Books on Schizophrenia by Canadian Publisher Continue to Make An Impact

DUNDAS, Ontario - Dec. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- Dr E Fuller Torrey is a research psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He is the executive director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center, a professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the author of twenty books. Surviving Schizophrenia A Family Manual, has been used by families since it first came out in 1983 and has helped countless patients, their families and mental health providers.

The 6th edition has just been released and, in Appendix A, where he lists the best books on schizophrenia, he included three books published by Bridgeross.

Of Schizophrenia Medicine's Mystery Society's Shame by Bridgeross publisher, Marvin Ross, he says "this short book summarizes the neurobiology and treatment of this disease . Chapter 6, “Treatment Strategies” is especially good." About Mr Ross, he says he "is one of the leading Canadian advocates for individuals with serious psychiatric disorders."

After Her Brain Broke: Helping My Daughter Recover Her Sanity by Susan Inman, he describes as "This is a very nicely written account by a mother whose daughter has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. She describes the occasional highlights and more common lowlights of the Canadian psychiatric care system as experienced by her daughter. The author's attempt to educate herself as she wends her way through the treatment maze is a model for others."

He also offers praise for Dr. Carolyn Dobbins – What A Life Can Be: One Therapist's Take on Schizoaffective Disorder – "This is a nicely written memoir by a therapist with schizoaffective disorder. She notes that functioning well is very difficult, 'a full time job, 24/7 for most of my life.' She also emphasizes that 'not every fibre of our being is crazy when we are mentally ill. Part of the spirit remains untouched and free.' It is a hopeful book about someone who has put her life together despite her illness."

Previously, healthyplace.com, an award winning metal health website based in San Antonio listed 2 of the above 3 books as must haves for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective and other thought disorders. Two of them are After Her Brain Broke and What A Life Can Be. The other is My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery From Mental Illness by Sandra Yuen MacKay. Sandra is the recipient of the Courage to Come Back Award in Mental Health in BC and one of the five Faces of Mental Illness in Canada for 2012.

Left off both lists but also noteworthy are three other titles. When Quietness Came: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey With Schizophrenia by Erin Hawkes has received considerable acclaim and Ms Hawkes speaks about her experiences to various lay and professional groups. Her book has 4.6 stars out of 5 (11 reviews) on Amazon. She is a contributor to Huffington Post.

Love's All That Makes Sense A Mother Daughter Memoir by Sakeenah and Anika Francis deals with growing up with a mother with schizophrenia. Dr Sarah Y Vinson, an Atlanta psychiatrist wrote "This book will provide validation and inspiration for families who face similar struggles, as well as provide mental health care providers with perspectives that can inform care." on her Black Mental Health website.

Both authors recently presented to the 60th Annual Convention of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Orlando at were keynote speakers at a conference on mental illness for pastors organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Alabama.

Unfaithful MInd by Marion Gibson in Victoria, BC deals with  late onset schizoprhenia in her husband, John, a world renowned scientist at the University of Victoria. A review on Goodreads stated "I would recommend this book to anyone suffering from a mental illness, particularly those seeking to learn more about schizophrenia, but quite frankly I'd recommend it to everyone because the mentally ill deserve to be acknowledged in the same way sufferers of other diseases are. And right now society by and large does choose to ignore its existence."

In early December, Marion and her husband, John, had the opportunity to present a lecture about their book and experiences to psychiatrists and staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

Coming in the Spring of 2014 is Shot in the Head by Katherine Flannery Dering. It is a true story bringing to life the experiences of one large family before and after the onset of mental illness. Using a mix of narrative, photographs, emails, poetry and pictures of various cherished objects, the book takes the reader into the author’s world of caring for her younger brother Paul, who suffered from schizophrenia and then lung cancer. The author was the second of ten children, Paul and his twin sister 8^th and 9th.

Elizabeth Eslami, Author of Bone Worship and Hibernate and the 2013 winner of the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, describes the book as “Both universal and personal, Katherine Dering’s Shot in the Head is the story of a family just barely holding on. Dering unspools her story with urgent compassion and grace.”

Bridgeross books are distributed by Ingram and are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters/Indigo, and others including book sellers internationally including the UK, Europe and Australia. E-books are available in all formats such as Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple I-book and Google Play. For more information, visit http://www.bridgeross.com