Book Description
The third edition of this indispensable manual thoroughly details everything patients, families, and mental health professionals need to know about one of the most widespread and misunderstood illnesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Definitive
As a student of Psychology, and as someone who spent a few years in mental health counselling (mostly schizophrenic adults), and as someone who has also had personal experience with mental illness (depression/anger and anxiety); I would have to say that Dr. Torrey's book on schizophrenia is definitive.

It is indeed amazing how so many of our great psychologists including Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Erik Erikson,Harry Stack Sullivan, Bruno Bettleheim, R.D. Laing, and many of our Behavioral psychologists so completely misunderstood the condition of schizophrenia other serious mental illnesses. Though the virtual founder of insight counselling or "talk Therapy", Sigmund Freud, made clear his apprehensiveness on using psychoanalysis to treat schizoprenia, subsequent psychoanalysts and other brands of psychologists were eager to apply talk therapy, dream analysis, insight therapy, mother-bashing, behavior modification and other such methods to the treatment of what we now know is a chemical, neurological and probably genetic disease.

Dr. Torrey (who has a sister who is schizophrenic) provides a humane, scientific, accecable account of this illness, and how it has been completely misunderstood by the public and zealous professionals alike. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love-oned who is schizophrenic or is interested in working with that segment of our mental health population. It is also good for anyone who has more than a passing interest in psychology.

Really helpful
This book was really helpful in understanding a relative of mine who has this disease.

The Gold Standard for Books on Schizophrenia
Torrey is so profoundly accurate in his writings on schizophrenia and manic depression that one can safely ignore authors who ridicule or reject his arguments. He's that good.

Very Misleading book from someone who should know better
After reading Dr. Torrey's book on Schizophrenia I found 2 things that for me were very interesting and informative.However, these tidbits had nothing to do with the book itself, which I found to be a propaganda filled unscientific work.Now I'm sure that this statement has already filled with rage the hearts of the many NAMI sponsored parents that have praised this book to no end.Furthermore, It is probably safe to say that I have established myself as an anti-psychiatrist and/or scientologist.The latter charge I wholeheartedly deny but the former I am inclined to accept only because no evidence has persuaded me otherwise.I actually read this book and I am planning on reading others like it because I wanted a more balanced perspective of schizophrenia and the mental health field.This book unfortunately only reinforced my views that I had held on the subject.Mainly, that there is no convincing evidence to support that schizophrenia is a biologically based brain disease that is best treated by psychiatrists through involuntary means.Furthermore, there exists a great deal of scientific research that stands in direct contrast to this claim.Ah but I digress.
The first thing that caught my attention about this book is in appendix A when Dr. Torrey lists some of the best and worst books on the subject.Due to my interest in the field of psychology I had read a good proportion of the "worst books".When I noticed that Dr. Torrey felt so strongly that these books were terrible I was interested to see if he had any evidence to refute the many claims made by the authors of these books..Unfortunately Dr. Torrey doesn't even address the hundreds of studies that stand in direct contrast to his and other biological psychiatrists theories on the subject.
Regardless of the quality of these books in general, Dr. Torrey either does not or cannot provide evidence to show these claims of these authors to be inaccurate.I shall only list these books and provide a general theme as the length of this review has already made it unlikely that many people will read it.However, if someone were to read any of the following books it will become obvious why Torrey has tried to discredit them. In the books How to Become a Schizophrenic, Models of Madness, and Toxic Psychiatry, the authors present a damning critique of all that Dr. Torrey and those like him stand for.They even address and lay bare research that supposedly proves that Schizophrenia is a brain disease.These books as well Community Mental Health and Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia also provide viable and humane alternatives to individuals diagnosed as Schizophrenic.The many psychosocial interventions listed in these books are supported by research, do not require medication as a key to recovery, and are for all intents and purposes are non-coercive.Dr. Torrey doesn't criticize or acknowledge the existence of any of these well designed and effective interventions for people diagnosed with schizophrenia.Instead he dances around the issue.He mentions a few extremely biased studies that have not shown psychotherapy to be effective.He then boldly encourages parents and other well wishers to sue mental health professionals that engage in insight based psychotherapy with schizophrenics.
The second thing I found interesting about Dr. Torrey's book is that many of things that he stands for are in direct contrast to what he believed back in 1974 when he published The Death of Psychiatry.He still had his viral theory back then but aside from that it would be hard to distinguish him from Thomas Szasz.Torrey makes no reference to why he has changed his tune towards involuntary treatment, the medical model, Szasz, and a variety of other pertinent issues.While I do not wish to make unfounded assumptions about Dr. Torrey I find it hard to believe that the nearly unlimited research funds bestowed upon him and the hoards of admirers from NAMI had nothing to do with his reversal of opinion.There can be no doubt that Dr. Torrey is an intelligent person who has a lot of good things to say on a variety of issues; he proved that with The Death of Psychiatry.However, his complete disregard for any evidence that fails to support his theories is not only unscientific but unethical.The consequences of the cruel oppressive methods he advocates for behind the thin veneer of care and compassion are devastating to those so unfortunate to be diagnosed as schizophrenic.Worse still is the influence that his ideas have on policy makers and our society in general.It allows people who have committed no crime to be forcibly drugged, committed against their will, and prevented from being employed by a number of organizations, and that isn't even the worst of it.If you plan on reading this book please take it with a grain of salt and read other sources on the subject that are not on his "best" list.

