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Mental Illness Education Does Make a Difference: “Breaking the Silence” Found to be Effective
Students would ask, “What’s wrong with Doug, Mrs. Susin?” Those are the words heard by Janet Susin, then a teacher in the same school where her son was a student, from his high school friends twenty-three years ago when they were searching for an explanation of why he had suddenly disappeared...
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An Update on the RAISE Schizophrenia Research Project – An Interview with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD
Over the past several issues, Mental Health News has been following the progress of the RAISE project, an NIMH sponsored research study that is examining the role and potential that early and specific interventions can play in the recovery of people that have just been recently diagnosed with...
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The Economics of Recovery – The Day the Patients Ran the Asylum
Joanne was smiling as her fellow students congratulated her for passing her Microsoft Word Certification Test. She had to put in eighteen months of class time at the Center in order to pass. Her goal now was to become certified in PowerPoint and Excel, while she held down her new part-time...
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An Update on the National RAISE Schizophrenia Project – An Interview with John Kane, MD
The last issue of Mental Health News was devoted to the science, research, treatment and understanding of schizophrenia. As a follow-up to this important area of study and understanding, I had the opportunity to speak with John Kane, MD, one of the principal investigators and leaders of the...
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Serge and Pierre: Coping with Schizophrenia on Two Continents
Pierre’s father and my husband Guy were in the same class at the School of Architecture of the Beaux Arts in Paris and worked together after graduation. We were friends and had known their son Pierre since birth. An excellent student and a personable young man, he was chosen by his high school in...
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Understanding and Treating Schizophrenia – A Comprehensive Review from the National Institute of Mental Health
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. About 1 percent of Americans have this illness. People with the disorder may hear voices other people don’t hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling...
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From the Publisher – There are “No Old Topics” When it Comes to Mental Health Education
I was recently asked “Why do you keep revisiting the same old topics over again in Mental Health News?” I did not have a cute or definitive answer at the moment. However, as I sit here writing this column, I am convinced that it is because you can never cover a good topic often enough. Each...
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Living with Schizophrenia: A Sister’s Perspective
Aaron* was born in 1950 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 17. Everyone thought that Aaron was a difficult child. He had tantrums and rages from a young age, but he seemed very intelligent although he had trouble succeeding in school. Aaron had seen many psychiatrists and...
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My Return from the Darkness of Schizophrenia – An Interview with Susan Weinreich
Susan Weinreich is an award-winning artist whose work has won acclaim around the world. For close to 40 years she endured a heroic journey through the darkness of schizophrenia. Her story has become an inspiration to many and she has become an advocate for people with mental illness. Mental Health...
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One Agency’s (and the System’s) Pathway to Recovery
Here’s a prescription for how to approach treatment of people with schizophrenia: “mental illness can be alleviated if the person is treated in a considerate manner, if he has the opportunity to talk about his trouble, if his interest is stimulated and if he is kept actively involved in...
