Schizophrenia: Understanding Symptoms Diagnosis & Treatment

by Anthony Wilkenson

Schizophrenia has become a recognized psychotic disorder in modern day psychology and research has shown that 1 in 100 suffer from this disease in some proportion or degree. It is a dreaded disease and comes as a near death blow to those who are diagnosed with this condition. This fear does not necessarily arise from the scary disease it actually is, but various misconceptions, myths and misunderstanding that surround it. This disorder has been very thoroughly misunderstood and misrepresented; as a result, there is great confusion and stigma attached to it. This stigma, social pressure, and public opinion have made it very difficult to get the disorder diagnosed, treated or managed. Persons suffering from schizophrenia or under a risk of being affected by it are very insecure due to this public opinion.
There has been so much talk about this psychotic disorder with little or no knowledge about it, that it has spread a rumor about the hopelessness and incurability of it. This book aims at spreading awareness and information about Schizophrenia and act as a guide to people who need to or want to understand it. Schizophrenia is a disorder associated with the psychology and brain and it is not life threatening or impossible to manage, contrary to the general conception about this disease. If some precautions are taken, and some other factors are well managed and understood, this disorder can be prevented to a great extent.

Life does not end with Schizophrenia; and this is the message that this book wants to convey. This book was written not to scare you or tell you heartening lies about this condition, but to inform you and educate you on what this disorder is about. Have faith and confidence if you have a loved one suffering from Schizophrenia, do not give up. Be aware, hopeful and confident. Differentiate between necessary Dos and fear based actions. Look after yourself and your loved ones.

Genres: Psychology

63 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 9, 2014

Reviews

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Surprisingly very short, this book may be good at nailing what schizophrenia is not; less so in explaining what it is. As such: thumbs up for blowing up the stigma and its well-intent initiative; thumbs down for the rest.

In fact, there are two issues here. First, I don't really know who the author is addressing and it shows in his confused presentation. Is his main target the family and relatives of schizophrenics (as the subtitle -'How to deal with a loved one with Schizophrenia'- clearly suggests right on the cover)? In that case, his advices are too light and close to useless - there is nothing, for instance, on how to cope with someone having a psychotic episode. Was his main target schizophrenics themselves, to better understand their condition? In that case, don't bother either. Keeping to medication (even though pills sadly don't address all symptoms) and staying strong is, I found, a tat obvious and patronising. Then, there's an issue with editing. I don't know who the author is, nor on behalf of what organization if any this book has been published (I bought this because it has very good reviews on Amazon and so seemed to be a nice guide to the condition... I should definitely have been more cautious!) but, its wording, although well-intended, can be clumsy, misleading, if not plain damaging. For example, 'to cure' is used as a synonym for 'to treat'; leaving at times the wrong impression that schizophrenia can be 'cured' (it can't) instead of actually being 'treated' (it can, and very successfully at that). If the author didn't bother to get himself a proofreader for his grammar, I let you guess what it may worth in term of its psychiatric content!

Do NOT get this. There are other guides out there which are more serious than this, and I for one should be more careful next time.

[Issa · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a student nurse some of the phrases in this book truly bothered me such as saying people with schizophrenia are unable to look after themselves and are irrational. I feel like this book enforces some of the stigma that we are trying to break. With a lack of reliable references and blatantly ignorant assumptions, I would not recommend this book.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disorganized but ultimately well intentioned guide. Apart from its curious formatting problems, there are better and more reliable sources out there, but it may be worth giving to younger children to help understand a relative’s illness.

[Benjamin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book

It was a book about an illness that I don't understand but Have a similar illness. This book helped me understand just a little

[Gerald Foreman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light

Specific and illuminating tells the lay person very simply what the condition is how it progresses and who suffers from it

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

American Centric

Although very helpful, some of the most important information; like, what to do if you have Schizophrenia, is focused on American institutions and existing accommodation. For example. The section on living with Schizophrenia recommends solutions that the NHS would ball at. Like shared accommodation, etc. You get a chance to go to hospital and a temporary bed, if you are very lucky... Certainly not accommodation. Otherwise an enjoyable read. Thank you.

[Shenie sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative in layman terms for both patient and caretaker. Well rounded.

I enjoyed this book as it enlightened me to my own illness and helped me provide feedback for my loved ones. It was not a deeply delved book into the SMI but touched meaningfully on all aspects of the disease.

[Ellenore Clementine Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

i thought it was great!

Really thankful for the lists of drugs, lists of famous people who had schizophrenia and then super thankful for the suggestions on how to react and be logical… thankful for the hope too very thankful

[Izzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read on Kindle

I have read this book in advance for a new topic in psychology, it has held a lot of facts about schizophrenia and developed my understanding around the topic. I believe that if I had a friend or a family member who suffered from schizophrenia, I feel as though I would understand them better

Recommend: ✅ (if it is relevant)

[Tina Proia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest and uplifting

I found this book to b very informative, easy to read and understand it is written in an encouraging and honest andno down to earth highly recommend