outstanding
This book is outstanding and a must read for anyone with a family member afflicted by this terrible illness. This book gives great insight and understanding into this mysterious affliction ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

the complete family guide to schizophrenia is really complete
It's a book of reference for families but also for practitioner's. It's not a book to read from page 1 to 470 in one time. The book is very helpful for families to get the information they need. An excellent help for families to manage their own situation.

This is Really Important Work
This book is really important to the world of schizophrenia. It provides hope for families and guidelines to practitioners. It is based in the best science we have, and having been lucky enough to attend workshops led by both authors at various times, I can also say that it is written by two people who genuinely and deeply care about those who have been affected by schizophrenia.

The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia
It is a good book to read. Some points were quite relevant to a specific situation that I need advise on.

A very completeguide to schizophrenia
I found this book very helpful, and very practically useful.There is a good introduction to schizophrenia, explaining how the illness is diagnosed, symptoms, and related problems.Also in the introduction is a very interesting and hopeful chapter on recovery from schizophrenia, and another chapter on determining the treatment needs of a relative with this disorder.

What I liked most about the book is the practical information for family members about helping a relative cope with schizophrenia.The chapter on medications is outstanding, with detailed information about different types of medications, strategies for addressing side effects and adherence, evaluating the quality of someone's pharmacological treatment.I also liked the worksheets and easy-to-follow advice in chapters on coping with common problems like psychotic symptoms, cognitive problems, depression, and substance abuse.Last, the final section of the book is great--it addresses improving quality of life in areas like work, social relationships, and independent living skills.

I recommend this book to any family member with a relative with schizophrenia.In fact, it should be required reading for professionals as well!

The Complete Family Guide To Schizophrenia
We were very pleased with the information found in this book.We had been searching for something that would help us understand what our Grandson was going through.It has given his parents new hope also.
... Read more

Book Description

Book 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 (7)

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.

Schizophrenia
This book was an excellent review of schizophrenia and I recommend it to anyone interested in gaining general knowledge about this severe mental disorder.

Great read
This book is very informative.It presents neurodevelpmental, genetic, neurocognitive, and brain imaging insights in recent medical research.I am schizophrenic and found it very enlightening to learn that schizophrenics typically have smaller brains and experience neurocognive deficits even when not in stages of psychosis.It gave me a more modest appraisal of appropriate aspirations for schizophrenics.

well-written and informative
Schizoprenia Revealed is a well-written and informative book about this often misunderstood illness. Michael Foster Green gives us some insight into some possible causes, what's physically going on at the neuronal level, the social and functional issues, the various treatments over the last century and much more. The content flows well and should be able to be understood by laypersons and professionals alike. It is not filled with incomprehensible jargon but is descriptive enough to convey the science behind the illness, it's research and treatments etc. I recommend this book to anyone who suffers from Schizoprenia, patient's families and anyone who is interested in learning more about the illness.

Cramming has never been so interesting
I was recently forced to stay in on a Friday night to read this entire book in preparation for an upcoming exam.Pretty non-ideal circumstances, confounded by my expectation that this would be a heavy read, filled with scientific jargon that I don't have the background to understand.I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book was nothing like what I expected.The author provided an easy-to-follow overview of the differences in the transmission of neurochemical impulses in individuals with schizophrenia (as compared with individuals in a normal sample).Throughout the book, the author interspersed findings of studies leading to what we know about the brains of individuals suffering from schizophrenia (including research conducted on alternative phenotype individuals - i.e., individuals with the genotype for schizophrenia who do not manifest symptoms necessary to be diagnosed with the full-blown disorder).These studies are fascinating- it is really remarkable how far the field has come- and they were very helpful in providing a background for the advances researchers are making in the field today.It was really a pleasure to finally read a book that caters to "non-scientists" who are interested in learning about the processes underlying this terrible disease.As a senior who would normally have greatly preferred a night out at the bars to a night catching up on class reading, I think it says a lot that I was not only able to get through this book, but was also engaged from cover to cover. ... Read more

Book 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 (8)

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.

