Experiences of Schizophrenia

Experiences of Schizophrenia PDF Author: Michael Robbins (M.D.)
Publisher: Guilford Press
ISBN: 9780898629972
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 538

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Book Description
In this important new volume, Michael Robbins presents an exploration of schizophrenia unique in both its breadth and depth. His work renders this mysterious condition much more comprehensible, and offers both theoreticians and clinicians of different scientific orientations new possibilities for treatment and interdisciplinary collaboration. The book interweaves an explication of the nature and treatment of schizophrenia, drawn from interlocking perspectives including organic, psychological, interpersonal, familial, and socio-cultural, with five of the most detailed case reports of treatment to be found in the literature. Part I introduces the work by covering basic definitions of schizophrenia, the hierarchical systems model for mental illness, issues concerning the data presented in the book, and the methodology used to gather information. Representing the extremes in outcome, Part II comprises two extensive case studies: One is the story of an unusually successful treatment; the other is a case that proved to be a multisystem failure. Chapters in Part III synthesize what is known about the disorder from the perspectives of neuroscience, psychology and psychoanalysis, family systems, and society and culture, incorporating Dr. Robbins' original ideas in these areas. The contributions of such factors as constitutional vulnerability are also explored. Chapters on treatment issues in Part IV cover evaluation and treatment planning from a systems perspective, and review studies of the efficacy of a psychological approach. Technique, process, and the stages of psychotherapy are discussed in detail, as are issues of hospital treatment, pharmacologic and somatic modalities, and family treatment. Part V consists of three complete case studies that are illuminating reading for professionals and students alike. Covering the cases from inception to termination, and spanning the gamut of clinical experience, they include one case that had a positive outcome, one in which the patient seemed to choose to remain ill, and one successful treatment of a chronic schizophrenic. Rounding out the volume is a chapter that summarizes the work and points the way for future research. This thought-provoking book is basic reading for all human science professionals interested in the study and treatment of mental illness, in philosophical and practical questions about the relationships among the scientific disciplines, or in broad questions about the connections among the individual, the family, and social structure.

Experiences of Schizophrenia

Experiences of Schizophrenia PDF Author: Michael Robbins (M.D.)
Publisher: Guilford Press
ISBN: 9780898629972
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 538

Get Book

Book Description
In this important new volume, Michael Robbins presents an exploration of schizophrenia unique in both its breadth and depth. His work renders this mysterious condition much more comprehensible, and offers both theoreticians and clinicians of different scientific orientations new possibilities for treatment and interdisciplinary collaboration. The book interweaves an explication of the nature and treatment of schizophrenia, drawn from interlocking perspectives including organic, psychological, interpersonal, familial, and socio-cultural, with five of the most detailed case reports of treatment to be found in the literature. Part I introduces the work by covering basic definitions of schizophrenia, the hierarchical systems model for mental illness, issues concerning the data presented in the book, and the methodology used to gather information. Representing the extremes in outcome, Part II comprises two extensive case studies: One is the story of an unusually successful treatment; the other is a case that proved to be a multisystem failure. Chapters in Part III synthesize what is known about the disorder from the perspectives of neuroscience, psychology and psychoanalysis, family systems, and society and culture, incorporating Dr. Robbins' original ideas in these areas. The contributions of such factors as constitutional vulnerability are also explored. Chapters on treatment issues in Part IV cover evaluation and treatment planning from a systems perspective, and review studies of the efficacy of a psychological approach. Technique, process, and the stages of psychotherapy are discussed in detail, as are issues of hospital treatment, pharmacologic and somatic modalities, and family treatment. Part V consists of three complete case studies that are illuminating reading for professionals and students alike. Covering the cases from inception to termination, and spanning the gamut of clinical experience, they include one case that had a positive outcome, one in which the patient seemed to choose to remain ill, and one successful treatment of a chronic schizophrenic. Rounding out the volume is a chapter that summarizes the work and points the way for future research. This thought-provoking book is basic reading for all human science professionals interested in the study and treatment of mental illness, in philosophical and practical questions about the relationships among the scientific disciplines, or in broad questions about the connections among the individual, the family, and social structure.

The Epidemiology of Schizophrenia

The Epidemiology of Schizophrenia PDF Author: Robin M. Murray
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139439480
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
An international team of leading researchers and clinicians here provide a comprehensive, epidemiological overview of this multi-faceted and still perplexing disorder, and address some of the key questions it raises. How important in the genetic contribution to schizophrenia? Do pregnancy and birth complications increase the risk for schizophrenia? Is the incidence of schizophrenia changing? Why is the rate higher among immigrants and in those born in cities? Controversial issues such as the validity of discrete or dimensional classifications of schizophrenia and the continuum between psychosis and 'normality' are explored in depth, and separate chapters are devoted to topics of particular relevance to schizophrenia such as suicide, violence and substance abuse. Finally, new prospects for treatment and prevention are considered. Drawing together the findings from social, genetic, developmental and classical epidemiology of schizophrenia, this text will prove an invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers.

