This text examines research on the relationship between the family and schizophrenia, and relates the family therapies which have grown from this, as well as the support which is currently available to families.

The present volume contains the lectures of the symposium on 'Risk and Protective Factors in Schizophrenia - towards a conceptual Model of the Disease Process', which was held at the International Science Forum of the University of Heidelberg on October, 2001. The topics of the program were 'Genetic risk factors and gene environment interaction', 'Psychotic and negative symptoms in the general population as risk-factors', 'Etiological risk factors in embryonal life, childhood and adolescence', 'Prepsychotic prodromi and stage models of the development of psychosis', 'Brain development, structural and functional morphology of the early course', 'Urban versus rural life, migration and social chains as causal risk factors?', 'Psychological and neurobiological (estrogen, erythropoietine) protective factors'. The book covers a wide scope of recent research and knowledge about schizophrenia. TOC:Introduction.- Genetic and Population-related Risk Factors.- Developmental Disorders of the Brain.- Environmental Risk Factors.- Indicators of Schizophrenia in Childhood and Adolescence.- Psychopathological Predictors of the Course of Schizophrenia.- Perspectives of Neuroprotective Interventions.- Psychoprotective factors.- Developments and Perspectives.

The disease is not fatal but few diagnoses have the capacity to instill as much fear in the hearts of patients and families. Here is a profoundly reassuring book that shows there can be life after a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The book includes thirty-five first-person accounts, along with chapters by professionals on a wide range of issues from hospitalization to rehabilitation. Jargon-free and technically accurate, the chapters are short and offer up-to-date information on medication, coping skills, social services, clinical research, and much more. Patients and their families can read the book from cover to cover or skip around and select topics as the need arises.

Do you often suspect the worst of others? Mild to moderate paranoia, or mistrust of other people, is on the increase, and although it may feel justifiable at the time, unfounded suspicions of this kind can make life a misery. Research says between 20 and 30 per cent of people in the UK frequently have suspicious or paranoid thoughts. This is the first self-help guide to coping with what can be a debilitating condition.

A concise, up-to-date consumer guide for people who have schizophrenia and their families. An estimated 51 million people worldwide have schizophrenia, 2.2 million of them in the United States. While early diagnosis and appropriate treatment improve the long-term prognosis, schizophrenia is a disease that is difficult to manage. In Living with Schizophrenia, Drs. Jeffrey Rado and Philip G. Janicak, specialists in treating people who have schizophrenia, offer an easy-to-read primer for people with the disorder, along with their families and other caregivers. Drawing on their combined sixty years of clinical and research experience, Drs. Rado and Janicak define schizophrenia and explain what is known about its causes discuss the difference between negative symptoms (such as lack of emotion and social withdrawal) and positive symptoms (such as hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders) describe medication and psychosocial and behavioral treatments—and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for better long-term outcomes explain what people with schizophrenia and their families can do to help keep the person well explore how schizophrenia affects the entire family detail medical conditions that people with schizophrenia are more likely than other people to have—including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes offer key takeaway points for every topic Designed for the lay reader and based on the most recent medical literature, Living with Schizophrenia offers information and understanding to help people coping with this often misunderstood disorder to best achieve recovery and healing.

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.