Customer Reviews

Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative)

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

As a psych nurse, I found this book to be not only accurate, but very engaging. There are a couple others with different Axis I diagnoses that I'm going to get as well. Thinking of purchasing some for the psych unit to help newly-diagnosed folks understand this isn't the end of the world, there is hope, and there are others out there who understand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Me, Myself, and Them is Kurt Snyder's own account of living with schizophrenia, an experience that began for him at the age of 18. But his account is supplemented by observations from an academic in the field of psychiatry, neurology and radiology (Raquel E Gur) and a journalist specializing in mental health issues (Linda Wasmer Andrews).

It is hard to find anything much to criticize in this book. If I have one very minor criticism, it is that more hasn't been done to address the issues of stigma and stereotyping in connection with schizophrenia. These issues are not ignored, but they are dealt with rather fleetingly toward the end of the book. My own feeling is that these are very important matters that should have been raised earlier and dealt with more thoroughly (but this doesn't stop me from giving the book a five-star rating).

As I see it, Me, Myself, and Them offers the reader two major benefits. First, it mixes personal experience with explanatory detail in a very readable way. Some of the background observations tend toward the technical, but they are offered in a straightforward and readily understandable way. The book also offers some guidance on legal and financial matters, thus adding another dimension to its more practical aspects. This book strikes the perfect balance between specialized medical description, advice for sufferers, ordinary everyday narrative, and emotional involvement.

Second, and perhaps more important, is the fact that this is a very positive, optimistic book. It clearly gives the message that schizophrenia is treatable. While it cannot actually be cured, substantial recovery is achievable. With treatment matched appropriately to the individual, a sufferer can go on to lead a very full and rewarding life, with the condition downgraded (potentially, at least) to little more than an occasional inconvenience - I certainly wasn't previously aware that such a positive outcome was possible.

Me, Myself, and Them is primarily aimed at schizophrenia sufferers and their families, but it is also invaluable for anyone who wants to get away from popular misconceptions and gain a better-informed understanding of what schizophrenia is.

I received the book earlier than expected. The book is super informative. Written from perspective of author followed by information by professional clinicians. Also a very straightforward easy read.

My godson was struggling with something and after reading this book the family was able to understand what this young man was going thru. knowledge is power for him and the family. thank you for writing this. it is a life changer. being understood is such a blessing.

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