An encyclopedia of nutritional answers to mental health
This book is very in depth, but if (like me) you are a lay-person looking for a cure, I would first recommend reading "Nutrition and Mental Health" by Carl C. Pfieffer. I found this was the key to finding out I was "histadelic".This book by Eva Eldman is like an encyclopedia of nutritional information for mental illness (don't be put off by the term "schizophrenia", this book is for people with mild depression, bipolar etc.).The only real thing I picked up from this book that I didn't get from Pfieffer's was that Vitamin B5 exacerbates histadelia.I'm curious why that is.The problem with this book for a person starting out on the natural healing pathway is there is way too much information in this book and it is possible you could miss your answer by going off on a tangent.It took me two years to finally stick to the simple regieme of calcium, methionine, B6 and zinc that is the key to beating histadelia.It was a catch 22 for me because I had to cure myself far enouth to be stable enough to stick to the answer I found in the beginning and stop obsessively latching on to everything else that possibly could have been the answer.I find the whole low-protein diet hard though.
Don't give up hope if you can't find a doctor!I thought there weren't any doctors in New Zealand that believe in this stuff but I was wrong!There are a few medical GP's that are pfieffer trained even down here in the remotest parts of the earth, so there's gotta be someone where you are (maybe 2-3 hours drive away) that can help!

Solved the problem!
This is an incredibly dense book.[...].But I can not see how it could be written any more clearly.It is well written with good topical divisions and many side bars and jammed packed with information.I think of it as a "Bible" or encyclopedia on natural treatment of schizophrenia and similar disorders.I found it particularly helpful to understand the history of schizophrenia, seeing the illness as a disruption of cognitive and perceptual/sense functions.It does a great job of discussing the nutritional, toxic, and allergic/gut fungal overgrowth issues and bringing up some of the rarer issues.The knowlege I found here has already helped several people.

Should be a required textbook for ALL health professionals
I WISH this book were in the hands of not only all mental health professionals but also family doctors, couselors , etc . .

I am deeply distressed that my son has suffered for 3 years now and none of the doctors or therapists along the way ever questioned his basic biochemistry.He has had the typical treatment of simply being put on medication which may cause him further problems the rest of his life.If any of the professionals he has seen to date had read this book and known about the many possibilities of causes and cures of schizophrenia, perhaps he and the family could have been spared the brunt of this devastating illness.We are now working with a ND and seeing some improvement.

There are no simple answers or step by step instructions for curing any one individual, of course. But the information in this book opens the door to so many possibilities -- for the practitioner and lay person alike. This is the most comprehensive book I've read yet on the subject.In addition to a bounty of information, this book gives hope and encouragement that is so very much needed by sufferers and their families.

Buy 2 copies and donate one to the health professional of your choice! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

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

Book 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.

Customer Reviews (7)

grounding, hopeful introduction to schizophrenia
I was looking for books to help my my brother with his newly diagnosed son. After reading two recommended books, which were testaments to survival, but described such horrific experiences, I found this one. The family has been trying to read books and we have just been devastated chapter after chapter. This is a very down-to-earth book. It replaces some of the frightening images of schizophrenia with more hopeful images.The information is clear, presented by professionals with impressive credentials and interspersed by different patients offering their experiences (onset, fears, medication, family response, etc.) It addresses obvious concerns in such a matter-of fact way. I particularly like the emphasis on schizophrenia as a disease that the person has. The person is not a schizophrenic but has schizophrenia.They are still the same person they always were, just with a disease. One of the patients expresses feeling lucky that she has a treatable disease and not some fatal cancer. We can absorb this book, the patients are wonderful. Very helpful, very hopeful. Just what we all need to read at this point in our experience.First review I have written, only because I think this book might be great for many others at the same point in their experience.

Excellent for both patients and professionals
I read this book a while ago.At the time I was working with a patient with schizophrenia.I shared some of the stories with this patient.The patient and I both were amazed by the similarities between (the patient's) delusions and those of the clients in the book.It helped me to better understand the world of a person with schizophrenia.

