Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative)

this was a great book to learn more about Schizophrenia and made for a great book to write a paper on!

I bought this book and had it sent to my brother who is in jail over and incident that occoured while he was delusional. He is diagnosed as schizoaffective and has been in and out of hospitals, jails, and prison mainly as a result of his illness. Today I went to visit him and he said he received the book I had sent him. He questioned why I had sent him a book on schizophrenia (he has some insight that he has mental health issues) and stated that what he experiencing during his teenage years was due to being schizophrenic, but now (at 24) he is cured. He said he liked the book and the way it was divided into two parts- personal account backed my scientific understanding and research.I wanted to share my gratitude towards the author for creating much needed material. I’m happy to know that this book has helped, small or big, my brother identify the experiences he has gone through due to his illness. Thank you.

I purchased this line of books to have relate able items for my students in counseling. I've enjoyed the books & felt they're easy to read for the younger audience. I will definitely purchase more in the future.

This book, about a young person, is also great for adults. Symptoms are the same, therapy and medications are often the same, and it is easy to understand. If your child (no matter what age) has been diagnosed with Schizsophrenia, this book is definitely a must. It explains what happens in such an understandable way. You will feel like an expert once you read this book, even though I still can never spell the disease perfectly. It's not an expensive book either. Add this to your library if you want to know what to expect and how to deal with Schitzophrenia. See, I did it again. I need a Websters dictionary.

I like this book. As a Mental Health therapist, I use this book with my clients who suffer from schizophrenia. I assign a chapter for homework, we read it together and we discuss it in session.

This is an excellent book if you are just learning about schizophrenia. He talks in depth about his own experiences with paranoia, but he also outlines other types of schizophrenia. Also, there is a strong theme of hope throughout the book. I feel grateful to him for writing his story.

We have a 21 year old grandson who has been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia. This book was suggested to us by a close friend who had a career in psychiatric services at a major university hospital. My wife has read the book and feels this is a superb contribution to the illness as understood by the patient and his psychiatric helpers. I ordered two copies of this book, one for my daughter and she concurs. We have made the book available to our grandson as well and hope he reads it.I have not yet read the book but intend to do so soon.

I agree with others who have said that the clinical stuff should have been left out. Kurt's personal story and his account were very well written and could help and give hope to others with a similar diagnosis but his story is interrupted throughout the book with clinical jargon and explanations inserted by the co-authors. I wanted to give this book to my son to read, and I did, but I don't think he'll get thru the lengthy clinical intro or past the numerous sections of inserted clinical info to actually get thru Kurt's story. Kurt's story should be told interrupted from Chapter 1 and the clinical information added to the end of the book for those who wish to learn more about the clinical side of schizophrenia - which is NOT likely to be adolescents and young adults (the intended audience?).

This book offers an emotionally charged and realistic but hopeful look at Schizophrenia from the perspective of a man who suffers from the illness. I work in the field of psychiatry and read this book with my friend who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Both he and I found the book to be objective, honest, and inspiring. The author outlines the struggles of Schizophrenia but does not focus on the limitations it has caused, he instead offers his struggles as lessons and tells of what worked best for him. Many times throughout the book my friend came to tears and said reading the pages were like reliving his own experiences. I am grateful this book was recommended to me by a peer and I would recommend it to patients, peers, and families of those touched by Schizophrenia. My friend, who has good insight into his illness, said this book helped him understand even more about himself and his illness. I highly recommend this book for anyone to read, especially those in the field of mental health or those who have friends, loved ones, or are themselves suffering from Schizophrenia.

Me, Myself, and Them is Kurt Snyder's own account of living with schizophrenia, an experience that began for him at the age of 18. But his account is supplemented by observations from an academic in the field of psychiatry, neurology and radiology (Raquel E Gur) and a journalist specialising in mental health issues (Linda Wasmer Andrews).It is hard to find anything much to criticise in this book. If I have one very minor criticism, it is that more hasn't been done to address the issues of stigma and stereotyping in connection with schizophrenia. These issues are not ignored, but they are dealt with rather fleetingly towards the end of the book. My own feeling is that these are very important matters that should have been raised earlier and dealt with more thoroughly (but this doesn't stop me from giving the book a five-star rating).As I see it, Me, Myself, and Them offers the reader two major benefits. First, it mixes personal experience with explanatory detail in a very readable way. Some of the background observations tend towards the technical, but they are offered in a straightforward and readily understandable way. The book also offers some guidance on legal and financial matters (for sufferers in the United States), thus adding another dimension to its more practical aspects. This book strikes the perfect balance between specialised medical description, advice for sufferers, ordinary everyday narrative, and emotional involvement.Second, and perhaps more important, is the fact that this is a very positive, optimistic book. It clearly gives the message that schizophrenia is treatable. While it cannot actually be cured, substantial recovery is achievable. With treatment matched appropriately to the individual, a sufferer can go on to lead a very full and rewarding life, with the condition downgraded (potentially, at least) to little more than an occasional inconvenience - I certainly wasn't previously aware that such a positive outcome was possible.Me, Myself, and Them is primarily aimed at schizophrenia sufferers and their families, but it is also invaluable for anyone who wants to get away from popular misconceptions and gain a better-informed understanding of what schizophrenia is.

excellent

This book is honest and written by someone experienced in the reality. He is not an academic studying from a distance. Difficulties, challenges, onset and coping strategies are outlines, and common misconceptions are discussed. This is a must read for anyone experiencing this mental illness or anyone involved with that person.

Great read