructive primer on what we know about schizophrenia at the beginning of the 21st century, you could do no better than to choose Schizophrenia Revealed." —New England Journal of Medicine ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

guider to Schizoprenia
it is a good book for the new person who want to start to get know more about Schizophrenia.

An informative but sometimes complicated description of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Revealed was an enjoyable and informative book to read except for a couple chapters in the middle of the book that were a bit confusing.Overall, Dr. Michael Green did an excellent job of explaining schizophrenia.The book is basically divided into chronological order of the progression of disease starting with prenatal conditions and ending with treatment and recovery.The book starts out by stating some addressing some common beliefs and misconceptions about schizophrenia.Schizophrenia has always been a mysterious disease and people either "stigmatize the illness or they romanticize it." (pg 1) The author explains how the understandings of the disease have changed since the early 20th century.In this book, Dr. Green attempts to explain schizophrenia to remove the shroud of mystery that has always encompassed the disease.He states that once people understand the disease, they will no longer be afraid of it.

The three main symptoms of schizophrenia are explained in the first chapter and are divided into three categories: positive psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms, and disorganized symptoms.The positive psychotic symptoms are the most noticeable symptoms of schizophrenia and include hallucinations (both visual and auditory) and delusions.Negative symptoms are the disappearance of normal human qualities such as emotions and motivation.Disorganized symptoms are manifested by the inability of the patient to form coherent sentences and ideas.Dr. Green does a very good job of explaining each symptom and how each is used in diagnosing clinical schizophrenia.He compares several examples of patients with to patients without schizophrenia.This helps the reader understand the difference between schizophrenia and other diseases.He also explains how one of the main criteria for being diagnosed is functional impairment.He says "If a person functions as well as ever, without deterioration in work, school, family, and peer relationships, then that person does not have schizophrenia, no matter how many times he or she hears voices." (pg 19) Schizophrenia is a serious illness and so it is diagnosed conservatively.

The next couple chapters explain possible reasons for schizophrenia such as genetic predispositions, environmental conditions, or disturbances in early development.Dr. Green discusses past and current studies that have been done on schizophrenia patients and families to find possible triggers of the disease.If schizophrenia could be found earlier, then it might be possible to prevent the onset of symptoms.Possible examples of clues could be any early behavioral abnormalities of the person visible in home videos.Dr. Green explains that the occurrence of schizophrenia in twins is very helpful in uncovering the genetics of the disease.Oftentimes one identical twin will have the disease whereas the other will not.This leads to the conclusion that schizophrenia is a complicated disease based on many different factors.

Dr. Green also explains the biological and neurological differences in patients with schizophrenia.Using MRI and PET scans, variations in brain shapes and brain functions are noticed.Some of the differences explained in the book are larger ventricles and a smaller hippocampus in patients with schizophrenia.This leads scientists to believe that cortisol and dopamine are involved in the disease. These discoveries have led to the development of treatment drugs.In the chapter, "Interventions for Schizophrenia," Dr. Green discusses the benefits and weakness of the different drugs.The older drugs developed in the 1940s treated the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia without addressing the negative symptoms.The newer drugs from the 1990s treat the psychotic and negative symptoms but have some serious side effects.Because schizophrenia is a very complicated disease with many causes and effects, the success in treatment of schizophrenia is highly variable.Some patients make a full recovery and are able to live normal lives whereas others never fully recover and spend the rest of the lives plagues by hallucinations and delusions.Despite the difficulty in treating schizophrenia, a lot of discoveries have been made on "the world's most enigmatic disorder" (pg 168) and so the future shows hope of improvement in its diagnosis and treatment.