Book for the newly diagnosed and their friends and family
This book describes the journey of thirty five young people, who suffer from schizophrenia, from the onset of the illness to getting back into work or college. Their views are given throughout the book, which gives the reader a real insight into how other people with the illness have coped.

The newly diagnosed individuals have many questions, which are answered by the author. A basic description of how the brain works with graphical illustrations are given to explain to the newcomer the basic concept of schizophrenia. Subject such as cause, symptoms of schizophrenia (the positive and negative symptoms), how to deal with them and the different medications are discussed. In addition there are other topics such as anxiety, depression, drugs, alcohol, sex, weight gain and side effects of medication.

Advice is given on the acceptance of the illness, coming out of hospital, connecting with the treatment program. This book finishes by discussing US benefits, how to apply for them, training support for employment and college and reasonable accommodation.

This book iswonderful reading for the newly diagnosed and goes a long way to reassure them, in jargon free English, about a very misunderstood illness.

A Must-Read for Anyone Involved with Schizophrenia
Diagnosis Schizophrenia is a critically important book for people with schizophrenia, their families, their healthcare providers and anyone else who cares about them or cares for them.It is mainly written in the first person, and provides important insight into the people who have the disease- how it feels, what they are going through, and what they need.It has helpful educational components and resources in the back.This book was recommended to me by a colleague for a class I am taking in mental health for a MSW degree, and I must continue to recommend it to others.It is excellent.

This is a terrific book, it should be used in schools!
Understanding schizophrenia is a difficult task.By reading this wonderfully written book, the reader can enter into this world and develop an appreciation not only for the complexity of this illness, but it also provides direction and inspires hope. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (8)

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

A must read for anyone who is sufferer/friend/family of schizophrenia
A must read for all friends, relatives and sufferers of what we term 'Mental Illness'. Richard has successfully given of his own experience with his struggle through schizophrenia in a unique and vivid manner. He draws upon his talent as an artist/musician and the resource of the internet chat lines for fellow sufferers points of view and comments on what it is like to experience a psychotic illness. His drawings express emotions and a state of mind which words can not.

Easy to read and unlike many other books on the subject the outlook for the sufferer is not all doom and gloom.

Richard's story is living proof that there is a recovered 'normal' life from schizophrenia.

Thankyou Richard as you have helped me immensely with my journey through schizophrenia. ... Read more

Book 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

Book Description
The Healthy Mind Guides offer original research and treatment options for reversing several so-called mental disorders. Addressing the underlying imbalances--biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual--of the disorders, each book offers a wide range of effective, practical therapies drawn from extensive interviews with physicians and other practitioners. Case studies throughout the books illustrate the applications of these therapies, and numerous resources are provided for readers who want to seek treatment.

"The Natural Medicine Guide to Addiction" delineates the causes of several common addictions--including cigarettes, alcohol, street and prescription drugs, work, sex, and food. More than a dozen proven natural therapies--including psychoneurobiology, family systems therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and acupuncture--are presented by health professionals who use them everyday to successfully treat a wide range of addictions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Book gives great hope
This book gives great hope to people with schizophrenia and those around them wanting to lessen the need for strong drugs with side effects. Suggested are many different models for healing with helpful addresses and phone numbers of clinicians. The most pragmatic book I have read yet.

These therapies work!
Finding this book was a godsend. Acting on many of the therapies described by Ms Marohn, I can now say that my son has been cured of schizophrenia. My "aha" moment came when I read that if schizophrenia is not healed at the level of vitamins, the problem may lie in the realm of beliefs and the unconscious. It is a travesty that people are routinely told by the medical/pharmaceutical lobby that schizophrenia is something inherently wrong with the brain. Ms Marohn has done an incredible service for anyone who doesn't want their loved one to live a life of wasted potential. This book changed my life.

