Websites:
• Advocacy
• Forums
• Mental Health
• Research
• Support & Education
Publications:
• Books
• Magazines
Videos:
• Watch a video from a person about their experience with schizophrenia
Websites:
Advocacy
• CIHI Report: Hospital Mental Health Services in Canada
• Openthedoors.com - Information on schizophrenia in 8 languages!
• Mental Health Commission of Canada
• Rethink
• Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health
• Sane Australia
• The Family Council
Forums
• Schizophrenia Forums
• 100 Ways to Support Recovery: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals (PDF)
• Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Quebec
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Chovil.com: an excellent consumer site, with unique and interesting information about schizophrenia
• Depression Treatment - http://www.depression-doctor.com
• www.DrugCoverage.CA
• http://www.drugwatch.com
• HealthLine - mental health disorders - http://www.healthline.com/channel/mental-health-disorders.html
• HealthLine - Psychotherapy information - http://www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/alt-psychotherapy
• Information on concurrent disorders
• Mental Wellness: An online resource for schizophrenia and other mental health information.
• MentalHealth.com
• Mind.org. The leading mental health Charity in the UK.
• Mood Disorders Society of Canada
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (American)
• Mental Health America
• Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
• Royal Ontario Health Care Group - http://www.rohcg.on.ca
• www.Schizophrenic.com
• www.szmagazine.com - provides a wealth of information for those affected by schizophrenia
Research
• Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)
• Canadian Psychiatric Association
• Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF)
• National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
• The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Support & Education
• Disability Tax Credit
• Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, Australia
• Improving Mental Health Services Through Informed Choice: A Bottom-Up Approach to Changing Provider Behaviour
• Schizophrenia.com
• The Family Council
• The Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP)
• You Know Who I Am (Royal Ottawa Health Care Group)
• Mental Illness Stories and Books - Books especially for family members of the mentally ill plus interactive forum
Publications
For more recommendations and resources please go to the provincial schizophrenia web sites
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey's book "Surviving Schizophrenia" is an book we highly recommend for every family affected by schizophrenia. Torrey is the Executive Director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, as well as the author or editor of eighteen books. He is also a clinical and research psychiatrist who specializes in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.Dr. Torrey is a leader in the schizophrenia research field, and has a sister with schizophrenia, so in writing this book he has drawn from extensive personal, clinical and research experience.
Schizophrenia is viewed as a four-letter word, something that shouldn’t be discussed in polite society or around the dinner table. It is a word feared by those who are told they have it. It is regarded with disdain by almost everybody who hears it. Surviving Schizophrenia, written by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, is a well-written survival guide for those who are family members, or know someone who has with schizophrenia.
While well written and informative, “Surviving Schizophrenia” can be overwhelming and frightening. Torrey does a good job of giving statistical information in the first chapter, informing the reader about things such as: how many individuals are thought to have schizophrenia, where they are, and how the medical community is treating these people. Although the statistics are interesting, they are very alarming to the layperson having to deal with the thought of schizophrenia for the first time.
Torrey uses easy to understand language and delves into the mind of the person with schizophrenia, effectively explaining schizophrenia to the layperson. In his last chapter, Torrey gives a comprehensive list of books and associations where help is available. Surviving Schizophrenia, while frightening at times, is nevertheless a great source of information for the family having to deal with this illness.
This is the book to get if you can only buy one book or just want to read one volume on schizophrenia. The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia is a must read for all those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis. It is especially important and valuable for family members, board members and staff of the provincial schizophrenia societies across Canada, in light of our new mission statement.
Chris Summerville, D.Min., CPRP
Interim CEO, Schizophrenia Society of Canada
Published this month byThe Guilford Press, this volume by Kim T. Mueser, PhD and Susan Gingerich, MSW is a complete revision of Coping with Schizophrenia with extensive updated information. Not only do the authors document, endorse and support the recover model, they offer clearly written, easy to read information on understanding the illness of schizophrenia, how to head off relapse, reduce symptoms, improving communication skills and conflict management, handling stress, solving family problems, planning for the future and learning about recovery. It is a positive, hopeful and “optimistic guide.”
As Dr. William T. Carpenter, Jr., MD with the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center says,
“Mueser and Gingerich cover all the bases to guide you along the road to recovery.”
