Includes bibliographical references.

"Schizophrenia has been called 'the worst disease affecting mankind.' It is also arguably the diagnosis which carries the greatest degree of stigma. For many years, the condition was untreatable. Medications introduced in the 1950s offered hope, but left many people with either lack of efficacy or intolerable side effects. Today, thanks to newer antipsychotic medications, and clozapine for treatment resistance, full recovery from schizophrenia is possible for many. People living in recovery from schizophrenia enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives. They are a vital part of the normal flow of life we call community. Bethany Yeiser, President of the CURESZ Foundation, recalls the multiple times she was told that persons living with schizophrenia never recover. Two days following her diagnosis, her family was told she was permanently and totally disabled. But thanks to adherence to the rarely prescribed medication called clozapine, for treatment-resistance, she experienced her own 'awakening.' Her symptoms have been in full remission for fifteen years. In Awakenings, she shares her quest to prove recovery is possible and sustainable and has identified others who are also thriving despite being diagnosed with schizophrenia."--,Amazon website.