Most insightful guide to schizophrenia
This is a wonderful book in the series of Marohn's healthy mind guides.I write this as a mental health professional who has experience with holistic modalities and also with populations of severely impaired mental patients, schizophrenics included.The author looks at a broad spectrum of natural approaches to healing schizophrenia (not managing/maintaining the condition like conventional psychiatry does).Other than the confirmation of diagnostic criteria and prevalency data about mental illness, this book contradicts much of what professionals and the public are usually taught about the topic.The normal approach to schizophrenia is shown to be to a great extent counterproductive, as natural methods are shown from clinical and empirical reports to often help those diagnosed with schizophrenia recover and live drug-free.Natural biochemical therapies, homeopathic treatments, family systems, shamanic healing, osteopathy, and mind-body approaches such as Dr. Hamer's psychosomatic new medicine are described.The book works its way from the outside in as it explores the levels of healing that may be addressed to heal illness.Interesting clinical accounts are presented and readers are given clear evidence that schizophrenics can recover and that there are a variety of resources available to help this occur, ultimately being less expensive than a lifetime of mind-numbing drugs and additional medical expenses of the side effects of those drugs.The mental health system could be a much more ethical and humane institution of society if people were reading books like this instead of blindly accepting pharmaceutical pseudoscience - and people who actually understand and respect the scientific method will recognize how dubious are the claims of the pharmaceutical establishment and their followers.I commend this book's author for not being afraid to point out that drug therapies are more likely to impede recovery than foster recovery, including stats from World Health Organization research.It's about time that some people in the mental health field are shaken out of denial!

Give to a friend or family struggling with schizophrenia
This title is an excellent review of supplemental therapies to tackle the mountain that is schizophrenia. Well written, organized, and referenced. ... Read more

Book 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 (2)

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
There are so many schizophrenics under bridges and in prisons because conventional medicine treats this mental illness as a consequence of excess dopamine in the brain. Since there is no such excess, this treatment does not work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Master Researcher Explains It All
Very accessible to laymen, this explains the dangerous biochemical & genetic balance between human creativity, resistance to cancer, and schizophrenia. Also why the current medical establishment's obsession with brain dopamine is, typically, just barking up the wrong tree.

See also Dr. Foster's What Really Causes AIDS. First Rate! ... Read more

Book Description
COMBAT SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH THE MEGAVITAMIN AND NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES OF ORTHOMOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY - Schizophrenia is a disease and syndrome with biochemical origins that has the hallmarks of debilitating perceptual disorders and thought disturbances. Orthomolecular psychiatry, a treatment strategy that uses megadoses of vitamins B-3 and C in conjunction with correct nutrition, yields a 90 percent recovery rate in acute cases and up to 50 percent in chronic patients. This guide by the cofounder of orthomolecular therapy offers a step-by-step approach so that patients and their families will get the maximum benefits from treatment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

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.

Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia
Very informative. Easy to understand.
I had had no luck convincing my son, who lives by himself to
take mega dosis of vitamins. I am persistent. Also, I had
introduced the book to other parents who have kids with
mental illness.

Response to B. Chico's very untrue comment
I would just like to refute B.Chico's comment on how niacin therapy does not work.I have actually been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and have been prescribed over the counter vitamins by the Pifer Institute, one of which includes Niacin.Just for your own information B. Chico...when I got out of the hospital before I started vitamin therapy I was on an average to high dosage of Abilify, an anti-pyschotic.Now I am on half the lowest dosage, and have had no problems in 2 years.Infact, I am excelling.I am a manager for a major corporation.My only explanation for your negative review is probably that you are a pyschiatrist who likes getting money by prescribing drugs to clients. Too bad people with Schizophrenia and other mental illnessess are getting better every day with vitamin therapy.I think I will take a copy of your review and burn it in my fireplace this winter.

An up to 50 % Recovery rate forchronic Schizophrenia
I have schizo affective disorder and I never knew that Orthomolecular Treatment existed for mental illness.This book was a good introduction.I am 56 years old and have experienced mental illness off and on since I was 19.I have done extensive reading, searching for something better than the medicines I have had to take to keep me out of the hospital. These medicines have caused me to gain 100 pounds and left me feeling drowsy a good deal of the time.Also I have feelings of inertia and I also have tardive dyskinesia. Dr. Hoffer recommends decreasing the medicines gradually while treating with Megavitamin supplements and nutritional strategies for healing and recovery. My Psychiatrist is willing to try this approach.I hope we have good luck. I would recommend you buy this book and show it to your doctor. ... Read more

Book Description
A riveting true story of sisters who were identical, until the voices began D ivided Mindsis a dual memoir of identical twins (now fiftytwo), one of whom faces a life sentence of schizophrenia, and the other who becomes a psychiatrist, after growing up in the shadow of her more 'brilliant' twin. Told in the alternating voices of the sisters, Divided Mindsis a heartbreaking account of the depths of madness, as well as the depths of ambivalence and love between twins. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

I Would Have Liked A Broader View
How fascinating...identical twins; one with schizophrenia and the other a psychiatrist, how unusual.This is a memoir written by Carolyn and Pamela Spiro.Each describes what is was like to deal with Pamela's mental illness throughout their lives.

