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Schematherapie bij ouderen met persoonlijkheidsproblematiek
by Bas Van Alphen Arjan Videler Anne-Aurore den Hertog Kim TurksmaDit boek laat zien hoe je schematherapie kunt toepassen bij ouderen met persoonlijkheidsproblematiek. Het kan gebruikt worden voor zowel individuele als groepstherapie. Het boek biedt veel praktische handvatten, voor zowel de ggz als het verpleeghuis. Schematherapie bij ouderen met persoonlijkheidsproblematiek laat aan de hand van casuïstiek uit de klinische praktijk en onderbouwd met actuele wetenschappelijke evidentie zien dat schematherapie een waardevolle behandeling is, ongeacht leeftijd. Wanneer kies je voor een behandeling in een groep of individueel? Hoe betrek je naasten? Wat is de meerwaarde van de inzet van vaktherapie? Hoe motiveer je ouderen en wat kun je doen als een schematherapiebehandeling stagneert? Hoe beleeft een oudere zelf een langdurig therapietraject? Niet eerder verscheen er een boek over het jonge vakgebied van schematherapie bij ouderen. Het boek is bestemd voor psychologen, psychiaters, vaktherapeuten en andere professionals, die werkzaam zijn in de ggz of in een verpleeghuis. De redactie, prof. dr. Arjan Videler, Anne-Aurore de Hertog, Kim Turksma en prof. dr. Bas van Alphen werkt al jaren met schematherapie bij ouderen en is actief als clinicus, docent en onderzoeker.
Schematherapie en de Gezonde Volwassene: Positieve technieken uit de praktijk
by Silvia Pol Anne-Marie ClaassenTherapeuten zijn al twee decennia enthousiast over het werken met Schematherapie. De effectiviteit van Schematherapie is hoog en de positieve resultaten zijn internationaal erkend en bevestigd. In de Schematherapie wordt de Gezonde Volwassene gepositioneerd tegenover de kwetsbare kanten en destructieve kanten van de cliënt. In dit boek worden vanuit verschillende disciplines interventies beschreven, die specifiek ontwikkeld zijn voor het vergroten en versterken van de Gezonde Volwassene. Deze interventies komen zowel uit de Schematherapie zelf als uit de Positieve Psychologie en Mindfulness. Deze laatste stromingen winnen gestaag aan populariteit en maken gebruik van inspirerende technieken en begrippen als welbevinden en compassie. De auteurs houden een pleidooi voor een verdere integratie van de Schematherapie en deze nieuwe, krachtgericht werkende stromingen. Hierdoor kan de Schematherapie nog effectiever zijn. De Gezonde Volwassene wordt daarbij- niet als modus maar als mens- een kracht in het omgaan met de complexe uitdagingen van het leven. Anne-Marie Claassen en Silvia Pol werken beiden reeds jaren met Schematherapie en hebben zich samen met collega's vanuit verschillende disciplines met name gericht op het beschrijven van de praktische toepassingen van positieve technieken in de (groeps-) schematherapie.
Schematherapie voor cluster C-persoonlijkheidsstoornissen: Behandeling van afhankelijke, vermijdende en dwangmatige cliënten
by Hannie van Genderen Remco van der WijngaartDit boek helpt therapeuten om schematherapie toe te passen bij cliënten met afhankelijke, vermijdende of dwangmatige persoonlijkheidsstoornissen, ook wel cluster C-persoonlijkheidsstoornissen genoemd. Schematherapie is een zeer effectieve behandelmethode voor cluster C-stoornissen. De meeste literatuur en trainingen op het gebied van schematherapie richten zich echter op de behandeling van de borderline persoonlijkheidsstoornis of andere vormen van externaliserende problematiek. Dit boek laat zien hoe schematherapie effectief toepasbaar is bij internaliserende persoonlijkheidsproblematiek. Schematherapie voor cluster C-persoonlijkheidsstoornissen - Behandeling van afhankelijke, vermijdende en dwangmatige cliënten beschrijft hoe cluster C-stoornissen begrepen kunnen worden in termen van basisbehoeften, schema’s en modi. Daarnaast wordt ook beschreven hoe limited reparenting op een andere manier vormgegeven wordt in deze behandeling dan bij meer externaliserende problematiek. Ten slotte worden specifieke knelpunten, varianten en toepassingen van methoden en technieken beschreven die nog niet terug te vinden zijn in andere literatuur over schematherapie. Het boek begint met een beschrijving van onder meer geschiedenis en onderzoek. Daarna gaat het in op casusconceptualisatie en de stap van conceptualisatie naar behandeling. Vervolgens behandelt het de verschillende persoonlijkheidsstoornissen waarbij steeds beschreven wordt hoe methoden en technieken anders toegepast worden in de verschillende behandelfasen. Ten slotte gaat het in op methoden om de gezonde volwassene te versterken en de therapieresultaten in de toekomst te behouden. Het boek bevat veel aansprekende casuïstiek. De auteurs zijn psychotherapeut en gz-psycholoog Remco van der Wijngaart, en klinisch psycholoog Hannie van Genderen.