Overall I think this book does a good job in educating the reader about schizophrenia.It uses clear examples and simple language to describe the symptoms, possible causes, and treatments of the disease.What I enjoyed most about this book were the first few chapters about what criteria are used in diagnosing schizophrenia.Examples of patients are used and the reader must choose which patients have schizophrenia and which patients do not.One interesting example was a 21 year-old subject who was convicted of robbery but pleaded insanity.A psychiatrist was asked to evaluate the subject and after questioning the subject was diagnosed normal because "The person reports a large number of unrelated delusions, but does so in an usually coherent manner." (pg 24) The only parts in the book where I had some difficulty in following along were the chapters on genetics and neuroimaging.The material in these chapters was more complicated than the other chapters and not as many real examples were used.

I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in learning about the causes and treatments of schizophrenia.Although it can be a little complex at times, one does not have to understand everything to comprehend the overall purpose of the book.It is a very interesting read.

Should be labeled the science of schizophrenia revealed
I would recommend this book if you want a scientific understanding of schizophrenia and want to learn about the myriad studies conducted on neurocognitive functions of schizophrenics.But don't buy this book if you want a practical application to coping with schizophrenia because you or your loved ones suffer from this illness. But even from a scientific perspective, I found the book incomplete. For example, the book attributes 50% of schizophrenia to genetics (based on identical twin studies) and 50% to environmental; yet the book fails to discuss what these environmental factors are and what triggers the onset of the illness. It also says little about social interactions of schizophrenics. It also fails to discuss fully the conclusions reached in many of the studies so the reader is left wondering "So what? Why did he even mention this study?" This book felt like a nutshell text book one would use to cram for a psychopathology class exam.

Eloquent and Insightful
Green is in an expert in the area of neurocognition, a concept that he explains with clarity and humor in this wonderfully written book. For instance he describes one neurocognitive test (startle blink or PPI: p. 116) as a procedure that "can be used aross an entire mammalian spectrum from mice to rats to college sophomores". He goes on to explainwhy this test is an important research tool for schizophrenia.

Green presents a well reasoned argument that underlying neurocognitive deficits are the key factor causing disability (functional impairment) in schizophrenia due to their links to poor social skills for example.He advocates both for new drugs to address the neurocognitve deficits and training and therapy to address neurocognitive deficits,social skills, and functional impairment. Green is optimistic that combining these approaches will lead to better lives for those living with schizophrenia. While he is primarily a neuroscientist, Green uses excellent examples ranging from the biblical Nebuchadrezzar to long-term psychiatric case studies to illustrate the important social aspects of good outcomes for schizophrenia.

In conclusion (p 167) he states: "Fundamentally, schizophrenia is an illness of disrupted neural connections and these problems in connections lead to neurocognitive deficits. The neurocognitive deficits, among other factors lead to functional impairment and its striking disability. In addition the illness has characteristic symptoms (psychotic, negative, and disorganized) during the active phase that are the focus of treatment. Though the scope of the explanation is sweeping ranging from neurons to social interactions, there is nothing particularly mysterious about this formulation."

The discussion oftechnical details of neurocognitive tests such as functional MRI and PET brain imaging veers into the highly technical; this will be challenging though informative for readers with less medical-technical background. Overall,you should read this book for the breadth of insight and balanced approach to treatment that Green presents here.

A bit too technical for me
I was just looking for a layman's book on schizophrenia.This one is just too technical for me. ... Read more

Product Description
The effects of schizophrenia can be devastating for both the 3.3 million adults living with the disease as well as their families and friends. This guide offers help to those who suffer from schizophrenia and their loved ones, including information on how to:

• Get a correct diagnosis
• Understand the various types of schizophrenia
• Handle resulting problems such as substance abuse
• Find the right doctor
• Choose and manage medications
• Find support from family, friends, and the community
• Volunteer and spread awareness for the cause

Product Description
An important new book which is a stunning attempt by two knowledgeable, persevering psychotherapists to present their understanding and sound therapeutic approach to dealing with the difficulties and challenges of schizophrenic patients. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Clone him, then fire Big Pharma :)
I heard about Dr. Karon from Dr. Steve Gold, a psychologist for whom I have a great deal of respect.Dr. Gold co-edited a book with Jon Elhai called Trauma and Serious Mental Illness (Journal of Psychological Trauma).Dr. Karon was one of the contributors.He discussed schizophrenia and its treatment.