I expected amazing insights into how this horrible mental illness shaped both sister's lives but I finished this memoir feeling like there was so much left unsaid that I never got a clear image of what was going on in the Spiro family.

I felt like Carolyn and Pamela's honesty about their feelings toward each other was just beginning to emerge at the end of the book and then the book was finished.

I would have liked to have heard more about how the other family members dealt with their feelings toward Pamela's illness and how that effected Pamela.The rest of the family, their parents and two siblings, one who also becomes a psychiatrist, seemed to be almost completely left out of the book, which seemed awkward and strange to me.Their father barely speaks to Pamela for years and not much is said about it beyond that fact.

I was deeply saddened to follow the constant crisis of Pamela's existence, it was/is just horror after horror.The illness itself, the lack of consistent health care providers, the harsh and sometimes cruel treatment received from hospital staff, the side effects of the medications... It was all very sad.

Overall I felt like there was more left untold than told in this memoir and because of that it was not a satisfying reading experience for me.

Helped me understand my schizophrenic sister
Hi, I have a schizophrenic sister, and this book is about the best I've seen for getting the experience right. Quite amazing as it's written in alternating chapters by the schizophrenic sister and the saner one... An easy read too, and often a lot of fun actually (schizophrenia definitely has a hilarious side) tragic though it is...

Great book.
This book reminded me of A Beautiful Mind, in that it helped me develop a deeper understanding of how somone with Schizophrenia might be feeling and how it is for families to have a member with this illness.

Journey into Madness....
This is a very well written book that details the life of twin sisters as they suffer the life long disorder of schizophrenia. While only one is clinically affected by this disorder, the other twin suffers its affects as she tries to cope with a 'crazy' twin. As an undergraduate psychology major, I found this book to be a worthwhile read, as it not only shows the course of schizophrenia and the disorder's affects on family members, but it also proved to be an excellent perspective on the history of mental illness and treatment options in the United States.

Schizophrenia is a truly devestating disorder, so don't expect this to be a feel good kind of novel. However, it is an interesting read that provides a solid account of schizophrenia in an easy to understand style.

Living Fully with Schizophrenia
In their intimate memoir, Pamela Spiro Wagner and her identical twin, Carolyn S. Spiro, share the story of their ongoing struggle with Pam's disease.Divided Minds is an affirmation of Pam's ability to be a productive and inspirational force despite schizophrenia.A poet and accomplished writer, she has won several prizes, for both her poetry and prose.At the same time, Carolyn also eloquently shares with us the demands on her supportive role, again and again finding medical help and convincing her sister to keep fighting rather than end her life.This book is a must-read for patients struggling with mental illness, their families, the medical profession, and is a gift for anyone who appreciates honesty in fine literature.
... Read more

Book Description
Approximately one percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime. This chronic, severe mental illness can be devastating for patients and their family and friends.Whether you're a newly diagnosed schizophrenia patient, or a friend or relative of someone suffering from this mental illness, this book offers help. The only text to provide the doctor's and patient's views, 100 Questions & Answers About Schizophrenia gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, sources of support, and much more. Written by an expert on the subject, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of schizophrenia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A valuable resource.........
Dr. DeLisi's book consolidates a lot of meaningful information about schizophrenia in a user-friendly, readable way.It is an important guide for anyone who knows somebody with this devastating illness and is interested in learning more about it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"Surviving Schizophrenia" a Brilliant and Informative Book!
As a schizophrenia sufferer, I have been healthy from delusions for the past eleven years, but have been unable to hold down a "real job", as it were, for just as long, having only been able to cope with limited voluntary work and supported work instead, due to the illness. I'm well, but my problem is that I don't have much capacity, and the pressure and stress of a real job is too much for me because of my affliction.
So, even though I do a few hours voluntary work, I still get abuse occasionally from one or two people when I socialise in the pub at the weekends.
They don't understand, and with the stigma surrounding mental illness, it's very difficult to explain, even though, with these people, they'd probably given me more abuse if they knew the truth.
I would love to give them a copy of "Surviving Schizohprenia" by E Fuller Torrey, which is a brilliant and informative book that has helped me enormously and made me understand my illness much better, as well as helping to ease a lot of my worries and fears.
Dr Fuller Torrey is doing a great job on his crusade against the ignorance and misunderstanding that surrounds the mentally ill, and should be applauded from the rooftops.
I also hope, soon, to help in this regard, albeit anonamously.
But I just can't praise "Surviving Schizophrenia", or the author, enough!
If you, or someone you know, has this terrible illness, please read this book!
It has been a great help to me. ... Read more