Schematherapie: werken met fases in de klinische praktijk
by R. J. Rosi ReubsaetDit praktijkboek laat zien hoe je fasegericht kunt werken in schematherapie. Door fases toe te passen met elk een eigen doel en houding werk je, in teamverband of alleen, stap voor stap naar het einde. Het boek biedt een leidraad voor een optimale balans tussen cognitieve, gedragsmatige en experiëntiële technieken, meegaan en confronteren, vallen en opstaan, vertrouwen en begrenzen, werken en spelen. Schematherapie: werken met fases in de klinische praktijk kiest, tussen alle boeken over schematherapie, een unieke invalshoek. Je krijgt handvatten om het complexe therapieproces overzichtelijk te houden en tegelijkertijd meer diepgang en emoties te bereiken. Je creativiteit en enthousiasme worden aangewakkerd. Je zelfvertrouwen groeit en je durft meer. Het boek begint met een korte weergave van de theoretische kaders van schematherapie en groepsschematherapie. Ook komt aan de orde waar en waarom het in de praktijk vaak mis gaat. Door de behandeling consequent op te delen in fases met elk een eigen kader, thema, basisbehoefte en aanpak houd je grip op de therapie. De vier verschillende fases worden in de daaropvolgende hoofdtukken toegelicht en uitgewerkt. Elk hoofdstuk bevat tevens voorbeelden van oefeningen, aandachtspunten en tips. Het laatste hoofdstuk geeft antwoord op veel gestelde vragen over het werken met schematherapie en praktische handvatten voor de dagelijkse praktijk. Rosi Reubsaet werkt als klinisch psycholoog met individuele schematherapie en groepsschematherapie, en als supervisor en docent schematherapie. De fasegerichte werkwijze bracht ze tot stand samen met haar collega’s van de Academie voor Schematherapie. Samen willen ze hun ervaringen en oplossingen door geven aan collega’s, zodat zij, en hun cliënten, met meer vertrouwen aan de slag kunnen.
Schicksal und Psychotherapie: Therapieschulübergreifende Anregungen (essentials)
by Ralf T. VogelDer Schicksalsbegriff ist, obwohl im wissenschaftlichen Diskurs aus der Mode gekommen, für die praktisch-psychotherapeutische Tätigkeit von hoher Relevanz und wird von Therapeutinnen und PatientInnen, explizit oder implizit, für kausale und prospektive Zwecke genutzt. Die vorliegende Schrift möchte, ausgehend von den philosophischen Grundannahmen hierzu, zu einer Auseinandersetzung mit den vielen Facetten des Schicksalsbegriffs anregen und einen Beitrag zur eigenen Stellung ,dem Schicksal gegenüber' betragen. Schließlich werden therapierelevante Folgerungen abgeleitet.
Schizo
by Nic SheffT<P>he fascinating, shocking, and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness by the bestselling author of Tweak. <P>Miles's little brother Teddy is missing. The police believe he drowned at the beach--the very same day Miles had his first schizophrenic episode. But Miles knows better--Teddy is alive. Kidnapped. There was even a witness! Fueled by guilt, Miles sets off to rescue Teddy. <P>There is so much to overcome, though. The endless pills he must take. The girl who steals his heart and plays with it. The black crows that follow him. As s<P>een through Miles's distorted perception, his world closes around him as he pushes to keep it open. What you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, though, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling.
