Understanding and Helping the Schizophrenic: A Guide for Family and Friends

I chanced upon "Understanding and Helping the Schizophrenic" in a used book store, and being a fan of unusual psychology books, I snapped it up for a few bucks. It turned out to be a great read, authored by Silvano Arieti, M.D., the man who won the National Book Award for Science for his more extensive treatise: "Interpretation of Schizophrenia." In contrast to "Interpretation...," this book was written with the layperson in mind, and it succeeds remarkably in its purpose, giving broad insight into all things related to this most misunderstood of diseases. The cause of schizophrenia is one of the most riveting topics covered here. Interestingly, two factors combine: both a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia and an precipitously unhealthy home or work atmosphere. With both of these factors in place, usually some sort of strong emotional trigger or a catastrophic life-event will cause the onset of the illness; and this would only be the case if it is the victim's unfortunate and unlikely destiny to become a schizophrenic in the first place. Hallucinations, paranoia, regression, exhibitionism, violence, hearing strange voices, screaming - these are just a few of the symptoms that might be experienced when a schizophrenic suffers a breakdown in their reasoning capability. Modern drug therapy has for all intents and purposes obviated the stereotypical movie depictions of mental institutions full of demented and pathetic human castaways, but there are still a substantial number of these cases where the patients never emerge from the delusional worlds their minds have created for themselves, ultimately, in order to be insulated from society and its pressures. An interesting end note discusses the close connection between the thought processes of the schizophrenic and those used by creative persons engaging in innovative thinking! Highly recommended.