Customer Reviews

Schizophrenia For Dummies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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

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.

Great book. Very informative and helped a lot to understand this disease. Also learned many coping skills.

A wealth of information that is easy to read and understand.

Love the real life perspectives that not only help the individual but also the family.

Kudos to the authors for a portraying the big picture with the right amount of details to make it sensible.

This is everything you need to know but didn't know to ask!

This is an excellent overview/guide for families when they first suspect that a loved one might suffer from schizophrenia and/or when they are first given the diagnosis. This is an incredibly frightening time for families. Up to this point in their lives, their only exposure to schizophrenia has likely been through the media and, often, what they have heard there is not very accurate. This book provides them with a realistic look at all aspects of the disease and its prognosis.

Families need basic information to help them through the immediate crisis and to cope. This book is a good starting point. What I particularly liked was the form at the beginning where they could list essential contacts and a check list of what to take to the hospital or emergency room. Also included in that was the questions you should ask of a new psychiatrist. This is unique and very important.

While the authors do discuss the risks of using alternative and complementary treatments, I felt that it should have been more extensive. They only briefly talked about omega 3, antioxidants, vitamin E, sarcosine and acupuncture. Sarcosine is one agent involved with the PCP/angel dust and ketamine theory of NMDA involvement as a potential cause and treatment of schizophrenia. There is presently considerable research taking place worldwide into the therapeutic use of both sarcosine and glycine. Thus, it really isn't an alternative treatment but rather it is a potential but unproven remedy. The same can also be said of omega 3 as that agent is also the subject of some interesting investigations.

An alternative treatment that is more likely to be grasped at by desperate families is the Niacin or B3 hypothesis put forth by Abram Hoffer and his followers in orthomolecular psychiatry. A common question posed to those in mental health and that I am personally asked about when I do presentations, is the role of vitamins. While Hoffer's early work was very interesting and ridiculed by many because he was ahead of his time, many have seized upon it to promote all manner of vitamins as a cure. The authors really should have dealt with this issue rather than with the more obscure ones that they did list.

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

Schizophrenia for Dummies is a clear,easy-read treasure trough of information on this major mental illness. As someone who has a family member suffering from Schizophrenia,I found it not only informative, but comforting. I wish this book had been written 20 years ago. There was precious little written then to dispel so many myths about the disorder and nothing to help cope with the "all alone" feelings on the part of the patient or the family. I would recommend this book to professionals, family members and the general public. We never know what lies around the next corner.

I've been a big fan of the "Dummies" series since I picked up my first book on computers decades ago. The Levine's book is the best of the series to date. It takes a very complicated and emotionally charged topic and helps families and patients navigate through the maze of information (or misinformation) often provided by the medical profession. It should be required reading for medical and nursing students as well as anyone close to a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia.

It's good especially for those who don't know much about the mental illness. In my mind nothing has clarified more of what I'm going through than this book. I'm going to get my brother to read it so he can understand a little more.

This a deep subject but I was able to follow and make sense of it. We used it for counseling. Out of all the books I have read on the subject, this one is the best.