Schizo-Obsessive Disorder
by Michael PoyurovskyThis is the first book to address the clinical and neurobiological interface between schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There is growing evidence that obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia are prevalent, persistent and characterized by a distinct pattern of familial inheritance, neurocognitive deficits and brain activation. This text provides guidelines for differential diagnosis of schizophrenic patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and patients with primary OCD alongside poor insight, psychotic features or schizotypal personality. Written by a leading expert in the coexistence of obsessive-compulsive and schizophrenic phenomena, Schizo-Obsessive Disorder uses numerous case studies to present diagnostic guidelines and to describe a recommended treatment algorithm, demystifying this complex disorder and aiding its effective management. The book is essential reading for psychiatrists, neurologists and the wider range of multidisciplinary mental health practitioners.
Schizoanalysis and Schizodrama: Clinic and Politics
by Domenico Uhng HurThis book presents theoretical and methodological contributions to the development of mental health interventions that combine clinical and political approaches based on schizoanalysis and schizodrama. It seeks to make the transition from the philosophy of schizoanalysis to the applied field of intervention of a clinic-politics with strong inspiration from schizodrama. Created in the early 1970s by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze in partnership with French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari, schizoanalysis is a philosophical approach that departs from the psychoanalytic inquiry of desire and affection as the main drivers of the processes of subjectivation to create a Philosophy of Difference that aims at mapping and contributing to the emergence of different forms of subjectivity not submitted to traditional forms of psychic and social coercion. Inspired by this innovative theoretical approach, the Argentinian psychiatrist Gregorio Baremblitt developed an original kind of schizoanalysis in Latin America called schizodrama, which aims at creating intervention devices, both clinical and political, to operationalize schizoanalysis&’ philosophical concepts. Building upon the contributions of schizodrama, this book seeks to contribute to operationalize the &“migration&” of schizoanalysis to the fields of psychology and social intervention. Schizoanalysis and Schizodrama: Clinic and Politics will be of interest to mental health professionals – such as psychologists, psychiatrists and clinical social workers – as well as to researchers in the human, social and health sciences interested in learning about this new theoretical field and its various modes of clinical-political intervention. This is a revised edition of a book originally published in Brazilian Portuguese. The original manuscript was written in Brazilian Portuguese and translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.
Schizoid Phenomena, Object Relations and the Self
by Harry GuntripBased on a series of clinical studies of schizoid problems, this book is a sequel to Harry Guntrip's theoretical study of the emergence of the schizoid problem, Personality Structure and Human Interaction (1961). It includes revised versions of earlier papers, and also much original material.
Schizophrenia
by Aaron Beck Neil RectorFrom Aaron T. Beck and colleagues, this is the definitive work on the cognitive model of schizophrenia and its treatment. The volume integrates cognitive-behavioral and biological knowledge into a comprehensive conceptual framework. It examines the origins, development, and maintenance of key symptom areas delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, and formal thought disorder. Treatment chapters then offer concrete guidance for addressing each type of symptom, complete with case examples and session outlines. Anyone who treats or studies serious mental illness will find a new level of understanding together with theoretically and empirically grounded clinical techniques.
Schizophrenia
by Philip G. Janicak Stephen R. Marder Rajiv Tandon Morris GoldmanSchizophrenia: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment is a major addition to the literature, offering practical, comprehensive coverage of diagnosis and treatment options, genetic issues, neuroimaging, long-term management of schizophrenia, and future directions and predictions of how clinical care of schizophrenia will change The book is divided into five sections. Section 1 summarizes the present state of knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. This includes recent changes in the DSM 5 categorization of schizophrenia and its implications for treatment. Section 2 considers recent discoveries into its pathoetiology, including the status of biological markers, genetics and neuroimaging as they relate to diagnosis and potential novel therapeutic approaches. Section 3 explores the optimization of present therapeutic approaches; novel treatments; and management of the substantial risks associated with both the illness and its present therapies. Section 4 discusses progress in the long-term management of schizophrenia, focusing on biological and psychotherapeutic strategies to improve functioning and facilitate recovery Section 5 considers future directions and predictions of how diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia will change An invaluable addition to the field, Schizophrenia: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment is a definitive resource that will be of great interest to all clinicians caring for patients with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia
by Wolfgang GaebelThe first book in a new series from the World Psychiatric Association, Schizophrenia: current science and clinical practice presents recent information on the diagnosis, neurobiological foundations, and management of schizophrenia. It evaluates the findings obtained with modern techniques like magnetic resonance imaging, genetics and network analyses. The book reviews the importance of neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia and its predictive value for functional capacity. It covers the key areas of early recognition, prevention, rehabilitation and stigma. There is also a critical discussion of diagnostic classification and the revision of the two major international systems. Written by experts in the field who have a track record of being engaging authors, this book provides a rapid overview of the current state of the art in schizophrenia research and clinical management. It will be invaluable to all psychiatrists, psychologists, neuropharmacologists, researchers in psychiatry and psychopharmacology in academia and in industry, and clinical and behavioural neuroscientists.