Refusing Care

Refusing Care PDF Author: Elyn R. Saks
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226733998
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
It has been said that how a society treats its least well-off members speaks volumes about its humanity. If so, our treatment of the mentally ill suggests that American society is inhumane: swinging between overintervention and utter neglect, we sometimes force extreme treatments on those who do not want them, and at other times discharge mentally ill patients who do want treatment without providing adequate resources for their care in the community. Focusing on overinterventionist approaches, Refusing Care explores when, if ever, the mentally ill should be treated against their will. Basing her analysis on case and empirical studies, Elyn R. Saks explores dilemmas raised by forced treatment in three contexts—civil commitment (forced hospitalization for noncriminals), medication, and seclusion and restraints. Saks argues that the best way to solve each of these dilemmas is, paradoxically, to be both more protective of individual autonomy and more paternalistic than current law calls for. For instance, while Saks advocates relaxing the standards for first commitment after a psychotic episode, she also would prohibit extreme mechanical restraints (such as tying someone spread-eagled to a bed). Finally, because of the often extreme prejudice against the mentally ill in American society, Saks proposes standards that, as much as possible, should apply equally to non-mentally ill and mentally ill people alike. Mental health professionals, lawyers, disability rights activists, and anyone who wants to learn more about the way the mentally ill are treated—and ought to be treated—in the United States should read Refusing Care.

Hidden Valley Road

Hidden Valley Road PDF Author: Robert Kolker
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0385543778
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF GQ's TOP 50 BOOKS OF LITERARY JOURNALISM IN THE 21st CENTURY • The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease. "Reads like a medical detective journey and sheds light on a topic so many of us face: mental illness." —Oprah Winfrey Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins--aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony--and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family? What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations. With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.

Living Outside Mental Illness

Living Outside Mental Illness PDF Author: Larry Davidson
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814719422
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
An essential volume for improving understanding of the recovery process for people diagnosed with schizophrenia Schizophrenia is widely considered the most severe and disabling of the mental illnesses. Yet recent research has demonstrated that many people afflicted with the disorder are able to recover to a significant degree. Living Outside Mental Illness demonstrates the importance of listening to what people diagnosed with schizophrenia themselves have to say about their struggle, and shows the dramatic effect this approach can have on clinical practice and social policy. It presents an in-depth investigation, based on a phenomenological perspective, of experiences of illness and recovery as illuminated by compelling first-person descriptions. This volume forcefully makes the case for the utility of qualitative methods in improving our understanding of the reasons for the success or failure of mental health services. The research has important clinical and policy implications, and will be of key interest to those in psychology and the helping professions as well as to people in recovery and their families.

First Episode Psychosis

First Episode Psychosis PDF Author: Katherine J. Aitchison
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429524145
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
The new edition of this popular handbook has been thoroughly updated to include the latest data concerning treatment of first-episode patients. Drawing from their experience, the authors discuss the presentation and assessment of the first psychotic episode and review the appropriate use of antipsychotic agents and psychosocial approaches in effective management. This is an authoritative text written by a team of highly respected authors for psychiatrists, neurologists, primary care practitioners and health care professional working in psychiatry. Drawing from their experience, the presentation and assessment of the first psychotic episode are discussed, details regarding antipsychotic drugs and their appropriate use are reviewed and psychosocial approaches are examined. The resulting book offers a concise and valuable guide to those wishing to review the latest proposals for the treatment of first-episode psychosis supported by up-to-date references, in a single publication.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) PDF Author: American Psychiatric Association
Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing
ISBN: 9781955245180
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Me, Myself, and Them : A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia

Me, Myself, and Them : A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia PDF Author: Kurt Snyder
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198042515
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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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.

My Schizophrenic Life

My Schizophrenic Life PDF Author: Sandra Yuen MacKay
Publisher: Bridgeross Communications
ISBN: 0981003796
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Early in her life, Sandra started to exhibit the symptons of paranoid schizophrenia which came as a surprise to her unsuspecting family. Her book chronicles her struggles, hospitalisations, encounters with professionals, return to school, eventual marriage and success as an artist, writer, and advocate.

Schizo-Obsessive Disorder

Schizo-Obsessive Disorder PDF Author: Michael Poyurovsky
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107000122
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
This 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.