Living Outside Mental Illness - (Qualitative Studies in Psychology) by Larry Davidson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An essential volume for improving understanding of the recovery process for people diagnosed with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is widely considered the most severe and disabling of the mental illnesses. Yet recent research has demonstrated that many people afflicted with the disorder are able to recover to a significant degree.

Living Outside Mental Illness demonstrates the importance of listening to what people diagnosed with schizophrenia themselves have to say about their struggle, and shows the dramatic effect this approach can have on clinical practice and social policy. It presents an in-depth investigation, based on a phenomenological perspective, of experiences of illness and recovery as illuminated by compelling first-person descriptions.

This volume forcefully makes the case for the utility of qualitative methods in improving our understanding of the reasons for the success or failure of mental health services. The research has important clinical and policy implications, and will be of key interest to those in psychology and the helping professions as well as to people in recovery and their families.

Review Quotes

"Davidson takes an interesting approach to the disorder and makes a compelling case for the use of person centered narratives to find out what is going on with recovery in persons with schizophrenia. Recommended."-- "Choice"

"Davidsons book leaves one with an image of the inside of schizophrenia as essentially mysterious but the possibilities of recovery as hopeful if uncertain."-- "Journal of Mental Health"

"I see this book as an important accomplishment. It contains numerous helpful suggestions about how to go about eliciting narratives as a means of encouraging patients along their recovery journey."-- "Psychiatric Services"

"Living Outside Mental Illness is more than a recapitulation of previously published research."-- "Metapsychology Online Book Reviews"

"The book provides a window into the experiences of a person with schizophrenia . . . a rich narrative."-- "The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease"

"This volume makes the case for the utility of qualitative methods in improving our understanding of the reasons for the success or failure of mental health services."-- "Family Therapy"