Schizophrenia (Clinical Psychology: A Modular Course)
by Chris Jackson Max BirchwoodSchizophrenia continues to be the most debilitating of the psychotic disorders with less than one third returning to a 'normal' level of functioning. Our understanding of this disorder has advanced considerably over the last 10 years with major contributions from neurobiology but particularly from an understanding of the way in which psychosocial and psychological factors interact with underlying vulnerabilities to influence both the content and timing of psychotic symptoms and the personal and social difficulty they create. This book brings together this disparate and complex literature in a highly accessible and up-to-date way. It is written by two leading academic-clinical psychologists in the area who uniquely bring together an understanding of key scientific concepts with clinical reality. The section on treatment brings to the reader a clear account of psychological, social and drug treatments interspersed with clinical accounts. The text is aimed primarily at undergraduates attempting to gain some understanding of this exciting and rapidly developing field but with sufficient depth to engage the trainee clinical psychologist, community psychiatric nurse, and psychiatrist.
Schizophrenia (Medical Psychiatry Series)
by Bernard Fried Bernard ShermaEdited by the president of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry and featuring an international list of world-renown contributors, Schizophrenia, Second Edition provides psychiatrists, neurologists, and psychologists with a comprehensive handbook on the latest schizophrenia research and management from diagnosis through tr
Schizophrenia (The State of Mental Illness and Its Ther)
by Shirley BrinkerhoffSchizophrenia, the most severe of the mental disorders, usually begins in late adolescence or young adulthood. A patient's first symptoms may be hallucinations, such as hearing voices that sound as real as those of friends and family. Or they may be delusions, such as believing that aliens are sending information to him via the radio or through television programs. While the mysterious disease can have devastating effects on the one percent of the population who experience it, new antipsychotic drugs now offer more hope for effective treatment than at any other time in history. Schizophrenia explains how the human brain operates, and how antipsychotic drugs work inside the brain in order to help relieve the symptoms of this mental disorder. In this book, you will read about: *The Nobel Prize-winning mathematician who battled schizophrenia for several decades. *The university student who dedicated his life to researching schizophrenia after his own sister was diagnosed with the disease at the age of seventeen. *The four sisters--identical quadruplets--who each had schizophrenia, and who allowed the National Institute of Mental Health to study their disease over the course of many decades. *The famous guitarist in a British rock band whose drug use propelled him into schizophrenia. Let their stories teach you about the struggles, challenges, and hopes of people with this disease.
Schizophrenia For Dummies
by Irene S. Levine Jerome LevinePractical tools for leading a happy, productive lifeSchizophrenia 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.
Schizophrenia Is a Misdiagnosis
by C. Raymond LakeSchizophrenia is the most widely known and feared mental illness worldwide, yet a rapidly growing literature from a broad spectrum of basic and clinical disciplines, especially epidemiology and molecular genetics, suggests that schizophrenia is the same condition as a psychotic bipolar disorder and does not exist as a separate disease. The goal is to document and interpret these data to justify eliminating the diagnosis of schizophrenia from the nomenclature. The author reviews the changing diagnostic concepts of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with a historical perspective to clarify how the current conflict over explanations for psychosis has arisen. That two disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar, known as the Kraepelinian dichotomy, account for the functional psychoses has been a cornerstone of Psychiatry for over 100 years, but is questioned because of substantial similarities and overlap between these two disorders. Literature in the field demonstrates that psychotic patients are frequently misdiagnosed as suffering from the disease called schizophrenia when they suffer from a psychotic mood disorder. Such patients, their families, and their caretakers suffer significant disadvantages from the misdiagnosis. Psychotic patients misdiagnosed with schizophrenia receive substandard care regarding their medications, thus allowing their bipolar conditions to worsen. Other adverse effects are substantial and will be included. Liability for medical malpractice is of critical importance for the mental health professionals who make the majority of the diagnoses of schizophrenia. The concept put forward in this work will have a discipline-altering impact.
