Coping with schizophrenia

Gr 7-10-Schizophrenia is an intelligent overview that focuses on readers' likely situations rather than on their assignment needs. In addition to a description, a brief history, and an enlightening discussion on brain chemistry and structure, Kelly addresses symptoms to watch for, diagnostic and treatment alternatives, and ways of effectively communicating with a schizophrenic or surviving if you are the one afflicted. In Illness, following an introduction utilizing famous examples of productive people who experienced some kind of mental illness, Moe moves right into descriptions of the major disorders. The chapter on "Getting Help" speaks directly to readers, describing common symptoms to watch for, explaining what kinds of questions and tests the doctor will ask and need, and providing an overview of the different types of professionals who can help. Using anecdotal examples, the author describes different treatment options. One chapter is devoted to schizophrenia. Others describe steps a person can take to help themselves or someone they love who has a mental illness. This volume will make a fine companion to Victoria Sherrow's Mental Illness (Lucent, 1996), which is more geared to research. Kelly's and Moe's titles are attractively presented, but emphasize information rather than visuals.-Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.