Reader-friendly references for schizophrenia

[Lady_in_red]

I was hoping someone could help me find some reader friendly books about schizophrenia for my mother.

My 17 year old brother has been hearing voices and seeing things (apparently for years) and is currently in counseling. He hasn't been diagnosed with schizophrenia but the nurse practitioner is leaning in that direction. Because they live in a rural area, it's been difficult for my mom to have time with the nurse to speak about what schizophrenia could mean to my brother and in the context of the whole family. The focus is currently on just getting him to sleep to decrease the voices.

As just a student nurse, I have no clue where to find the best references. Most of what she has found on her own has scared the bejuseus out of her. She's planning to talk to the practitioner about her concerns tomorrow, but some reference books would be great.

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

Some Australian references for you (when it comes to rural communities and mental health - we have lots of problems too)

http://www.sfnsw.org.au/schizophrenia/sch_hme.htm

http://www.schizophrenia.org.au/

http://www.healthdirect.gov.au/topics/Schizophrenia

Those are a couple of sites anyway - hope they help

[Morgan314]

http://www.treatmentteam.com/content_entry/treatment_prevention/treatment_prevention.jsp

workbooks from this site is what I use for patient/family education in the groups I lead. They are easy to read and understand.

[Lady_in_red]

Thank you!

[edorn]

I just finished a book loaned to me by one of my nursing students called the quiet room. It is very intense, and told from the world of the person with hallucinations.

edorn

[Ado Annie, ASN, RN]

Prayers and hopeful thoughts to your family. Someday we will be able to really effectively treat mental illness... I hope he seeks and is cooperative with treatment. Love him. Please look for your local NAMI chapter... they have educational resources, too.

[BSNtobe2009]

There are 9 different types of schizophrenia.

Hallucinations and voices are in two different catagories:

First, Are the voices he is hearing, does he think someone is speaking to him (as if someone was in the room) or are the voices coming from within his mind? Does he KNOW they are not real, or does he think they are real?

Second, The Hallucinations...does he know what he is seeing isn't real or does he insist that he is seeing what he sees?

In either case, does he fear anything? What do the voices tell him to do?

I would find a Psychiatrist to get the accurate diagnosis. The movie "A Beautiful Mind" is a perfect example of the difference between the two...the professor for years was seeing people he thought were real, now to this day, that same professor is still seeing his 'roommate' and the young boy, but now he knows they are not real, and that is a very important distinction for someone with schizophrenia to make.

If he is fearful at all, he might need a short stint in an in-patient facility..fear leads victims to defend themselves, and that can be dangerous when they are having an episode.

I am so sorry for your son and I'll be praying for him.