Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers

As a schizophrenia sufferer, I have been healthy from delusions for the past eleven years, but have been unable to hold down a "real job", as it were, for just as long, having only been able to cope with limited voluntary work and supported work instead, due to the illness. I'm well, but my problem is that I don't have much capacity, and the pressure and stress of a real job is too much for me because of my affliction. So, even though I do a few hours voluntary work, I still get abuse occasionally from one or two people when I socialise in the pub at the weekends. They don't understand, and with the stigma surrounding mental illness, it's very difficult to explain, even though, with these people, they'd probably given me more abuse if they knew the truth. I would love to give them a copy of "Surviving Schizohprenia" by E Fuller Torrey, which is a brilliant and informative book that has helped me enormously and made me understand my illness much better, as well as helping to ease a lot of my worries and fears. Dr Fuller Torrey is doing a great job on his crusade against the ignorance and misunderstanding that surrounds the mentally ill, and should be applauded from the rooftops. I also hope, soon, to help in this regard, albeit anonamously. But I just can't praise "Surviving Schizophrenia", or the author, enough! If you, or someone you know, has this terrible illness, please read this book! It has been a great help to me.

I come from a large family, a house with a lot of love. So when not just one--but two--of my siblings developed major mental illness, I struggled for years to understand them. Then several years ago I read this book and cried tears of recognition. At last, I finally understood things from the point of view of my brothers. Soon I had everyone in my family reading this book and truly it opened many eyes. "Surviving Schizophrenia" explodes many common myths about mental illness but more importantly it shows families and loved ones how to cope. I now understand that it is only natural to have "me too" fears about mental illness but most of these fears are groundless. Likewise many parents needlessly blame themselves, wondering what they did wrong. "Surviving Schizophrenia" was a Godsend, helping me to realize that mental illness often strikes the most gifted, talented individuals. And far from "poor parenting," families of the mentally ill often develop extraordinary coping skills, such that they are more "together" than families untouched by mental illness. What's more, this book gave me greater confidence to talk about this subject without feeling the least bit of stigma. And confidence to live my life fully, without fear of being thought an "oddball," either because of my brothers or my chosen profession. Plus the resources are excellent. I highly recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in this topic.

A person I know who has schizophrenia told me that this book was the best description of the disease he had ever seen. Certainly I found it to be the most lucid and comprehensible to someone who has not experienced the disease. In addition, Dr. Torrey's caustic description of our hodgepodge of policies toward the severely mentally ill should be required reading for policy-makers everywhere, since -- as Dr. Torrey shows -- schizophrenia ends up affecting everyone, not just those who suffer directly from it. (We could probably wipe out the national debt if we could recover just the lost value of economic activity by family members, police, jail and prison employees, courts, and others diverted from their other tasks to deal, inadequately in many cases, with the disease's effects.) In this new edition, he has enlarged and updated the coverage of the disease's symptoms, its treatments, and their adverse effects; he has also expanded considerably the section on advocacy and added a few more of his incisive and entertaining reviews of other books on the subject. Buy several copies and send the extras to your elected officials: we can all benefit from substituting good science, good sense and compassion for what is all too typically done now.

My son is alive and thriving today largely because of Dr. E. Fuller Torrey's books and activities on behalf of the severely mentally ill.Six years ago, Dr. Torrey's third edition of Surviving Schizophrenia was the first book I read on the subject. Our family was in crisis after my oldest son had his first psychotic break. Dr. Torrey's practical, sound, humane advice was godsent information. I had read Bateson and Satir years before in grad school. Based on their writings, I felt responsible and guilty that my son developed schizophrenia. Dr. Torrey's book allowed me to move beyond misplaced guilt with it's clarity of thought on an illness beset by flakey books and ideas. His practical advice guided us in selecting a multidisciplinary team to work with our son who is doing well even though he requires occasional hospitalization. Dr. Torrey's endnotes guided us into a wide field of research that broadened our understanding. I have since read extensively on the subject: neurology, genetics, and psychiatric texts; legal and medical journals; history; etc. I spend two days a month at the UC Davis Medical School's library researching psychosocial and cognitive-behavioral treatments. I also advocate for sane public policies that are directed toward the severely mentally ill. You cannot beat this book's wise counsel. In one place, you can find information on almost every aspect of the illness. As broadly read in the field as I am, I discovered new and exciting developments in Dr. Torrey's latest edition. This is the first book that I would give anyone who needs to understand schizophrenia. For families, consumers, and providers, Surviving Schizophrenia is the bible on almost every aspect of the disorder. Buy copies for yourself, parents, children, friends, teachers, clergy, ....

I have found this book to be essential in my work with persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. Written in a highly readable manner, this book shouts for the reform of a mental health system that more often than not ignores the individuals stricken with this disorder, while at the same time educating the reader about the illness, the biological bases for etiology, current treatments, and the services essential for not just the survival but the flourishing of persons with schizophrenia. Every practitioner who works with this population should have a copy of this book on their shelf.