Schizophrenia Treatment Outcomes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Recovery
by Avinash De Sousa Amresh ShrivastavaThis book analyzes schizophrenia management in the context of recent clinical therapeutic advances that have transformed the measurements and outcomes landscape. Unlike any other resource, this volume carefully develops the social and clinical guidelines that affect the life of the patient and defines its role in schizophrenia treatment outcomes. The text begins by determining the concepts, development, neuroscience, and guidelines for positive outcomes before analyzing the gaps in the literature. The text addresses medical concerns in relation to outcomes in schizophrenic patients, including substance use, impact from antipsychotic medications, and medical comorbidities. The text also covers external determinants that may inhibit positive outcomes, including cultural factors, stigma, and environmental issues. Written by experts in schizophrenia care, this book compiles sound research, current clinical trends, and modern measurement markers into a well-organized compendium that delivers this data into a practical guide for measuring treatment outcomes in patients suffering from the disease.Schizophrenia Treatment Outcomes is the ultimate guide for psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and all medical practitioners interested in improving outcomes for schizophrenia patients.
Schizophrenia and Common Sense: Explaining the Relation Between Madness and Social Values (Studies in Brain and Mind #12)
by Inês Hipólito Jorge Gonçalves João G. PereiraThis book explores the relationship between schizophrenia and common sense. It approaches this theme from a multidisciplinary perspective. Coverage features contributions from phenomenology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, and social cognition. The contributors address the following questions: How relevant is the loss of common sense in schizophrenia? How can the study of schizophrenia contribute to the study of common sense? How to understand and explain this loss of common sense? They also consider: What is the relationship of practical reasoning and logical formal reasoning with schizophrenia? What is the relationship between the person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and social values? Chapters examine such issues as rationality, emotions, self, and delusion. In addition, one looks at brain structure and neurotransmission. Others explore phenomenological and Wittgensteinian theories. The book features papers from the Schizophrenia and Common Sense International Workshop, held at New University of Lisbon, November 2015. It offers new insights into this topic and will appeal to researchers, students, as well as interested general readers.
Schizophrenia and Genetics: The End of An Illusion
by Jay JosephSchizophrenia is a widely investigated psychiatric condition, and though there have been claims of gene "associations," decades of molecular genetic studies have failed to produce confirmed causative genes. In this book, Joseph focuses on the methodological shortcomings of schizophrenia genetic research. His findings have major implications not only on how we understand the causes of schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, but also on how we understand the causes of human behavior in general. Chapters explore the differing theoretical concepts of schizophrenia, molecular genetic research around schizophrenia, family, twin, and adoption studies, and non-medical prevention and intervention strategies. Prominent researchers and studies in the field are discussed and critiqued comprehensively throughout. This book is essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists, behavioral scientists, and anyone interested in the causes of human behavior.
Schizophrenia and Psychoses in Later Life: New Perspectives on Treatment, Research, and Policy
by Carl I. Cohen Paul D. MeestersBy 2050, the number of people aged sixty years and older with schizophrenia is expected to double and affect about 10 million people worldwide. Psychoses are among the most common experiences in later life, with a lifetime risk of 23 percent. As a result, there is a looming crisis in mental health care. Schizophrenia and Psychoses in Later Life is the first major multidisciplinary reference on these important disorders. The book provides guidelines for clinical care, research and policy that are consistent with the emerging paradigmatic changes occurring with respect to schizophrenia in later life. This book features multidisciplinary contributions from experts in the fields of biological psychiatry, social psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, social work, psychology, and neuropsychology that will help professionals to integrate services and attain the best outcomes. The text will guide psychiatrists, psychologists, gerontologists, policymakers, and social scientists in creating innovative new programs to help this underserved and growing population.
