Schizophrenia Revealed: From Neurons to Social Interactions

By Michael Foster Green

Book Overview

In this much-needed book, Michael Green, an expert in the neurocognition of schizophrenia, presents an integrated overview of schizophrenia covering a wide range of topics in lively, understandable prose. He outlines a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia, discusses neurocognitive indicators of genetic vulnerability, the introduction of a new generation of medications, recent findings from brain imaging, cognitive remediation, and the determinants of functional outcome. He presents a modern view of schizophrenia based on neuroscience that goes far beyond the symptoms of the illness.

Schizophrenia Revealed gives the reader an important overview of the most recent developments in our understanding of schizophrenia. It will be of interest to clinicians who are trying to understand the neurocognitive constraints acting on their patients, practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, social work, and nursing, as well as family members and students who want to know how our view of this disease has changed in recent years.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393703347
• ISBN13: 9780393703344
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Schizophrenia

This book was an excellent review of schizophrenia and I recommend it to anyone interested in gaining general knowledge about this severe mental disorder.

UNTITLED

This book presents neurodevelpmental, genetic, neurocognitive, and brain imaging insights in recent schizophrenia research. Evidence suggests that schizophrenics may have smaller brains and larger cavities in their brains. Also they experience neurocognive deficits particularly in social situations, which partially explains the finding that they have trouble maintaining continuous employment.

well-written and informative

Schizoprenia Revealed is a well-written and informative book about this often misunderstood illness. Michael Foster Green gives us some insight into some possible causes, what's physically going on at the neuronal level, the social and functional issues, the various treatments over the last century and much more. The content flows well and should be able to be understood by laypersons and professionals alike. It is not filled with incomprehensible jargon but is descriptive enough to convey the science behind the illness, it's research and treatments etc. I recommend this book to anyone who suffers from Schizoprenia, patient's families and anyone who is interested in learning more about the illness.

Cramming has never been so interesting

I was recently forced to stay in on a Friday night to read this entire book in preparation for an upcoming exam. Pretty non-ideal circumstances, confounded by my expectation that this would be a heavy read, filled with scientific jargon that I don't have the background to understand. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book was nothing like what I expected. The author provided an easy-to-follow overview of the differences in the transmission of neurochemical impulses in individuals with schizophrenia (as compared with individuals in a normal sample). Throughout the book, the author interspersed findings of studies leading to what we know about the brains of individuals suffering from schizophrenia (including research conducted on alternative phenotype individuals - i.e., individuals with the genotype for schizophrenia who do not manifest symptoms necessary to be diagnosed with the full-blown disorder). These studies are fascinating- it is really remarkable how far the field has come- and they were very helpful in providing a background for the advances researchers are making in the field today. It was really a pleasure to finally read a book that caters to "non-scientists" who are interested in learning about the processes underlying this terrible disease. As a senior who would normally have greatly preferred a night out at the bars to a night catching up on class reading, I think it says a lot that I was not only able to get through this book, but was also engaged from cover to cover.

"Schizophrenia Revealed" is an excellent up-to-date summary

Michael Foster Green is a Ph.D. in the UCLA Dept. of Psychiatry and isthe sole author of this book (as well as innumerable papers on thissubject in the scientific literature). While his prior book onschizophrenia was clearly aimed at a professional audience, thiscurrent one is eminently suitable for both lay and medical audiences.It is up-to-the-minute in explaining this complex disease in cause,diagnostic testing, and treatment. Physicians will find many usefulclues in making this difficult diagnosis and in how to structuretherapy. Of even greater value, this is the first down-to-earth, veryreadable (and humorous) book to explain to families why this hashappened to loved ones. It is a very good book, and very wellwritten.