50 Recommended Books

Readings in Psychiatric Rehabilitation,
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by William Anthony and LeRoy Spaniol, ©1994 Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
An extensive collection of readings presenting current thinking, research, and practice of psychiatric rehabilitation by prominent contributors in the field.

We Heard the Angels of Madness, One Family's Struggle with Manic Depression,
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by Diane & Lisa Berger, ©1991 William Morrow and Company
A gripping account of the first few years of their relative's manic depressive illness, interspersed with some basic information on mood disorders.

Working With the Families of the Mentally Ill
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by Kayla F. Bernheim, ©1985 W.W. Norton and Company
An excellent handbook for families and others close to people with mental illness.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 2nd Edition
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by Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D. and K Edmund J. Bourne, ©1995 New Harbinger Publications
A practical and comprehensive guide offering help to anyone who is struggling with panic attacks, agoraphobia, social fears, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or other anxiety disorders. Step-by-step guidelines, questionnaires, and exercises will help you learn skills and make lifestyle changes necessary to achieve a lasting recovery.

The Life of a Bipolar Child,
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by Trudy Carlson, ©1999 Benline Press
The year-by-year description of a boy's life with emerging bipolar disorder and the effects of his illness on functioning through each year of school until his death at age fourteen. Carlson has become an outspoken advocate of in-school screening to identify children at risk. (Originally published as "The Suicide of my Son").

Helping Someone With Mental Illness, A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers,
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by Rosalynn Carter, ©1998 Times Books, Random House
Step-by-step information on what to do after the diagnosis: seeking the best treatment; evaluating health-care providers; managing workplace, financial, and legal matters. Mrs. Carter addresses the latest breakthroughs in understanding, research, and treatment of schizophrenia, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mental disorders.

When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times
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by Pema Chodron, ©1997 Shambhala Publications
There is a fundamental happiness available to every individual--yet we usually miss it while spending our lives trying to escape suffering that is ultimately quite inescapable. Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist teacher, shows that the secret to freeing oneself from pain is not to run from it, but to step right up to the uncharted territory of difficulty with friendliness and curiosity.

The Depression Workbook, A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression,
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by Mary Ellen Copeland, ©1992 New Harbinger Publications
This truly unique book is based on the responses of 120 participants in a survey of depressives and manic depressives who share their insights, experiences and strategies for living with extreme mood swings.

Living without Depression and Manic Depression, A Workbook for Maintaining Mood Stability,
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by Mary Ellen Copeland, ©1994 New Harbinger Publications
More than 11 million people suffer from depression in the U.S. each year. Now, this guidebook presents new ways to cope with depression and hold it at bay. Based on a study of patients diagnosed with major depression or manic-depression who have avoided serious recurrences for over two years, this guide offers proven techniques for staying well.

Winning Against Relapse, A Workbook of Action Plans for Recurring Health and Emotional Problems,
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by Mary Ellen Copeland, ©1999 New Harbinger Publications
This workbook provides a carefully structured system that anyone can use to monitor symptoms and respond to them in a way that reduces or eliminates the possibility of relapse.

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 4th Edition,
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by Martha Davis, Ph.D., Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, M.S.W., and Matthew McKay, Ph.D., ©1998 New Harbinger Publications
This best-selling book details effective stress reduction methods such as breathing exercises, meditation, visualization, and time management. Widely recommended by therapists, nurses, and physicians throughout the U.S., this fourth edition has been substantially revised and updated to reflect current research.

Anguished Voices: Sibling and Adult Children of Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities
http://www.bu.edu/sarpsych/
Edited by Rex M. Dickens and Diane T. Marsh, ©1994 Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
To order, contact LeRoy Spaniol at 617-353-3549 or by email: leroys@bu.edu.
"The mental illness of a close relative is a catastrophic event for young family members that has repercussions throughout their lives. In the past there has been little awareness of this impact among most professionals and parents, or even among siblings and children themselves. At present adult siblings and children are gaining insight into their own experiences and sharing their wisdom with the larger community. This book is an outgrowth of that process." From the introduction.

Readings in Dual Diagnosis,
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by Robert E. Drake (Editor), ©1997 International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
This book brings together information from many of the preeminent researchers and clinicians in the challenging field of mental illness and substance abuse.

