Schizophrenia, the most severe of the mental disorders, usually begins in late adolescence or young adulthood. A patient's first symptoms may be hallucinations, such as hearing voices that sound as real as those of friends and family. Or they may be delusions, such as believing that aliens are sending information to him via the radio or through television programs. While the mysterious disease can have devastating effects on the one percent of the population who experience it, new antipsychotic drugs now offer more hope for effective treatment than at any other time in history. Schizophrenia explains how the human brain operates, and how antipsychotic drugs work inside the brain in order to help relieve the symptoms of this mental disorder. In this book, you will read about: •The Nobel Prize-winning mathematician who battled schizophrenia for several decades. •The university student who dedicated his life to researching schizophrenia after his own sister was diagnosed with the disease at the age of seventeen. •The four sisters—identical quadruplets—who each had schizophrenia, and who allowed the National Institute of Mental Health to study their disease over the course of many decades. •The famous guitarist in a British rock band whose drug use propelled him into schizophrenia. Let their stories teach you about the struggles, challenges, and hopes of people with this disease.