Schizophrenia and Related Syndromes
by P. J. McKennaThis new edition of Schizophrenia and Related Syndromes has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide an authoritative overview of the subject, including new chapters on the neurodevelopmental hypothesis, cognitive neuropsychology, and schizophrenia and personality. Peter McKenna guides the reader through a vast amount of literature on schizophrenia plus related syndromes such as paranoia and schizoaffective disorder, providing detailed and in-depth, but highly readable, accounts of the key areas of research. The book describes the clinical features of schizophrenia and its causes and treatment, covering subjects such as: Aetiological factors in schizophrenia The neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia Neuroleptic drug treatment Paraphrenia and paranoia Childhood schizophrenia, autism and Asperger's syndrome Schizophrenia and Related Syndromes will prove invaluable for psychiatrists and clinical psychologists in training and in practice. It will also be a useful guide for mental health professionals and researchers working in related fields.
Schizophrenia: A Biopsychological Perspective (Psychology Revivals)
by Andrew CriderOriginally published in 1979, this introductory text approaches schizophrenia as a complex biopsychological condition. Drawing from the fields of descriptive psychiatry, psychopathology, neurochemistry, genetics, life history research, and institutional practice, the author details our increasing understanding of the nature and etiology of schizophrenia at the time. He organizes and evaluates current concepts and findings from these areas, with a view towards integration. This volume was intended to serve as an introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, as well as for students in psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and clinical social work. The author assumes that a comprehensive understanding of schizophrenia requires a synthesis of findings from diverse fields and emphasizes the compatibility of, and points of contact between, clinical psychological, and biological approaches. Here is a text that introduces the reader to this challenging subject and to contributions from a variety of allied disciplines. Today it can be read in its historical context.
Schizophrenia: A Brother Finds Answers in Biological Science
by Ronald ChaseA neuroscientist explores the biological bases of schizophrenia and tells the heartbreaking story of his own brother’s battle with the disease.Honorable Mention for the AMWA Medical Book Awards of the American Medical Writers AssociationWhen bright lives are derailed by schizophrenia, bewildered and anxious families struggle to help, and to cope, even as scientists search for causes and treatments that prove elusive. Painful and often misunderstood, schizophrenia profoundly affects people who have the disease and their loved ones. Here Ronald Chase, an accomplished biologist, sets out to discover the facts about the disease and better understand what happened to his older brother, Jim, who developed schizophrenia as a young adult.Chase’s account alternates between a fiercely loyal and honest memoir and rigorous scientific exploration. He finds scientific answers to deeply personal questions about the course of his brother’s illness. He describes psychiatric practice from the 1950s—when electroconvulsive shock therapy was common and the use of antipsychotic medications was in its infancy—to the development of newer treatments in the 1990s. Current medical and scientific research increases our understanding of genetic and environmental causes of the disease.Chase also explores the stigma of mental illness, the evolution of schizophrenia, the paradox of its persistence despite low reproduction rates in persons with the disease, and the human stories behind death statistics. With the author’s intimate knowledge of the suffering caused by this disease, Schizophrenia emphasizes research strategies, the importance of sound scientific approaches, and the challenges that remain.
Schizophrenia: A Brother Finds Answers in Biological Science
by Ronald ChaseA neuroscientist explores the biological bases of schizophrenia and tells the heartbreaking story of his own brother’s battle with the disease.When bright lives are derailed by schizophrenia, bewildered and anxious families struggle to help, and to cope, even as scientists search for causes and treatments that prove elusive. Painful and often misunderstood, schizophrenia profoundly affects people who have the disease and their loved ones. Here Ronald Chase, an accomplished biologist, sets out to discover the facts about the disease and better understand what happened to his older brother, Jim, who developed schizophrenia as a young adult.Chase’s account alternates between a fiercely loyal and honest memoir and rigorous scientific exploration. He finds scientific answers to deeply personal questions about the course of his brother’s illness. He describes psychiatric practice from the 1950s—when electroconvulsive shock therapy was common and the use of antipsychotic medications was in its infancy—to the development of newer treatments in the 1990s. Current medical and scientific research increases our understanding of genetic and environmental causes of the disease.Chase also explores the stigma of mental illness, the evolution of schizophrenia, the paradox of its persistence despite low reproduction rates in persons with the disease, and the human stories behind death statistics. With the author’s intimate knowledge of the suffering caused by this disease, Schizophrenia emphasizes research strategies, the importance of sound scientific approaches, and the challenges that remain.“A rare combination of family memoir and accessible explanation of the neuroscience, genetics, and the epidemiology of schizophrenia. I simply love this book.” —Patrick Tracey, PsychCentral