Schizophrenia For Dummies [Paperback]

Jerome Levine (Author), Irene S. Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2008

Practical tools for leading a happy, productive life

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From diagnosis to recovery, take charge of care and enhance quality of life

Are you looking for comprehensive, user-friendly information on schizophrenia? This respectful guide empowers families and caregivers to understand the disorder, as well as help their loved ones make the best healthcare decisions and live more independent lives. You get practical tools for supporting loved ones, staying optimistic, and keeping the whole family informed.

• Grasp the ins and outs of schizophrenia — understand the causes and risk factors; recognize the symptoms and behaviors

• Find the best professional help — get an accurate diagnosis, assemble a healthcare team, and ease into treatment

• Evaluate treatment options — from medication to therapy to alternative methods, choose the treatments that best meet your loved one's needs

• Manage day-to-day life — find housing, foster independence, and cope with crises

• Keep the family involved — support a spouse, parent, or adult child with schizophrenia; help children understand, manage fears, and plan for the future

• Learn about the latest research — discover the new, promising directions of treatment that are providing help and hope

"This book is easily read and provides an informative road map that can help everyone to orient themselves and navigate uncertain terrain, as part of a journey toward recovery."
—Ken Duckworth, MD, Medical Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness

Open the book and find:

• The differences between schizophrenia and other mental illnesses

• How to get past the shame and stigma

• Tips for coping with medication side effects

• Advice on navigating financial and legal issues

• Ways to avoid relapse and prevent a breakdown

• The benefits and risks of clinical trials

• Sources of support for patients and families

About the Author

Jerome Levine, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist whose career has spanned almost 50 years. He is the Deputy Director of the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York. Irene S. Levine, PhD, served as the first Deputy Director of the U.S. Center for Mental Health Services. She is a clinical psychologist and an award-winning freelance journalist and author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470259272
• ISBN-13: 978-0470259276
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Schizophrenia

More About the Author

Irene S. Levine, Ph.D. is a psychologist and award-winning freelance journalist and author who has written hundreds of articles--covering a range of topics, including health, mental health, relationships, and lifestyles--that have appeared in leading publications including Ladies' Home Journal, Reader's Digest, Self, AARP, Better Homes & Gardens, Health, Prevention, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Dallas Morning News.

As "The Friendship Doctor," she is a regular contributor to the Living and Relationships sections of The Huffington Post. She also produces a popular blog about female friendships (www.TheFriendshipBlog.com) and pens an online bi-monthly career column for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Levine spent the major portion of her career in senior policy roles at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) in Rockville, Maryland, where she was one of the chief architects of the NIMH Community Support Program and created and directed the NIMH Program on Homelessness and Mental Illness. She was appointed the first Deputy Director of CMHS, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Since 1994, she has worked part-time as Director of Communications at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and has held a faculty appointment as a professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. She has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally about the educational and support needs of families coping with severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

She is the author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup With Your Best Friend (Overlook Press, 2009). She co-authored Schizophrenia for Dummies (Wiley, 2008) with her psychiatrist-husband, Jerome Levine, M.D.

She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Association for Health Care Journalists, the American Medical Writers Association, the Authors Guild, the National Association of Science Writers, and the American Psychological Association. She resides in Chappaqua, New York with her husband and son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I'd Had this book twenty years ago, November 27, 2008

By 

Margie Goldsmith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schizophrenia For Dummies (Paperback)

If only I had been able to read this book twenty years ago -- then I would have finally understood everything there is to know about schizophrenia. Back then, no one spoke about mental illness or schizophrenia; nor did anyone understood what it meant. As a result, I had no way of knowing that my schizophrenics sister was not making anything up, that she truly had a disease. Had I had access to this wonderful, informative, extraordinary book, I would have been able to help her, my parents wouldn't have felt so guilty (thinking it was their fault), and my family would not have been torn to pieces with grief, guilt, and despair. This is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be a schizophrenic and how other family members can deal with it.
Margie Goldsmith
Novelist, Essayist, Journalist

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Smart and Indispensable Dummies Book, March 13, 2009

By 

Laura Van Tosh (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schizophrenia For Dummies (Paperback)

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

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

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

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

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

Laura Van Tosh
Oregon, USA

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue and Valuable Resource, October 25, 2008

By 

Leslie B. Knowlton (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schizophrenia For Dummies (Paperback)

After two decades of writing about psychiatric issues for both psychiatrists and consumers, I was particularly pleased to see this long-overdue primer about schizophrenia enter the general marketplace. Surrounded so long by stigma, fear and ignorance, schizophrenia now can be better understood as the common, no-fault, treatable brain disorder it is. This easy-to-understand book authored by a noted medical journalist and her psychiatrist husband will help the general public, patients and their families, journalists, primary-care physicians and others understand the real facts about schizophrenia. Such understanding can reduce the anguish and long period of time, typically eight years, that it takes before symptoms are recognized and treated. The book's accessible and even enjoyable style will be of particular value as a go-to resource for the newly diagnosed and their families as they struggle to come to grips with this disease, and offers comfort, hope and the practical knowledge required to navigate the complexities of treatment. Every clinician should have it handy on their bookshelves, ready to give to patients and their families. I congratulate these two seasoned clinicians and researchers for using their combined decades of expertise to clear up a subject long shrouded in misunderstanding and unnecessary suffering.