Dual Diagnosis: Counseling the Mentally Ill Substance Abuser
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by Katie Evans, Michael Sullivan, J. Michael Sullivan, ©1990 Guilford Press
Now a comprehensive guidebook is available for front-line service providers who need practical information....[it] is a welcome addition to the literature and provides a readable, accessible, and practical introduction to providing services for people with co-existing mental illness and substance abuse disorders....should be very effective as a tool for cross-training mental health and substance abuse staff members or as a textbook in pre-professional training. It is an excellent general introduction for practitioners - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal

Spirituality and Religion in Recovery from Mental Illness (New Directions for Mental Health Services, #80)
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by Roger D. Fallot (Editor), ©1998 Jossey Bass Publishers
The psychiatric literature suggests that religion and spiritual issues are significant and meaningful forces in the lives of people with mental illness, yet they are often overlooked as a bridge to recovery. This edited collection of articles provides an overview of the current thinking on the interconnections between spirituality and religion, and psychiatric rehabilitation.

Fountain House, Portraits of Lives Reclaimed from Mental Illness,
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by Mary Flannery, Mark Glickman, and E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., ©1996 Hazelden Information Education
In this acclaimed book, twelve members of Fountain House, a highly successful treatment program for people with severe chronic mental illness, share their stories of struggle, pain, and confusion. Each story highlights their challenges, as well as the models they've discovered for living with-and beyond-mental illness.

The Explosive Child, A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
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by Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., ©1998 Harper Collins Publishers
Parenting techniques that work for children (such as those with bipolar and other brain disorders) who do not adapt well to transitions, have a low frustration tolerance, think in black and white, and whose life is a "never ending string of conflicts and disasters." Techniques can be used as part of a treatment plan that includes medication, especially while waiting for medication to take effect or during relapses.

Families of the Mentally Ill, Coping and Adaptation
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by Agnes B. Hatfield Ph.D. and Harriet P. Lefley, Ph.D., (Editors), ©1999 Guilford Press
An introduction, overview, and description of mental illness addressing the experience of mental illness in the context of the family life cycle and developmental stages of the illness.

Surviving Mental Illness, Stress, Coping, and Adaptation
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by Agnes B. Hatfield, Ph.D. and Harriet P. Lefley, Ph.D., ©1999 Guilford Press
Discusses the experience of mental illness from a variety of perspectives including: one's experience of psychosis, sense of self, family relationship, and the recovery process.

The Dual Disorders Recovery Book
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©1993 Hazelden Information Education
Thousands of individuals suffer from a combination of psychiatric illness and chemical dependency known as dual disorders. The Dual Disorders Recovery Book helps individuals with dual disorders develop a plan for daily living. Personal stories and professional insights create a framework for successful daily living.

Hidden Victims, An Eight-Stage Healing Process for Families and Friends of the Mentally Ill, 2nd Edition,
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by Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, ACSW, ©1994 P E M A Publications, Inc.
Based on her work as a psychotherapist, the author has developed this cathartic eight stage program to guide family members as they come to terms with feelings of loss, fear, anger and guilt, and set positive goals for the future.

Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness,
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by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., ©1990 Dell Publishing
Featured on Bill Moyer's PBS special Healing and the Mind, this practical guide to mindfulness, meditation and healing from the author of the best-selling Wherever You Go, There You Are is a classic in the field of alternative medicine.

Girl Interrupted,
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by Susanna Kaysen, ©1994 Vintage Books
When Kaysen was 18, in 1967, she was admitted to McLean Psychiatric Hospital outside Boston, where she would spend the next 18 months. Now, 25 years and two novels later, she has come to terms with the experience --as detailed in this searing account. Made into an Academy Award winning film.

Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, a memoir,
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by Jacki Lyden, ©1997 Houghton Mifflin Company
In so vividly capturing both the horror of her mother's illness and the seductive, transporting power of her insanity--its energy, its dazzling boldness--Lyden communicates one of the most elusive lessons of adulthood: how it's possible to love a parent not just in spite of her or his flaws but also because of them - The New York Times Book Review

Undercurrents, A Life Beneath the Surface
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by Martha Manning, ©1996 Harper San Francisco
The memoir of an ordinary woman--a mother, a daughter, a psychologist, a wife--who skillfully, uncannily tells the tale of her spiraling descent into a severe, debilitating depression, Meaning's is a witty and graceful account that belies the popular understanding of the controversial treatment she sought.

How to Cope With Mental Illness in Your Family, A Self-Care Guide for Siblings, Offspring, and Parents,
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by Diane T. Marsh, Ph.D. and Rex M. Dickens, ©1998 Putnam Publishing Group
This book explores the nature of illnesses such as schizophrenia, major depression, and manic depression, while providing the tools to overcome the devastating effects of growing up or living in a family where they exist. Readers are led through the essential stages of recovery, from revisiting childhood to revising their family legacy, and, ultimately, to reclaiming their life.

