A neuroscientist explores the biological bases of schizophrenia and tells the heartbreaking story of his own brother’s battle with the disease.

Honorable Mention for the AMWA Medical Book Awards of the American Medical Writers Association

When bright lives are derailed by schizophrenia, bewildered and anxious families struggle to help, and to cope, even as scientists search for causes and treatments that prove elusive. Painful and often misunderstood, schizophrenia profoundly affects people who have the disease and their loved ones. Here Ronald Chase, an accomplished biologist, sets out to discover the facts about the disease and better understand what happened to his older brother, Jim, who developed schizophrenia as a young adult.

Chase’s account alternates between a fiercely loyal and honest memoir and rigorous scientific exploration. He finds scientific answers to deeply personal questions about the course of his brother’s illness. He describes psychiatric practice from the 1950s—when electroconvulsive shock therapy was common and the use of antipsychotic medications was in its infancy—to the development of newer treatments in the 1990s. Current medical and scientific research increases our understanding of genetic and environmental causes of the disease.

Chase also explores the stigma of mental illness, the evolution of schizophrenia, the paradox of its persistence despite low reproduction rates in persons with the disease, and the human stories behind death statistics. With the author’s intimate knowledge of the suffering caused by this disease, Schizophrenia emphasizes research strategies, the importance of sound scientific approaches, and the challenges that remain.

Ronald Chase is a professor emeritus of biology at McGill University. He is author of The Physical Basis of Mental Illness, Behavior and Its Neural Control in Gastropod Molluscs and The Making of Modern Psychiatry.

Ronald Chase's profile page

• Commended, AMWA Medical Book Awards

"While schizophrenia may be well known, it is widely misunderstood. Chase has successfully produced a succinct scientific overview of schizophrenia that also gives a touching insight into the lives of those affected by this complex disease."

The Biologist

"What Dr. Chase produces is a rare combination of family memoir and accessible explanation of the neuroscience, genetics, and the epidemiology of schizophrenia. I simply love this book."

PsychCentral

"Schizophrenia is a book written for anyone touched by the disease. Dr. Chase asserts that it is not a scientific text for healthcare professionals; however, in my opinion, the book is informative for them as well... The book is a must-read for anyone who has a loved one suffering from schizophrenia."

Examiner.com

"A daunting subject viewed through the lens of neuroscience, evolution, and medical history, served to readers as a personal, moving narrative. Chase provides a model of effective science writing."

"Chase notes, in his final reflections, that the shifting social perceptions and acceptance of schizophrenia have improved the situation for sufferers and families alike—a change that will only be bolstered by this sensitive and compassionate read."

"I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a relative or loved one with schizophrenia, and to any mental health professional who needs to be reminded about the effects of mental illness on the patient and the family."

Doody's Review Service

"The book Schizophrenia: A Brother Finds Answers in Biological Science is a period piece. It is a combination of personal recollections spanning the second half of the 20th century and an extended pedagogical discussion of some of the research on schizophrenia during that period."

PsycCRITIQUES

"It's more than a professor of biology's coverage: it blends his own family story of his brother's life and affliction with a review of the latest scientific literature on the issue, making for a guide especially user-friendly to families struggling with the result of a diagnosis."