I was blown away by what I read so I got this book and read it.I was very impressed by the idea of doing psychotherapy with people who have severe psychosis and how that can work.Dr. Karon is pretty strongly anti-medication.I have to say I don't completely agree with that.I think medication can be useful but psychotherapy is essential.

I am a client.I don't have schizophrenia but I do have bipolar 1 (major manic episodes) with psychotic features.I have also separately had chronic depression (in other words, I did not have mania, depression, and back to normal, 'normal' was deeply depressed), and some anxiety conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder.

I have had psychotic symptoms which have almost always been visual and they have also involved a feeling-sense of what was happening.Such as, I would see a patch of light on the ground and feel a charge of mystical significance.This is an odd kind of thing b/c it is not what is usually thought of as a hallucination and doesn't really have a name.It could sort of be thought of as an emotion-color synesthesia, but again, not as that term is typically understood.

Moving on,

I did my time with poor to moderately good treatment providers who had a hard time listening to what I had to say.And that was even BEFORE I let on that I had psychotic symptoms.(The False Memory Syndrome Foundation made life hard on a lot of clients and therapists back then.)I talked about my past and if it sounded odd, it was often therapeutically redefined out of existence.With that attitude, I was terrified to admit to psychosis.I was afraid of being abandoned to the streets or being incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital.

Then I found a really good psychotherapist and I found Dr. Steve Gold's written work (see product link, above).Suddenly, many things became clear.

There is in many ways not as much of a difference between bipolar and schizophrenia as the DSM may seem to indicate.Psychosis is not how the difference is determined.When I have tried to find out, I have been told that I lack certain symptoms related to 'disorganized mind' and also, I don't tend to have the 'negative symptoms.'

Dr. Karon believes in the importance in psychotherapy and he points a lot of very obvious things out.Such as, why are typically the least-motivated, least-experienced therapists assigned the most seriously ill patients?And why don't most treatment providers take issues of race and poverty into account?Black men have an elevated risk of becoming schizophrenic and yet often that is not really seen as important, at all.

And then he talks about the importance of family background on illness.He does not believe parents 'cause' illness but that improper communication patterns and perhaps, unconscious destructiveness, can play a role in who becomes ill.That in addition to physical and sexual assault.

He describes a case study of a man whose mother would try to choke him.So he hoped his father would help but his father raped him.So then he asked a priest for help and the priest abused him.Dr. Karon comments, he went to his mother and his mother was impossible, and then he tried to get help from his father and his father was impossible (as well as, what kind of parent does this?) and then he went to a priest and the priest was impossible.What was he supposed to do?

Dr. Karon describes how to conduct psychotherapy which has even involved moving in with clients on occasion, b/c either they were not well enough to leave home, or their parents had a hard time letting go.And the slow and often painful process of trying to understand them.He also describes this process in psychiatric hospitals.And how one day, after many months of work, a man was much improved, and someone who really didn't know what he was talking about said, it must be a new medication.

In many cases, it is not so important to get the 'right' answer that explains the client's problems, as opposed to treating him or her with respect and humanity and engaging in the effort to communicate.

I have seen a great deal in the 'system,' good as well as bad and in a field of dross, there are a few gems, and this is one of them.

My psychiatrist tends to be somewhat more conservative than this but he also endorses talk therapy with people with schizophrenia, at least under some circumstances.He mentioned a person I'd never heard of, Harry Stack Sullivan, who pioneered this treatment at a location near me, Sheppard Pratt Hospital.

So, why did it fall out of favor?Talk therapy fell out of favor b/c of the popularity of meds.The rise of Big Pharma.

It makes logical sense to a lot of people that psychotherapy is needed and it should be something more than just 'here's how to get through your psychotic episodes' or whatever.Dr. Karon explains how it's done.

A classic
This is an excellent book for those who want to do longer term work with psychothic individuals, which is a deplorably under-regarded endeavor.

