Schizophrenia

by Tsuang, Ming. T.; Faraone, Stephen V.; Glatt, Stephen J.

• ISBN13: 9780199600915
• ISBN10: 0199600910
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Schizophrenia is one of the most traumatic psychiatric disorders, both for the affected person and their family. It also carries an unfortunate stigma and suffers from frequent misinterpretation by the popular media. The disorder usually manifests itself through significant periods of hallucinations, bizarre delusions, and disorganized behaviour, but the individuals who suffer from this brain disorder are not generally violent, and do have periods of remission. However it is often difficult for these individuals to maintain a regular lifestyle and relationships at home and at work, and many individuals with schizophrenia end up unable to live independently or, worse, homeless.

This new edition in the popular Facts series provides a concise and up-to-date account of the underlying causes and symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as current theories about the disorder. The authors look at all the current treatment options, both medical and psychological, together with likely side-effects and the problem of compliance with treatment. The role of the family and the community in caring for individuals with schizophrenia is also considered. The authors are experienced psychiatrists and psychologists with many years' experience in the treatment and study of schizophrenia. This book will provide a welcome source of information for individuals with schizophrenia, their family members, and those involved in caring for them.

Author Biography

Dr Tsuang received his M.D. degree from National Taiwan University and his Ph.D. in Psychiatric Genetics and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science,) in Genetics Epidemiology from the University of London. He has been recognized worldwide for his research in schizophrenia, manic-depressive illness, and substance abuse. One of his areas of interest is in the interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors for severe mental disorders. His current effort is to study prevention of psychiatric disorders before their onset, particularly in blood relatives of people suffering from schizophrenia, to identify traits that predispose a person to developing schizophrenia from both genetic and environmental perspectives. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and served on the National Advisory Mental Health Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr Faraone is principal investigator on several National Institute of Health funded grants studying the nature and causes of mental disorders in childhood. He has made substantial contributions to research in psychiatric genetics, psychopharmacology and methodology. In 2002, Dr Faraone was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame in recognition of outstanding achievement in medicine and education research on attention disorders and in 2004 and 2008 he was elected to the Vice Presidency of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. In 2008, he received the SUNY Upstate President's Award for Excellence and Leadership in Research. In 2009 he was awarded Alumni Fellow status at the University of Iowa. In 2010 he received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities from the State University of New York.

Dr Glatt is the principal investigator on a Young Investigator Award from NARSAD: The Brain and Behavior Research Fund, and was recently awarded NARSAD's Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Prize for Schizophrenia Research. Dr Glatt is also the principal investigator on a schizophrenia Research Project grant (R01) and Autism Center of Excellence Research Project grant (P50) from the National Institute of Mental Health. He is also a co-investigator or consultant on numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health which are focused on identifying the nature and causes of mental disorders. In particular, Dr Glatt is working primarily on candidate gene and genome-wide association, linkage, and gene expression studies of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, heroin dependence, and other substance use disorders.