Terri, I saw "A Beautiful Mind" the other night. Would you consider
the following? Maybe you had the right book but the wrong page?

"A coodinated campaign to destroy my reputation and my
life.  Countless letters.  Countless phone calls.  Countless lies and
half truths."

How to Recognize Schizophrenia

(Aug. 18, 2003) - A person who suffers from schizophrenia will battle
the brain disease for a lifetime. There is no cure, only treatment.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 1
percent of the world population suffers from schizophrenia in any
given year.

That means more than 2 million people in the United States are
afflicted. And Flagstaff, with a population of approximately 56,000,
would statistically have approximately 560 people suffering from
schizophrenia.

The disease affects men and women equally. But the disease shows up in
men earlier than women -- typically between the ages of 16 to 25 for
men and 20 to 30 for women.

The causes of schizophrenia are not known, but nearly three decades of
research into the disease points toward a combination of genetic and
behavioral factors, among others. Some studies are focusing on
abnormalities as well as chemical defects in the brain.

Among the symptoms of Schizophrenia are: Delusions -- These are
thoughts that are not real. For instance, paranoid delusions are when
a person thinks everyone is out to harm them, even loved ones.
Distorted thinking -- This is an inability to think straight, or make
sense out of the events going on around the sufferer.

Hallucinations -- This is hearing or seeing things that are not real.
As many as 75 percent of sufferers hear voices at some point.
Emotionlessness -- This is when a sufferer loses the ability to
express emotions.

For people to be diagnosed schizophrenic, they must show at least two
different types of symptoms over a six-month period of time.

When sufferers begin to show symptoms, their behavior changes
dramatically. Once outgoing and personable, they may become
emotionless and antisocial.

Other warning signs that a person may be suffering from schizophrenia
include:

Poor personal hygiene
Depression
Rigid stubbornness
Dropping out of activities
Drug or alcohol abuse
Unexpected hostility
Bizarre behavior
Decline in academic or athletic interests
Inappropriate response

Advocates for the treatment of schizophrenia stress that it takes a
licensed physician to distinguish between the disease and teen growing
pains or drug and alcohol abuse. The disease cannot be cured, but it
can be treated with medication and other non medication treatments,
like self-help groups and counseling to help a sufferer cope with the
disease.

Medication will not prevent the disease from reappearing, although
medication can keep the symptoms from being less severe. Yet, even
taking medications are not a guarantee that a sufferer will not have a
severe relapse.

Relapse rates are much higher when the medications are not used, or
discontinued. Sufferers of schizophrenia often refuse to accept the
fact that they have an illness and refuse to take medications, or
discontinue them when they begin to feel better.

"It is critical that people with schizophrenia stay in treatment even
after recovering from an acute episode," states information from the
Arlington, Va.-based Treatment Advocacy Center, a non-profit
organization working to eliminate barriers to treatment of severe
mental illness.

Approximately 80 percent of sufferers who stop taking medication will
have a relapse with a year. But even if sufferers do stay on
medications, there is still a 30 percent chance they will suffer a
relapse in a year.