“The authors provide state-of the-art tools for mastering the extraordinary challenges that schizophrenia poses, “says Dr. Ken Duckworks, MD of Harvard Medical School. Composed of six sections or parts, they are:
An Overview of Schizophrenia (Schizophrenia: The Basics, Diagnosis and Symptoms, Creating a Vision of Recovery, Comprehensive Treatment of Schizophrenia, Community Resources)
Special Issues for Family Members (Parents, Siblings, Spouses and Partners, Parenting and Children),
Preventing Relapses (Medication, Managing Stress, Developing a Relapse Prevention Plan, Responding to Crises)
Creating Supportive Environment (Communicating Effectively, Solving Problems, Establishing Household Rules and Sharing Responsibilities)
Coping with Specific Problems (Psychotic Symptoms, Negative Symptoms, Cognitive Difficulties, Anxiety, Depression, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Anger and Violence, Lack of Insight)
Improving Quality of Life (Social Relationships, Work and School, Independent Living and Self-Care Skills, Leisure and Recreation, Dealing with Sigma, Planning for the Future.
The official description found at Amazon is:
“Do people with schizophrenia ever get better? With the vast majority of those with the disorder dependent on their families for care, close relatives often grapple with that question. "The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia" inspires hope. Authors Kim T. Mueser, PhD, and Susan Gingerich, MSW, walk readers through a range of treatment and support options that can lead to a better life for the entire family. Individual chapters highlight special issues for parents, siblings, and partners, while other sections provide tips for dealing with problems including cognitive difficulties, substance abuse, and psychosis. Families learn to help their loved ones manage day-to-day tasks, develop friendships, and set personal life goals. Like no other book, this powerful, practical resource helps families stay connected to the individual behind the disorder so they can work together toward recovery.”
Dr. Kim T. Muser does it again! Hitting a homerun, clinical psychologist Muser who works with clients and families, teams up with Bodie Morey who has experienced firsthand the uncertainty, turmoil and challenges of mental illness developing in close family members.
"Utilizing a whole-family approach The Family Guide to Mental Illness emphasizes a wellness and recovery model. It is a great resource for families of the mentally ill in recognizing, managing and recovering from mental illness,” says Chris Summerville who is Interim CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada. One reviewer wrote, “It covers not only symptoms but helps find solutions. The chapters on communication are especially insightful and extremely helpful. It is written in layman's terms with an emphasis on love of the family member living with mental illness.”
From Publishers Weekly: “Detailed but not overwhelming, Morey and Mueser have created an extremely helpful addition to the family medical reference library. Morey and Mueser's straightforward writing style and common sense approach guide readers through a step-by-step process for helping a loved one Chapters begin with a "fundamental step" ("Discuss the situation openly," "Get a correct diagnosis"), and end with a list of "good steps" ("Familiarize yourself with the symptoms") and "missteps" ("Thinking that it's none of your business") which give readers extra guidance. Practical information and advice are well illustrated by vignettes and case histories; included are strategies for introducing the idea of getting help, thumbnail descriptions of a wide range of mental illnesses, coping with long-term interventions and how to keep on "living your own life." Therapies, including medication, are also surveyed, as well as resources for further information. Comprehensive, compassionate and rooted in solid research, this easy-to-read guidebook is suitable for any family in search of answers.”
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says, “Above all, this is a book about love. Families will rely on it to help loved ones. They will share it with friends when their families in turn are confronted by mental illness. The book covers a broad spectrum of concerns from recognizing symptoms to maintaining wellness-and offers practical information and strategies. First-hand knowledge and down-to-earth perspective provide concise discussions of good steps, bad steps, wish lists, pitfalls, and recipes for success.” -Michael J. Fitzpatrick, MSW Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Magazines
Schizophrenia Digest ( for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis)
Email: publisher@schizophreniadigest.com
Website: www.schizophreniadigest.com
Phone: (905) 994 0302
Toll Free: (888) 834 5537
Fax: (905) 994 0304
SZ Magazine ( for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis)
Email: publisher@szmagazine.com
Website: www.szmagazine.com
Phone: (905) 994 0302 Toll Free: (866) 672 3038
Fax: (905) 994 0304