People have an idea that only medications will enact a "cure," and at that, really only a suppression.Yet, there is evidence, swept under the rug lately but beginning to emerge again, that long term psychotherapy can help with the overall personality structure problems, and that short-term cognitive and behavioral therapy, as well as longer term therapy, can help for the actual symptoms.Some of this evidence is found in this book, as well as a book by another psychoanalyst, "Dante's Cure."

Although in today's climate, shorter term interventions are often needed (until changes are made or unless the professional works in a hospital with high resources), the real deal for severe problems is long-term work, for more than one session per week if possible.Psychoanalytic, interpersonal, cognitive, client-centered, whatever, but a long-term relationship must be established for the purposes of healing.From the analytic perspective, this book covers that fairly well.

This text is very heavy on the psychodynamic, which is fine for me as I am a theory-integrationist with analytic and behavioral leanings.The cases used are few.For example, the authors will use the same case examples to illustrate different aspects of symptoms or therapy, and one begins to wonder, "why so few actual individuals in the text?"

All in all, it's one of the best available on the topic, in addition to the CBT folks coming mostly out of England.However, I would like to have seen more on technique.There are great general tips on what to do and not do in general, but if the authors are going to strongly espouse an analytic perspective I would like to see a whole chapter on typical stages in the therapy, what interpretations are typically made in response to typical patient reactions, etc.The patient is an individual, but there are commonalities among all humans, and often among those with severe disorder.More micro- and less macro, I guess.

I am a reader who is able to separate therapists and authors from controversy surrounding them, if it appears that there could be more than one side to the story within the controversy.However, if you are not, you might want to be advised that the author studied with Rosen, the author of "Direct Anslysis."I found the old book by Rosen really good, but am very aware it would need tweaking for today's world.However, if you are one of those staunch opponents of Rosen's therapy or person, you may not want to read a book by one of his students.

All in all, a classic and very useful text.

Refreshing, enlightening, and useful
Thank God for Dr. Karon. Literally. While in the process of reading his book, I began experimenting with a few of his suggestions and precepts. I was elated when not only did they work, but the fact that my psychoticpatients could tell that I was actually trying to understand them allowedthese patients to feel safe with me. Karon's ideas have become like aclinical gospel to me and many of my colleagues, and his intellectualprowess speaks mightily for his clinical methods.

Excellent Source for Practitioner and Student
I enjoyed the frank and honest language of the book.It cut through much that is misunderstood and unknown about people who have schizophrenia.I consider it one of the hallmarks of my personal psychology library.Ihighly recommend this book to practitioners, students and those who wish tobroaden their knowledge of schizophrenia.

A must read for treating people suffering from schizophrenia
Drs. Karon and Vandenbos have written a book that allows anyone with a serious interest in helping individuals who suffer from schizophrenia to better understand the psychology that is all too often overlooked .The simple truths conveyed in this book will illuminate the desparate lives of individuals who are unfortunate enough to have fallen into psychosis and have yet to find a way out on their own.It is an excellent stimulus that can trigger one's own creativty which is essential in effective treatment with those caught in psychosis.I continue to rely on the lessons learned in this book after having read it 14 years ago! ... Read more

Product Description
Schizophrenia is a disease that afflicts some 2.2 million persons of all ages.It has a wide-ranging impact on the lives of not just the people who have it, but also the people who love them.In an era of de-institutionalization and managed care, parents and other adults, such as teachers and coaches, will become the first line of defense against this serious disease that typically attacks people the late teens or early twenties.
If Your Adolescent Has Schizophrenia is an informative guide, written specifically to help adults spot the warning signs and seek appropriate treatment for the young people in their lives.Parents will find a clear definition of the disease, including early indicators of the disease as well as information on how to arrange for the proper diagnosis and treatment.Using the experiences of parents with children who have the illness themselves, this book will provide an insiders survival guide for those now facing this illness in their own children.
While enormous strides have been made toward identifying likely causes and effective remedies of schizophrenia in recent decades, no one therapeutic regimen works perfectly in all cases. If Your Adolescent Has Schizophrenia will offer readers trusted information and support that will enable them to confront this disorder head on and get their children meaningful medical and psychosocial help in order to mitigate its effects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Initial Book for Parents Blindsided by Symptoms or a Diagnosis
This book is actually quite good for any family initially blind-sided with a Schizophrenia diagnosis for a teen, OR, for parents suspecting that their teen MAY have Schizophrenia.

