No drugs. No alcohol. So, how does a fifty-three-year-old develop schizophrenia? That question puzzles Joseph's family when his mind descends into madness, filled with delusions and paranoia. He roams the world as a self-proclaimed prophet-of-God-purportedly arrested in Israel, advised the Mafioso in Italy, and hailed as a prophet in Africa. When he returns to the United States, he faces down drug dealers and prostitutes while homeless, then disappears.
His wife and three kids race to find answers before he slips away forever. Their biggest fear-he will die a faceless stranger. Alone.
Winner of a Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in psychology, Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope is a compelling true story told through multiple perspectives-the children, spouse, and patient. It offers a rare glimpse into a world that will either feel hauntingly familiar or shocking.
The foreword written by Dr. Xavier Amador, Founder, LEAP Institute and author, I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! explains the neurological condition of anosognosia.
This 10th Anniversary Edition has rearranged formatting for improved readability, revisions, and additional supplemental materials, which include updated discussion of laws related to mental illness, family interviews, photographs, resources, and expanded reading guide questions ideal for book clubs, classroom discussion, or professional education to better understand the impact of severe mental illness, both as experienced by family caregivers and the community. Well-suited for use in Psychopathology courses to understand schizophrenia through the study of lived experience.