This book fills a significant research gap in how to integrate quality of life data into relevant clinical care plans, and to broaden its applicability to pharmacoeconomic studies of antipsychotic medications and health policy decision-making. It also presents an argument for reformulating the concept of health-related quality of life in schizophrenia as a bio-psycho-social construct, which provides an opportunity to better explore the many factors underpinning the concept itself. Internationally renowned experts from different scientific backgrounds and scopes of expertise each make arguments for the need to invigorate quality of life as a concept in schizophrenia, by broadening its usefulness for clinical and research efforts. The book represents an important addition to the extensive contributions of its editors, Dr. A. George Awad and Dr. Lakshmi N.P. Voruganti, to the field of quality of life.

Beyond Medication focuses on the creation and evolution of the therapeutic relationship as the agent of change in the recovery from psychosis. Organized from the clinician’s point of view, this practical guidebook moves directly into the heart of the therapeutic process with a sequence of chapters that outline the progressive steps of engagement necessary to recovery. Both the editors and contributors challenge the established medical model by placing the therapeutic relationship at the centre of the treatment process, thus supplanting medication as the single most important element in recovery. Divided into three parts, topics of focus include: Strengthening the patient The mechanism of therapeutic change Sustaining the therapeutic approach. This book will be essential reading for all mental health professionals working with psychosis including psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.

The experience of living and working with schizophrenia is often fraught with challenges and setbacks. This book is a comprehensive attempt to explain why, in spite of near-miraculous advances in medication and treatment, persons with mental illness fare worse than almost any other disadvantaged group in the labor market. As a researcher of economics and disability and the mother of a son with schizophrenia, the author speaks from both professional and personal experience. First, she looks at societal factors that affect employment outcomes for persons with schizophrenia (or other serious mental illness), including stigma and discrimination, investments in human capital, the quality of mental health services, and the support of family and friends. Then she examines workplace factors that affect employment outcomes, including employer mandates in the Americans with Disabilities Act, the decision to disclose a diagnosis of mental illness at work, the interaction between job demands and functional limitations, and job accommodations for persons with a serious mental illness. Giving weight to both perspectives, the final chapter outlines a set of policy recommendations designed to improve employment outcomes for this population.

Reveals proven solutions for bettering the lives of people with serious mental illness, their families, and their communities. Leading scientist and gifted storyteller Rachel A. Pruchno, PhD, was shocked to encounter misinformation, ignorance, and intolerance when she sought to help her daughter, newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Turning to the scientific literature, Dr. Pruchno eventually found solutions, but she realized many others would need help to understand the highly technical writing and conflicting findings. In Beyond Madness—part memoir, part history, and part empathetic guide—Dr. Pruchno draws on her decades as a mental health professional, her own family's experiences with mental illness, and extensive interviews with people with serious mental illness to discuss how individuals live with these illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression. The book • presents real-world vignettes that vividly describe what it is like to experience some of the most troubling symptoms of a severe mental illness • offers practical advice for how individuals, family members, and communities can help people with a serious mental illness • explains how people with mental illness can find competent health care providers, identify treatment regimens, overcome obstacles to treatment, cope with stigma, and make decisions • provides insight into programs, such as Crisis Intervention Training, that can help people undergoing mental health crisis avoid jail and get the treatment they need • takes aim at the popular concept of "rock bottom" and reveals why this is such a harmful and simplistic approach • advocates for evidence-based care • documents examples of communities that have embraced successful strategies for promoting recovery • shows that people with serious mental illnesses can live productive lives Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Beyond Madness is a call to action and a promise of hope for everyone who cares about and interacts with the millions of people who have serious mental illness. Family members, friends, teachers, police, primary care doctors, and clergy—people who recognize that something is wrong but don't know how to help—will find the book's practical advice invaluable.

I lost my mind in order to gain my soul. Those are the words of a man who has lived through the struggle to conquer his mental illness through a journey of self-discovery that takes him to prisons and hospitals-and a world inhabited by saints, angels, and devils. Author Paul Arthur Bell begins his story with a riveting scene-a police officer points his .38 revolver at him. As Bell places his forehead against the muzzle, he shouts, "Be gone, Devil!" Later arrested and charged with drug use, Bell spends the night in jail, hallucinating and wondering how he got there in the first place. His girlfriend, Darla, is confused and takes a mystified Bell along with her on a nonstop roller coaster ride of emotions and unrequited love. Bell eventually discovers that a higher power has come to him as a whisper through all he has endured, and shares his newfound wisdom and unashamed honesty about his twenty-five-year battle with his demons. Bell refuses labels and understands that his destiny is to learn to listen. If you suffer from mental illness or know someone who does, Beyond Psychosis will help you find insight into the ravages of this disease.

This book offers a succinct model of recovery from serious mental illness, synthesizing stories of lived experience to provide a framework for clinical work and research in the field of recovery. • Places the process of recovery within the context of normal human growth and development • Compares and contrasts concepts of recovery from mental illness with the literature on grief, loss and trauma • Situates recovery within the growing field of positive psychology – focusing on the active, hopeful process • Describes a consumer-oriented, stage-based model of psychological recovery which is unique in its focus on intrapersonal processes