Book Description
In clear, simple language, the doctors cut through the confusion, misconception, and myths that have surrounded schizophrenia, obscuring its reality and compounding its tragedies The book is complete with information about a revolutionary new treatment using vitamin B-3. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Response to szwebmaster
I feel I should offer a rebuttal to szwebmaster The report referenced by szwebmaster is the 1973 APA psychological report, a report full of errors, misleading statements and poor arguments. Hoffer has claimed that Niacin & vitamin C works best on acute schizophrenics, the 1973 report used niacin alone on chronic schizophrenics. It sounds like a minor issue, but the biology of schizophrenia and its treatment varies for the two. Hoffer wrote a well thought out retort to the 1973 report entitled `Megavitamin Therapy in reply to The American Psychiatric Association Task Force Report on Megavitamin and Orthomolecular Therapy in Psychiatry.' In it he details all of the misleading statements of the APA report, and I urge everyone here to actually read the 1973 report and its rebuttal. In fact, after reading this retort JR Wittenborn, one of the six authors of the APA report conducted a test of niacin using Hoffer's parameters (acute schizophrenics) and found positive results (A Search for Responders to Niacin Supplementation). Naturally none of the skepticsreference that study. Hoffer claims his theories have helped over 100,000 patients with niacin. Should we discourage all of them to throw their treatments in the trash? PS the methodological flaws referenced by the APA report are mainly a lack of double blinds, which is not only false (hoffer conducted double blinds) but which Hoffer had trouble with due to the Niacin flush.

There was a drug for schizophrenia first discovered over 50 years ago, but because it was a medication unrelated to mental illness nobody wanted to use it. Doctors laughed at other doctors who prescribed it and many in the medical community wrote off how effective it was. However for the doctors willing to shrug off the criticism of the skeptics and who tried it noticed massive improvements. This drug was just an antihistamine, how could it treat schizophrenia? That drug was called thorazine (thorazine was originally an antihistamine), and it started the revolution that led to antipsychotic medications which has helped millions of people. Where would we be if we had just written off thorazine because it was `just an antihistamine'? Why is this better than writing off niacin for being `just a vitamin'?Would we be better off today as a community of medical patients if we had let the skeptics win on that battle? Would we have geodon, abilify or risperdal today if we hadn't fought back against the medical dogmatists fifty years ago?

All I know is my feelings of unreality, my magical thinking and my paranoia are not present now that I am on niacin therapy. No error laden, misleading study written 34 years ago is going to make me feel like I'm not better or take away the fact that I can function better. Schizophrenia is a horrible disease, and it is too important for us to stop looking for every treatment we can find. Instead of believing me or szwebmaster actually ask a schizophrenic on niacin therapy what their experience is/was.

Read Also His Other Books
Dr. Hoffer is a brilliant and extensively published author in both journals and books. His writing is very clear and he doesn't hide complexities. This book is no exception. My only complaint is that his writing does not divide topics very well for easy digestion. His mind is full of facts, and he types what he thinks.

The primary orthomolecular approach to schizophrenia is niacin or niacinamide (vitamin B3) in > 2 g/d doeses. In double-blind trials, 3 grams of niacin daily resulted in a doubling in recovery rate and a 50% reduction in hospitalization. Later double-blind trials did not reproduce the positive results, but Hoffer contends these trials were poorly designed. Subsequent research has been too meager to quote.

There are several complexities to niacin therapy. It must be at least 3,000 mg per day in divided doses. It must not be "time release" forms made by pharmaceutical companies that are dangerous and the root cause of the irrational fears of niacin. There are several forms of niacin. Make sure you follow Dr. Hoffer's guidelines. It's most effective if the patient's schizophrenia is a fairly recent development. Ignoring these issues is probably why some studies are negative.

Please keep in mind there are websites dedicated to trashing megavitamin therapy. They modify other's writings from 1998, change the wording a little, and pretend it's their own recent writing. They then copy and paste the same negative plagerism under several of Hoffer's books. On their web site they reference journal articles "disproving" megavitamin therapy but when you take a closer look, they are often not related to the issue at hand.

Doesn't it seem strange they have to go back all the way to 1973 to find a legitimate and relevant negative reference? That's over 30 years ago. Dr. Hoffer has done a lot of research since then. At 88 he's still mentally active, publishing, and treating patients. His research in the 1950's that showed niacin improves schizoprenia was the first double-blind study in psychiatry. Dr. Hoffer has been trying to make psychiatry a science for a long time, but the influence of money has been a much tougher opponent than ignorance and Frued.

