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Reviews
Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and Providers by E. Fuller Torrey
kayri687's review against another edition
read part of mad in America, was conflicted
lanikei's review
3.0
Finally finished this after literally years of putting it off. As a daughter of a schizophrenic (Torrey's "consumers"), and a former psych major, a lot of this information was stuff I already knew. However, I do think it is important to educate everyone - families, consumers, providers, and the public about schizophrenia and its effects on lives and society.
For someone just being diagnosed with the disease, or their family, I think this is a very helpful book. Since it is broken down into helpful sections - what schizophrenia is, what it isn't, treatment options, advocacy, how to deal as a family member, etc - it is easy to target your reading. Torrey focuses on removing the stigma of the disease by frequently comparing it to "real" diseases of the body like diabetes, MS, or epilepsy.
I found the sections on understanding the disease from a consumer's point of view particularly good. I find it nearly impossible to accept my mother's illness, but when placing yourself in a consumer's shoes it is clear that there is some logic to their behavior. It is important to try to understand where the consumer is coming from, and accept the beliefs as valid beliefs in his or her mind - even if they are not necessarily based in reality.
I also appreciate Torrey's attacks on the public mental health system. He places much blame on the tendency to shuffle mental health back and forth between federal and state governments, and a recent focus on mental wellness of the public vs. the mentally ill. As someone who has tried very hard to have a family member forcibly committed, the frustration with the ACLU and other patient's rights groups was also very familiar.
In general, I think this is a good all around book about the disease. It breaks down the symptoms in ways that the average person can understand, and much of the information is in a consumer's own words. Sections on treatment and medication were a little overwhelming, but could be extremely helpful when tackling actual treatment scenarios and trying to juggle the myriad of medications involved in the process.
The appendices include a long list of resources - good books and videos (and bad examples as well), contact information for advocacy and support groups, and a lengthy bibliography.
The book crams a lot of information in, but is a great resource while still being accessible to a variety of readers. Certainly a book to read while dealing with the disease - as a consumer or a family member - and to keep on the bookshelf to refer to as the treatment progresses.
For someone just being diagnosed with the disease, or their family, I think this is a very helpful book. Since it is broken down into helpful sections - what schizophrenia is, what it isn't, treatment options, advocacy, how to deal as a family member, etc - it is easy to target your reading. Torrey focuses on removing the stigma of the disease by frequently comparing it to "real" diseases of the body like diabetes, MS, or epilepsy.
I found the sections on understanding the disease from a consumer's point of view particularly good. I find it nearly impossible to accept my mother's illness, but when placing yourself in a consumer's shoes it is clear that there is some logic to their behavior. It is important to try to understand where the consumer is coming from, and accept the beliefs as valid beliefs in his or her mind - even if they are not necessarily based in reality.
I also appreciate Torrey's attacks on the public mental health system. He places much blame on the tendency to shuffle mental health back and forth between federal and state governments, and a recent focus on mental wellness of the public vs. the mentally ill. As someone who has tried very hard to have a family member forcibly committed, the frustration with the ACLU and other patient's rights groups was also very familiar.
In general, I think this is a good all around book about the disease. It breaks down the symptoms in ways that the average person can understand, and much of the information is in a consumer's own words. Sections on treatment and medication were a little overwhelming, but could be extremely helpful when tackling actual treatment scenarios and trying to juggle the myriad of medications involved in the process.
The appendices include a long list of resources - good books and videos (and bad examples as well), contact information for advocacy and support groups, and a lengthy bibliography.
The book crams a lot of information in, but is a great resource while still being accessible to a variety of readers. Certainly a book to read while dealing with the disease - as a consumer or a family member - and to keep on the bookshelf to refer to as the treatment progresses.