Schizophrenia is a complex and often misunderstood mental health disorder. If someone in your life has been exhibiting the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia, it can be valuable to you (and them) to learn as much as you can about this condition. The schizophrenia books included in this post below can provide you with valuable insights about the disease of schizophrenia, the ways it can affect people, and the types of treatment that may be most beneficial.
Books About Schizophrenia
The three schizophrenia books in this section can help you gain a general understanding of this disorder.
Schizophrenia: A Very Short Introduction (by Christopher Frith and Eve C. Johnstone)
This schizophrenia book is part of a series from Oxford University Press. Here’s how the publishing company describes it: “The schizophrenic patient presented to the public in sensational press reports and lurid films bears little resemblance to reality of the illness. This book describes what schizophrenia is really like, how the illness progresses, and the treatments that have been applied.”
Learn more about Schizophrenia: A Very Short Introduction.
The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia: Helping Your Loved One Get the Most Out of Life (by Kim T. Mueser, PhD, and Susan Gingerich, MSW)
Kim Mueser is a clinical psychologist who also serves as a professor at Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. Susan Gingerich is an independent clinician who has decades of experience working with individuals and families who have been impacted by severe mental illnesses. The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia is one of five books that Dr. Mueser and Ms. Gingerich have co-authored.
Learn more about The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia.
Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia (edited by Anne Cooke)
This schizophrenia book was developed by members of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology. The society’s website notes that contributors to this publication include eminent clinical psychologists from eight universities and NHS trusts, as well as individuals who have direct experiences with psychosis. The book is available as a free download (in .pdf form) from the BPS, which is a registered charity in the United Kingdom.
Learn more about Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia.
Books About Treating Schizophrenia
The two books in this section are designed for psychiatrists, therapists, and other professionals who treat schizophrenia. Some of the language may be challenging for readers who do not have a clinical background, but the books offer a valuable perspective on various evidence-based techniques that have the potential to improve the lives of people with schizophrenia.
The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline For The Treatment Of Patients With Schizophrenia, Third Edition
The APA, which also publishes the authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, released this book in 2019 with the goal of “[enhancing] the treatment of schizophrenia for affected individuals, thereby reducing the mortality, morbidity, and significant psychosocial and health consequences of this important psychiatric condition.” It can be read in its entirety online or downloaded for free from the APA’s website.
Learn more about The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline.
Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia by David G. Kingdon and Douglas Turkington
A review in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease advocated that this book “should be required reading for all clinicians who provide psychotherapy to individuals with schizophrenia.” Dr. Kim Meuser, a co-author of The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia, wrote that Kingdon and Turkington have created a text that is “replete with lively case vignettes, practical tips for clinicians, helpful handouts for clients, and useful scales for measuring outcomes.”
Learn more about Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia.
Books About People Who Have Gone Through Schizophrenia
The following are two widely praised first-person accounts of people who have directly experienced the symptoms of schizophrenia:
The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness (by Elyn R. Saks)
Elyn Saks is an associate dean and professor at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, a 2009 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship “genius grant,” and someone who has struggled with the symptoms of schizophrenia throughout her life. Time magazine hailed this 2007 memoir as “a stereotype-shattering look at a tenacious woman whose brain is her best friend and her worst enemy.”
Learn more about The Center Cannot Hold.
The Day the Voices Stopped (by Ken Steele)
Ken Steele was a nationally recognized mental health advocate who sadly died of heart failure at age 52, shortly before the publication of this powerful memoir. Mr. Steele was plagued by auditory hallucinations and other symptoms of schizophrenia from the ages of 14-47. Five years before his death, he began to take a new medication that had the life-changing effect that inspired this book’s title.
Learn more about The Day the Voices Stopped.
Additional Resources for People With Schizophrenia
In addition to the books discussed in the previous sections, here are a few schizophrenia-focused online resources from reputable national and international organizations:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Contact Montare to Learn About Our Schizophrenia Treatment Options
Montare at the Valley offers personalized inpatient and outpatient programming for individuals whose lives have been disrupted by schizophrenia. Our center is staffed by skilled professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality of customized care within a safe, welcoming, and highly supportive environment. With our help, people who have schizophrenia can learn to manage their symptoms and achieve improved quality of life. Contact us today to learn more.
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