SZ Magazine contains something for everyone who is interested in burgeoning research, recovery or just the daily concerns of people with schizophrenia. This quarterly magazine contains both reports on new research and human interest stories related to Schizophrenia. In this article, I will be looking at the latest issue of SZ Magazine to give you an overview of the magazine and its parts so that you can decide if it’s right for you whether you be, consumer, caregiver, psychologist, psychiatrist, or family and friends. I think you will find there is something for each of these groups and hence, something for you as well. Bill MacPhee, the founder of SZ magazine, says, “Our vision is to produce a publication that caters to total care not just mental illness.”
As Bill’s statement implies, there are articles on every aspect of the schizophrenia experience from meds to recovery, to advocacy and general health; each issue runs the gamut of possible subjects. At the same time, there are articles that are in every issue, such as, Straight Talk, Mailbag, Facts About SZ, Living Life, News
Update, Ask Dr. Bob, Points of View, Lessons Learned, Body Matters, Food, My Voice, and Research Update.
Straight Talk is a general article by Bill MacPhee, the founder of SZ magazine, which sometimes introduces one or more of the articles contained in the magazine but always treats a subject of Bill’s choosing which speaks generally to the schizophrenia experience. Mailbag is self explanatory. It presents letters, pro and con, that have been written to SZ magazine about previous articles. Facts about SZ includes: what it is, what it isn’t, symptoms, causes, treatment, prognosis, and the human economic toll.
Living Life is a discussion of the writer’s experience with Schizophrenia. In the current issue it discusses Christina Bruni’s take on recovery at middle age. She says, “Your 40s are your victory lap after all the years of hard work in recovery. You have the best of both worlds because you know your limits, yet you are able to take risks; you accept the things you cannot change, and at the same time you know you can’t put your dreams on hold.”
News Update presents timely happenings in the schizophrenia world. This summer’s issue contains the following articles: Severely mentally ill persons more likely to be in jails than hospitals: TAC (Treatment Advocacy Center), ... UNC’s (University of North Carolina) Patrick Sullivan receives grant for genetics study of Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ... Actress, advocate Glenn Close to address stigma of mental illness, ... National Business Group on Health unveils employer guide on child and adolescent mental health, ... Maine becomes 44th state to adopt assisted outpatient treatment, and finally, Psychotropic medications overprescribed to children: Study cautions.
The next section is Ask Dr. Bob in which Dr. Robert Liberman answers a series of questions posed by readers of the magazine. In this summer’s issue Dr. Bob answers two questions. The first person asks, “My son was put on an antipsychotic drug for schizophrenia. Soon after starting the medication, he became hyper and exuberant. Do others have this side effect?” The second question asks, “My daughter has had six serious relapses of her schizophrenia. Each time she had to be hospitalized, which has been unpleasant for her and for us. With regular treatment and faithful use of her medications, she has made significant progress, but I wonder: Is there any way to prevent relapses?”
After Dr. Bob comes Points of View where members of the schizophrenia community discuss a question. The question in the current issue is “Who should have the final say on medication selection?” Then in the Lessons Learned section, Xavier Amador, PhD discusses an issue of his choosing. In the current magazine, he discusses the usefulness of LATs (long acting treatments) such as long acting injectable medications.
Body Matters is an entry that discusses something related to your physical health. In past issues, they have discussed the importance of pedometers for walking or quitting smoking for your health. In the current issue, they discuss the increase in portion size in the American diet. Food is simply a collection of healthy recipes and a snippet entitled, “Beware of ‘fat free’ food claims.”
My voice is a consumer opinion piece discussing a wide range of subjects. This quarter’s article discusses stigma and the positively changing world of schizophrenia. The last section, Research Update, gives an overview of various research findings that impinge upon schizophrenia or mental illness. For example, Research shows aripiprazole therapy effective in sz patients across disease duration times, and Mental illness, creativity link discovered, to name two of the seven research articles discussed.
These are the sections of the magazine which appear each month and make up the majority of the magazine, but they don’t include a number of important articles each quarter which include the cover story. In this summer’s issue of SZ magazine, there are three important articles which add to its interest. The first is: LAIs (long acting injectables): The best shot at relapse prevention? The second is the cover story: Husseini Manji, MD: Examining brain disease in a new light. The third is: Mental Health First Aid: Reducing stigma, providing early intervention.
The first of these stories discusses the usefulness of LAIs (long acting injectables) and the importance of being put on LAIs early on in a treatment regimen. The cover story focuses on the idea that scientists ought to be looking at the underlying causes of disease and treatments should not focus solely on neurochemistry but should take into account physical changes in the brain. The third story discusses the importance of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in giving people the know-how to deal effectively with someone in crisis, be it from anxiety, stress or a psychotic break.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you are better prepared to choose SZ Magazine for a better understanding of the schizophrenia experience. So go to szmagzine.com and subscribe today or call 1-866-672-3038.
