Recovery from Schizophrenia: An International Perspective - A Report from the WHO Collaborative Project, the International Study of Schizophrenia

This book is a report of the findings of the International Study of Schizophrenia (ISoS), Focusing on variations in the course and outcome of schizophrenic disorders, the investigation covers 14 countries in both the developed and developing world. The bulk of the volume consists of portraits of individual field research centres in each country and reports on the outcomes of these centres' schizophrenic patients. The "portrait chapters" are flanked by introductory and synoptic chapters laying out both the genealogy and design of ISoS and synthesising its major findings. Of these, the most significant conclusions: that while recovery from schizophrenia is a struggle for many patients, it is possible to achieve in terms of improved daily function and quality of life and that, with appropriate and sustained treatment, schizophrenia is largely an episodic disorder that has a favourable outcome for a significant portion of those afflicted with it. The book also includes extensive tables that present the research data, permitting further independent analysis. "Recovery from Schizophrenia" is unique - there is virtually nothing like it in the contemporary field of cross-cultural psychiatric epidemiology, and the massive, multinational investigations upon which it is based are not likely to be replicated any time soon in the area of mental illness. As such, this book will be a unique resource for mental health professionals, practitioners, and researchers worldwide, providing an empirically based reason for hope in the long run for persons living with schizophrenia.