Review by Choice Review
Keefe and Harvey's intended audience is family members of people with schizophrenia. To make the writing appropriate, they clearly set out sections: "What is Schizophrenia," "Causes of Schizophrenia," and "Types of Treatment." They discuss practicalities, such as matching drug to patient needs and how different types of family therapy work. They create drug lists, give flow-chart physician decisions when an actively schizophrenic person is referred, and list researchers and support groups. Despite this simplicity and clarity, they are up-to-date on drugs and research. The result is a book aimed at family members but useful for students interested in people with mental illnesses. Future physicians, future psychologists or social workers, and people with family members with the disease can learn a lot from the book. However, it has two drawbacks: a reasonable amount of background is needed to understand the material; and it is so tightly focused on the US that its discussions of health care and legal issues, for instance, will not apply to other countries. Still, a very useful and quite well-written book that should be in academic libraries. General; undergraduate; technical. J. A. Mather; University of Lethbridge
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