Here's a 2003 interview of Dr. Hoffer:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/jan2003_report_hoffer_01.html

Clinically Proven Treatment: Hoffer is Right
The United States Patent Office delayed issuing a patent on the Wright brothers' airplane for five years because it broke accepted scientific principles. This is actually true. And so is this: Vitamin B-3, niacin, is scientifically proven to be effective against psychosis, and yet the medical profession has delayed endorsing it.Not for five years, but for fifty.

In 1952, Abram Hoffer, PhD, MD, had just completed his psychiatry residency. What's more, he had proven, with the very first double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in the history of psychiatry, that vitamin B-3 could cure schizophrenia.You would think that psychiatrists everywhere would have beaten down a path to Saskatchewan to replicate the findings of this young Director of Psychiatric Research and his colleague, Humphrey Osmond, MD.

You'd think so.

In modern psychiatry, niacin and schizophrenia are both terms that have been closeted away out of sight. And patients, tranquilized into submission or Prozac-ed into La-La Land, are often idly at home or wandering the streets, where either way it is highly doubtful that they will get much in the way of a daily vitamin intake.Those in institutions fare little better nutritionally.For everyone "knows" that vitamins do not cure "real" diseases. (http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_paradigm.html)

But Dr Hoffer dissents.For half a century Dr Hoffer has dissented.His central point has been this: Illness, including mental illness, is not caused by drug deficiency.But much illness, especially mental illness, may be seen to be caused by a vitamin deficiency.This makes sense, and has stood up to clinical trial again and again.If you do not believe this, this book will provide you with the references to prove it.And remember that it was Dr. Hoffer who started off those clinical studies in the first place.In 1952.

Dr. Hoffer explains the mechanics of how niacin works against schizophrenia. There is a chemical found in quantity in the bodies of schizophrenic persons. It is an indole called adrenochrome.Adrenochrome (which is oxidized adrenalin) has an almost LSD-like effect on the body.That might well explain their behavior.Niacin serves to reduce the body's production of this toxic material. (http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_psychosis.html)

That Dr. Hoffer can compress a lifetime of research experience into one readable and surprisingly short book is a tribute to how clearly he teaches both layman and physician the essentials of niacin treatment.I have taught nutritional biochemistry to high school, undergraduate, and chiropractic students.To most, it is not an especially gripping subject.But when even a basic working knowledge of niacin chemistry can profoundly change psychotic patients for the better, it becomes very interesting very quickly.

Dr. Hoffer has treated thousands and thousands of such patients for nearly half a century.At 87, he still is actively practicing orthomolecular (megavitamin) psychiatry.He has seen medical fads come and go.What he sees now is what he's always seen: that very sick people get well on vitamin B-3.

(Additional books by Dr. Hoffer are posted at http://www.doctoryourself.com/biblio_hoffer.html)

Vitamins Don't Cure Schizophrenia - Disproven Book
If vitamins cured schizophrenia do you honestly think that we'd have 50 million people suffering from this horrible disease in the world today??If something is too good to be true - it probably is - and this is true for this theory too.

This book covers an approach which Dr. Abram Hoffer and others developed in the 1950s, but which by the 1970s was proven to be fruitless. The work of Dr. Hoffer and others is discussed in detail in the American Psychiatric Association Task Force Report, July 1973, which points out methodological flaws in the early work and reviews later studies which failed to show any benefit for such treatments.

In recent years, new medicines, with improved side-effect profiles and techniques to overcome problems with social and occupational functioning, have been well proven advances for the treatment of schizophrenia. Early intervention programs should prevent some of the serious dysfunction of the disease.

Serious illnesses like schizophrenia require proven treatments. Vitamin treatments as "alternative" therapy for schizophrenia should not be recommended.

how to live with schizophrenia
this book is a masterwork from a real master that dedicated most of his life as a therapist(m.d. ph.d)to investigate,research,exploring,teaching,but most of all:treating thatdisease.he is exploring all the thesis of schizophrenia, including onethesis that he founded by himself.he is also explains case histories ofcases from a mental-hospital cases,as well as cases from outside thehospital, and this book will also give you an understanding of boththerapies ,conventional and alternative,and when and how to combine themwhen it nececary.you also get a better understanding of the all othermental and social implications of schizophrenia,but the real message ofthis book is how to help these patients in the best comprehansive way.ialso treat schizophrenic patients, an