Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope (10th Anniversary Edition)

10th Anniversary Edition



"Written with compassion, emotion, and insight, ... with a hard-won emphasis on healing and hope, ... it offers a visceral, often heart-rending portrait chronicle, with welcome attention paid to the rippling effects of mental illness."

-- BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick)



"The astounding patience, compassion, love, commitment to family, and willpower LaPera has shown while coping with such an issue is remarkable. I recommend Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia to anyone who faces mental illness or knows someone who does. This book will inspire and encourage loved ones not to give up hope even when getting help seems all but impossible."

-- Amy Raines for Readers' Favorite (Five-Star Review)





No drugs. No alcohol. So, how does a fifty-three-year-old develop schizophrenia? That question puzzles Joseph's family when his mind descends into madness, filled with delusions and paranoia. He roams the world as a self-proclaimed prophet-of-God-purportedly arrested in Israel, advised the Mafioso in Italy, and hailed as a prophet in Africa. When he returns to the United States, he faces down drug dealers and prostitutes while homeless, then disappears.



His wife and three kids race to find answers before he slips away forever. Their biggest fear-he will die a faceless stranger. Alone.

Winner of a Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in psychology, Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope is a compelling true story told through multiple perspectives-the children, spouse, and patient. It offers a rare glimpse into a world that will either feel hauntingly familiar or shocking.



The foreword written by Dr. Xavier Amador, Founder, LEAP Institute and author, I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! explains the neurological condition of anosognosia.



This 10th Anniversary Edition has rearranged formatting for improved readability, revisions, and additional supplemental materials, which include updated discussion of laws related to mental illness, family interviews, photographs, resources, and expanded reading guide questions ideal for book clubs, classroom discussion, or professional education to better understand the impact of severe mental illness, both as experienced by family caregivers and the community. Well-suited for use in Psychopathology courses to understand schizophrenia through the study of lived experience.