Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Updated throughout and filled with all the latest research, treatment plans, commonly asked questions and more, the bestselling resource on schizophrenia is back--now in its seventh edition.

"E. Fuller Torrey is a brilliant writer. There is no one writing on psychology today whom I would rather read."-- Los Angeles Times

Since its first publication in 1983, Surviving Schizophrenia has become the standard reference book on the disease that has helped thousands of patients, their families, and mental health professionals alike.

In clear language, this much-praised and important book describes the nature, causes, symptoms, treatment, and course of schizophrenia, and explores living with it from both the patient's and the family's point of view. This new, completely updated seventh edition includes the latest research findings on what causes the illness, as well as information about the newest drugs for treatment, and answers the questions most often asked by families, consumers, and providers.

An indispensable guide for those afflicted by schizophrenia as well as those who care for them, Surviving Schizophrenia covers every aspect of the condition and sheds new light on an often-misunderstood illness.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Photographs and Illustrations (p. xvii)
• Preface to the Seventh Edition (p. xix)
• Acknowledgments (p. xxi)
• 1 The Inner World of Madness: View from the Inside (p. 1)
• Alterations of the Senses (p. 4)
• Inability to Interpret and Respond (p. 13)
• Delusions and Hallucinations (p. 24)
• Altered Sense of Self (p. 35)
• Changes in Emotions (p. 37)
• Changes in Movements (p. 42)
• Changes in Behavior (p. 44)
• Decreased Awareness of Illness: Anosognosia (p. 47)
• The Black-Red Disease (p. 49)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 52)
• 2 Defining Schizophrenia: View from the Outside (p. 54)
• Official Criteria for Diagnosis (p. 55)
• Subtypes of Schizophrenia (p. 58)
• The Schizophrenia Spectrum: Do We All Have a Little? (p. 60)
• Schizoaffective Disorder and Bipolar Disorder (p. 64)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 69)
• 3 Conditions Sometimes Confused with Schizophrenia (p. 70)
• A "Split Personality" (p. 70)
• Psychosis Caused by Street Drugs: Can Marijuana Use Cause Schizophrenia? (p. 71)
• Psychosis Caused by Prescription Drugs (p. 74)
• Psychosis Caused by Other Diseases (p. 74)
• Psychosis Caused by Head Trauma (p. 78)
• Psychosis with Mental Retardation (p. 79)
• Infantile Autism (p. 80)
• Antisocial Personality Disorders and Sexual Predators (p. 82)
• Culturally Sanctioned Psychotic Behavior (p. 83)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 83)
• 4 Onset, Course, and Prognosis (p. 85)
• Childhood Precursors (p. 86)
• Onset and Early Symptoms (p. 87)
• Childhood Schizophrenia (p. 90)
• Postpartum Schizophrenia (p. 91)
• Late-Onset Schizophrenia (p. 92)
• Predictors of Outcome (p. 93)
• Male-Female Differences (p. 95)
• Possible Courses: Ten Years Later (p. 96)
• Possible Courses: Thirty Years Later (p. 101)
• Do People with Schizophrenia in Developing Countries Really Have a Better Outcome? (p. 104)
• The Recovery Model (p. 105)
• Successful Schizophrenia (p. 107)
• Causes of Death: Why Do People with Schizophrenia Die at a Younger Age? (p. 110)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 113)
• 5 The Causes of Schizophrenia (p. 115)
• The Normal Brain (p. 116)
• How Do We Know That Schizophrenia Is a Brain Disease? (p. 118)
• Structural and Neuropathological Changes (p. 118)
• Neuropsychological Deficits (p. 119)
• Neurological Abnormalities (p. 120)
• Electrical Abnormalities (p. 121)
• Known Risk Factors (p. 122)
• Brain Disease Deniers (p. 125)
• What Parts of the Brain Are Affected? (p. 127)
• When Does the Disease Process Begin? (p. 128)
• Theories About the Causes of Schizophrenia (p. 129)
• Genetic Theories (p. 131)
• Inflammatory, Infectious, and Immunological Theories (p. 133)
• Neurochemical Theories (p. 135)
• Developmental Theories (p. 136)
• Nutritional Theories (p. 138)
• Endocrine Theories (p. 139)
• Childhood Trauma and Stress Theories (p. 140)
• Obsolete Theories (p. 142)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 144)
• 6 The Treatment of Schizophrenia: Getting Started (p. 147)
• How to Find a Good Doctor (p. 148)
