Schizophrenia Expert Christina Bruni shares Schizophrenia management news and commentary at SchizophreniaConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/ http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32866/promising-tool Fri Jul 04 17:13:22 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni At a NAMI 2008 convention workshop, Clarence Jordan and a colleague, Tom Lane, national director, consumer and recovery services for Magellan Health Services public sector division, spoke about self-directed care (SDC).  It's a revolutionary concept yet to go mainstream.  Self-directed care programs give people in recovery much greater choice, direction and control over the services they receive.  The workshop explored the... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32866/promising-tool http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32712/interview Thu Jul 03 00:38:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni I'm honored to have interviewed Clarence Jordan, a NAMI board member who serves on their membership and diversity committee.  Clarence is the manager of consumer recovery services for Magellan Health Services.   CB: Tell us a little about the work you do with NAMI. CJ: In regards to my role as a board member, it's a wonderful opportunity to look at our organization and make decisions not only important to our own financial... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32712/interview http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32123/prevention Thu Jun 26 21:30:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni The Sunday morning session at the NAMI 2008 convention featured two psychiatrists working on the cutting-edge of research and treatment for schizophrenia: Ed Scolnick, M.D., director, Psychiatry Initiative, the Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA and William Cook, Ph.D., director, Psychiatry Research, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME.  First, I'll report on the information presented about research, and then look at the promising results... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/32123/prevention http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31844/understanding Tue Jun 24 11:50:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni Coming out of the last blog entry, a Q&A with two esteemed psychiatrists, I offer a peer's perspective.  At the 2008 NAMI convention, Milt Greek, who self-identifies as a "schizophrenic," lectured on Schizophrenia: Thinking and Feeling.  He gave us an inside view of what goes on in the head of someone in the throes of psychosis.  A computer programmer, he's lived with the illness for 25 years.   Milt covered three... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31844/understanding http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31341/schizophrenia Thu Jun 19 08:25:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni At the 2008 convention, I was fortunate to catch up with Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI's medical director, and his colleague, Stephen M. Goldfinger, MD, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.  Their insights into schizophrenia in young people I offer as a complement to my first blog outlining the findings of NAMI's recent survey.  We chatted outdoors... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31341/schizophrenia http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31303/schizophrenia Wed Jun 18 18:43:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni "I think the most important thing is to accept the disorder like any other medical disorder, that treatment works and that recovery is not only possible, but probable as well." - Individual with schizophrenia interviewed for a new NAMI study.   A special session on "Schizophrenia: Public Attitudes, Personal Needs" was held on Saturday night at the convention in Orlando, Florida.  A panel of peers and family members, moderated... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/31303/schizophrenia http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30811/orlando Fri Jun 13 12:27:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni Hello! I flew out of Newark Liberty and there was a mix-up with my boarding pass, so security frisked me.  I had to stand there with my arms up in the air while she checked for contraband.  Then she opened and scanned my carry-on.   Aside from that, the flight was short and uneventful.  I ate a container of olives I'd bought in the Mediterranean store: Lebanese ones, kalamata, meaty olives, and plum-colored.   The... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30811/orlando http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30496/treatment Tue Jun 10 14:21:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni The information in this blog entry will be included in my second book, Life Will Tell You: on Living Well in Recovery.  Consider it a preview.  Here, I'll talk about setting treatment goals.   I've been solely on the Geodon for close to three months, and have begun to think of goals I want to achieve in my recovery.  When I saw Dr. Altman on Friday night I proclaimed, "I want to develop a three-year treatment plan, and... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30496/treatment http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30087/agreements Fri Jun 06 00:06:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni A co-worker led a book discussion centered on the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, a Toltec nagual who has dedicated his life to sharing the wisdom of the ancient Toltec.   Intrigued, I bought the book-only fifteen dollars after tax-and reading it has indeed transformed my life.  It isn't intended as a replacement for treatment, yet for those of us living with schizophrenia, I recommend the guide as a complement.  You can... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/30087/agreements http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/29958/ode-joy Wed Jun 04 23:02:00 -0400 2008 Christina Bruni Hello folks!   Today I'm writing an Ode to Joy, about the beauty of indescribable happiness and its effect on our recoveries.  Years ago, staffing a reference desk, I fielded a question from a woman who wanted to know if we carried the book Happiness is a Choice.  Unless you had clinical depression, I felt the book title was so true, and fetched it for her on the shelf.  This blog entry will talk free-form about joy and... http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/c/120/29958/ode-joy