Amador, Xavier, I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help!, Vida Press, 2000.

In a clear, concise manner, Amador addresses this book to the friends and family of people with mental illness. He helps them to understand the pressures, fears, and anxieties of someone who is suffering and how to help him or her.

Beam, Alex, Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital, Public Affairs, 2001.

New England's McLean Hospital has been known as the country club of mental institutions, with its tennis courts, golf course, and riding stables. Beam interviewed patients as well as hospital staff in preparation for drawing this portrait of the hospital.

Green, Michael Foster, Schizophrenia Revealed: From Neurons to Social Interactions, Norton, 2003.

In this quite accessible book, Green offers his readers an up-to-date account of current definitions of schizophrenia, its symptoms, and contemporary attempts to understand and treat...