The Zen Path through Depression,
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by Philip Martin, ©1999 Harper SanFrancisco, A division of Harper Collins Publishers
Philip Martin, a psychiatric social worker and a longtime student of Zen, describes his personal battle with depression and relates the basic practices and ideas of Zen Buddhism to the process of healing depression.

Motivational Interviewing, Preparing People to Change Addictive Behavior,
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by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, ©1991 Guilford Press
Motivational Interviewing is an approach designed to help clients build commitment and reach a decision to change. It draws on strategies from client-centered counseling, cognitive therapy, systems theory, and the social psychology of persuasion.

Coping With Schizophrenia, A Guide for Families,
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by Kim Tornval Mueser, Ph.D. and Susan Gingrich, M.S.W., ©1994 New Harbinger Publications
Provides excellent strategies for families to help cope with acute or chronic episodes of schizophrenia of a loved one. It also provides concise, up to date information and research on causes and treatments of schizophrenia.

Consumers as Providers in Psychiatric Rehabilitation
http://www.iapsrs.org/pubs-gen.htm
by Carol Mowbray et al, (Editors), ©1997 International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
The book tackles complex and diverse issues consumers face as mental health practitioners and, at the same time, underscores the special talents consumer providers bring to psychiatric rehabilitation and mental health.

Consumers Guide to Psychiatric Drugs
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by John H. Neal, M.D., John D. Preston, Psy.D., Mary C. Talaga, R.Ph.M.A., ©1998 New Harbinger Publications
This book is the result of a collaboration between a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a pharmacist. It includes a comprehensive overview of current medical treatments for anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders, as well as an extensive guide to specific drugs.

Imagining Robert, My Brother, Madness, and Survival - A Memoir,
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by Jay Neugeboren, ©1997 William Morrow and Company Inc.
This heartrending and ultimately uplifting memoir tells the story of two brothers - one a prizewinning novelist; the other an extraordinarily witty, intelligent man who has suffered the ravages of chronic mental illness for more than three decades - and of how their love for one another has enabled them not only to survive, but to thrive in miraculous, surprising ways.

Transforming Madness, New Lives for People Living with Mental Illness,
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by Jay Neugeboren, ©1999 William Morrow and Company Inc.
In "Imagining Robert" Jay Neugeboren told the sad, shocking story of one family's struggle against chronic mental illness. Now he presents a well-informed overview of mental health care in America--what's wrong, what's right, and how we can realize the promise of new hope and healing.

The Bipolar Child, The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder,
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by Demitri F. Papolos, M.D. and Janice Papolos, ©2000 Broadway Books
A compelling account of what is currently known about the illness in children. Stresses the benefits of early intervention and the urgent need for further research. The authors spent over a year in BPParents (an on-line parent support group) and let real family voices speak eloquently about their struggles and triumphs.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation,
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by Carlos W. Pratt, Kenneth J. Gill, Nora M. Barrett, and Melissa M. Roberts, ©1999 Academic Press
Provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly growing field of psychiatric rehabilitation. The book, written in an easy-to-read, engaging style, is suitable as a textbook for both undergraduate and graduate courses, as a training tool for mental health workers, and as a reference for academic researchers studying mental health.

An Unquiet Mind,
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by Kay Redfield Jamison, ©1997 Random House
With breathtaking honesty Kay Jamison tells of her own manic depression, the bitter costs of her illness, and its paradoxical benefits: "There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness and terror involved in this kind of madness.... It will never end, for madness carves its own reality." This is one of the best scientific autobiographies ever written, a combination of clarity, truth, and insight into human character.

Night Falls Fast Understanding Suicide,
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by Kay Redfield Jamison, ©1999 Alfred A. Knopf
"Suicide is a particularly awful way to die: the mental suffering leading up to it is usually prolonged, intense, and unpalliated," writes Kay Redfield Jamison. "There is no morphine equivalent to ease the acute pain, and death not uncommonly is violent and grisly." Jamison has studied manic-depressive illness and suicide both professionally--and personally. She first planned her own suicide at 17; she attempted to carry it out at 28. Now professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she explores the complex psychology of suicide, especially in people younger than 40: why it occurs, why it is one of our most significant health problems, and how it can be prevented.