It is very easy reading, short, and has some good real-life short stories from parents. It is the type of book every Psychiatrist should hand out to a parent with an adolescent newly diagnosed with Schizophrenia, or even if the adolescent POSSIBLY has Schizophrenia.

Because Schizophrenia is such a complex illness, a comprehensive resource would be several volumes, and have to include Torrey's "Surviving Schizophrenia". This is a short, easy-to read book that can get a parent mentally prepared for the task ahead.It briefly explains what Schizophrenia is without getting too technical.It gently teaches some terms that will be necessary to know in order to understand anything they will be reading on the Internet or even to talk with the doctors.

It warns parents that they are going to have to fight for the proper care of their child.That is an understatement!It doesn't go into details of how to do that - how to get 504 plans, accommodations in school, proper medical tests, etc... but it does give the parents a "heads-up" - you have a battle ahead of you, and a lot to learn.



... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (44)

experience the inner realm
I enjoyed this book.I came away with an inner exoperience of the struggles of the sisters.And the advances in treatment was clear.Most important was the few people who finally were able to hear the sisters suffering and ask the questions to help her break through her delusions.After 30 plus years, finally someone listened and ask the quewstions with the suffering person in mind.Then they were aboe to truly change and begin to move on.The tradgedy is all these other trials of treating symptoms and manageing the illness, before the human - divine touch was reached.I would hope that we could receive more training in active listening and truly being with the suffering person.

3 Stars
Overall, this book was okay.The only real problem I had with it was Carolyn's writing, it was bad.How bad was it?Well, the other day my cat walked across my keyboard and what appeared on the screen was better then what she wrote.

Divided Minds
It's good for anyone who has a son with schizophrenia.I do.I didn't realize, when I read this book, how much difficulty a person with schizophrenia goes through.He's is taking care of me now.He goes to Circles of Care, every month for his medicine.He has been taking his medicine for going on fifteen years.I am grateful.

Also, this book is good for someone in Mental Health.They don't know what their missing.

Not bad.
Amazing book. It teaches you a lot while holding your attention like a novel.

The seller I bought it from was timely, though the book was in worse condition than expected. Oh well. The book was worth it.

Understanding Schizophrenia
I decided to read Divided Minds after searching Amazon for a layman's book about schizophrenia.Specifically, I wanted to understand why homeless people on the street, who suffer from schizophrenia, avoid medication and hospitalization, and end up estranged from family and friends.Although the book does not focus on homelessness, it gave me an eye-opening understanding of the disease and its impact on its sufferers and their families. I finally understood why the people we sometimes see on the street "talking to themselves" are in fact hearing the voices of others that are a constant and terrible distraction of their daily lives, that medication is far from a cure-all and has debilitating side effects to boot, and that sufferers of the disease often must fight a lonely battle against an awesome enemy, for the disease often leads to the victim's estrangement from family, friends and society at large.I commend both authors for their willingness to share their personal, harrowing story and to do so in the context of a beautifully written and extremely moving book. ... Read more

Product Description
100 Questions & Answers About Your Child’S Schizophrenia Provides Clear, Straightforward Answers To Your Questions About Your Child’S Schizophrenia.Written By An Expert In The Field, This Practical, Easy-To-Read Guide Shows You And Your Family How To Cope With Symptoms, Where To Get The Best Treatment, What Medications Are Available For This Condition, And Much More.An Indispensible Quick Reference For Anyone Facing Childhood Schizophrenia! ... Read more