• What Is an Adequate Diagnostic Workup? (p. 153)
• Hospitalization: Voluntary and Involuntary (p. 158)
• Alternatives to Hospitalization (p. 167)
• Payment for Treatment, Insurance Parity, and Health Care Reform (p. 168)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 170)
• 7 The Treatment of Schizophrenia: Medication and Other (p. 171)
• Do Antipsychotics Work? (p. 172)
• Whose Information Can You Trust? (p. 173)
• Which Antipsychotic Should You Use? (p. 174)
• A Treatment Plan for First-Break Psychosis (p. 181)
• Dose and Duration (p. 184)
• Clozapine: The Most Effective Antipsychotic (p. 186)
• Monitoring: Is the Person Taking the Antipsychotic? (p. 188)
• Long-Acting Antipsychotic Injections (p. 189)
• Medications to Try When All Else Fails (p. 190)
• Drug Costs and the Use of Generics (p. 193)
• Criticism of Antipsychotics (p. 194)
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) (p. 196)
• Herbal Treatments (p. 197)
• Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (p. 198)
• RAISE and the Early Treatment of Schizophrenia (p. 201)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 203)
• 8 The Rehabilitation of Schizophrenia (p. 205)
• Money and Food (p. 206)
• Housing (p. 210)
• Employment (p. 214)
• Friendship and Social Skills Training (p. 217)
• Medical and Dental Care (p. 220)
• Exercise (p. 221)
• Peer Support Groups but Not the Hearing Voices Network (p. 221)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 223)
• 9 What Good Services Should Look Like (p. 225)
• Psychiatric Inpatient Beds (p. 226)
• The Need for Asylum (p. 227)
• Outpatient Services (p. 229)
• Rehabilitation (p. 234)
• Quality of Life Measures (p. 235)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 236)
• 10 Ten Major Problems (p. 238)
• Cigarettes and Coffee (p. 239)
• Alcohol and Street Drugs (p. 242)
• Sex, Pregnancy, and AIDS (p. 246)
• Victimization (p. 252)
• Confidentiality (p. 254)
• Medication Noncompliance (p. 258)
• Assisted Treatment (p. 264)
• Assaultive and Violent Behavior (p. 273)
• Arrest and Jail (p. 277)
• Suicide (p. 279)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 282)
• 11 How Can Patients and Families Survive Schizophrenia? (p. 284)
• The Right Attitude (p. 285)
• The Importance of Education (p. 294)
• Survival Strategies for Patients (p. 294)
• Survival Strategies for Families (p. 297)
• Effects of Schizophrenia on Siblings, Children, and Spouses (p. 308)
• Minimizing Relapses (p. 312)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 315)
• 12 Commonly Asked Questions (p. 322)
• Does Schizophrenia Change the Underlying Personality? (p. 322)
• Are People with Schizophrenia Responsible for Their Behavior? (p. 324)
• Does Schizophrenia Affect the Person's IQ? (p. 327)
• Should People with Schizophrenia Drive Vehicles? (p. 328)
• How Do Religious Issues Affect People with Schizophrenia? (p. 329)
• Should You Tell People That Von Have Schizophrenia? (p. 331)
• Genetic Counseling: What Are the Chances of Getting Schizophrenia? (p. 332)
• Why Do Some Adopted Children Develop Schizophrenia? (p. 334)
• What Will Happen When the Parents Die? (p. 335)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 337)
• 13 Schizophrenia in the Public Eye (p. 339)
• Schizophrenia in the Movies (p. 340)
• Schizophrenia in Literature (p. 348)
• Schizophrenia, Creativity, and Famous People (p. 355)
• The Problem of Stigma (p. 360)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 363)
• 14 Dimensions of the Disaster (p. 364)
• How Many People Have Schizophrenia in the United States? (p. 369)
• Do Some Groups Have More Schizophrenia Than Others? (p. 371)
• Is Schizophrenia Increasing or Decreasing? (p. 375)
• Is Schizophrenia of Recent Origin? (p. 376)
• Deinstitutionalization: A Cradle for Catastrophe (p. 379)
• What Is the Cost of Schizophrenia? (p. 385)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 389)
• 15 Issues for Advocates (p. 390)
• Advocacy Organizations (p. 391)
• NIMH and SAMHSA (p. 394)
• Educating the Public (p. 396)
• Decreasing Stigma (p. 398)
• How to Organize for Advocacy (p. 399)
• Recommended Further Reading (p. 401)
• Appendix A An Annotated List of the Best and the Worst Books on Schizophrenia (p. 403)
• Appendix B Useful Online Resources on Schizophrenia (by D.J. Jaffe) (p. 421)
• Notes (p. 429)
• Index (p. 461)

Author notes provided by Syndetics