Welcome to My Country, Journeys into the World of a Therapist and Her Patients,
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by Lauren Slater, ©1997 Anchor Books/Doubleday
In an extraordinary account of her work with mentally and emotionally ill patients that "gently unfurls to become a revealing memoir and thoughtful meditation on the therapeutic process itself" (The New York Times), brilliant young writer and therapist Lauren Slater brings readers closer to understanding themselves, one another, and the human condition.

An Introduction to Psychiatric Rehabilitation,
http://www.iapsrs.org/pubs-gen.htm
by LeRoy Spaniol et al, (Editors), ©1997 International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Developed by the Publication Committee of IAPSRS, it includes the best articles of 20 years of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, plus new articles and perspectives by leaders in our field.

The Recovery Workbook, Practical Coping & Empowerment Strategies for People With Psychiatric Disability,
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by LeRoy Spaniol, Martin Koehler, and Dori Hutchinson, ©1994 Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
A resource for professionals, family members, and consumers/survivors to help people who experience psychiatric disability begin the process of recovery.

The Experience of Recovery,
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by LeRoy Spaniol and Martin Koehler, (Editors), ©1994 Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Personal accounts of persons who have experienced psychiatric disability-- how they have struggled and coped to develop a more solid sense of themselves, their relationships, their living, learning, and working environments, and to meaning and purpose in life.

Psychological and Social Aspects of Psychiatric Disability,
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by LeRoy Spaniol, Cheryl Gagne, and Martin Koehler, Editors, ©1997 Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
The first text to systematically examine the psychological and social aspects of psychiatric disability--this collection of articles by researchers, professionals, consumers, and family members bridges scholarly research, professional knowledge and practice, and the human experience of people who live with mental illness.

Surviving Schizophrenia, A Manual for Families, Consumers and Providers, 3rd Edition,
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by E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., ©1995 HarperPerennial, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers
This indispensable reference guide has helped thousands of consumers, families and medical professionals. It clearly defines much misunderstood concepts such as the nature and causes of the illness, common symptoms, treatments, and insights on living with the illness.

Handbook on Supported Education, Providing Services for Students With Psychiatric Disabilities
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by Karen V. Unger, ©1998 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
This user-friendly guidebook gives you specific ideas for helping consumers return to or remain in college, trade school or GED Programs.

Traumatic Stress, The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society
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by Bessel A. Van Der Kolk, (Editor), ©1999 Guilford Press
Featuring contributions from the world's leading experts, this integrated work summarizes the current state of our knowledge about the ways people deal with extreme stress, and the ways in which professionals can help them recover.

Telling Is Risky Business, The Experience of Mental Illness Stigma
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by Otto F. Wahl, ©1999 Rutgers University Press
"Individuals with mental illnesses--such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression--have a double burden," Otto Wahl writes. Not only must they cope with disabling disorders, but they also must contend with the negative attitudes of the public toward those disorders. To truly understand the full extent of this stigma, we need to hear from the consumers themselves. Telling Is Risky Business is the first book to examine what these people have to say about their own experiences of stigma.

Breakthroughs in Antipsychotic Medications, A Guide for Consumers, Families, and Clinicians.
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by Peter J. Weiden, Editor, ©1999 W.W. Norton & Company
"This is a consumer guide on new antipsychotic medication. Left untreated, psychosis is devastating. Over the last 10 years, new antipsychotic medications have become available. While these new medications usually don't cure serious mental disorders, many people have done better on these new medications than they ever did before. [This book] will help you know what questions to ask the doctor about your medications and treatment plan".

The Power of Focusing, A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing,
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by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D., ©1996 New Harbinger Publications
"Focusing"--defined as a body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing--is employed today by thousands of psychotherapists with their patients. This book, the first to make the methods of this treatment accessible to laypersons, outlines in friendly, nontechnical language how to effectively use focusing to address a variety of issues.

9 Highland Road, Sane Living for the Mentally Ill
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by Michael Winerip, ©1995 Vintage Books
9 Highland Road is an in-depth account of the life and lives in a group home for the mentally ill: the residents, their families and the counselors, social workers and psychologists with whom they work.

Conquering Schizophrenia, A Father, His Son, and a Medical Breakthrough,
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by Peter Wyden, © 1998 Alfred A. Knopf
Wyden, a journalist and publisher, walks with his son Jeff through the hell of schizophrenia, describing their 25-year ordeal of electroshock and drug therapies and disabling side effects. He traces the development of the new drug Olanzapine and its positive effects on Jeff within the context of the history of treatment research in schizophrenia.