I've added  new page to this website to include links to other sites that are packed full of information about schizophrenia and mental illness. The direct link is http://terrimorgan.net/links.

Because I think this information is so valuable, I'm including it here on my blog.

Playing the Genetic Lottery is a work of fiction, but schizophrenia is a very real disorder that affects one out of every 100 people across the globe. That means just about everyone has a family member, close friend, or close friend with a family member who is living with schizophrenia. And everyone who loves someone who lives with this devastating mental illness, as the protagonist of my novel illustrates, is affected.

Despite that, many people feel like their situation is unique because the stigma surrounding mental illness. Even in this day and age when people go onto television and share their innermost secrets with the world the stigma prevents many people from talking about schizophrenia and other mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and depression and sharing their experiences. That in turn prevents many people from seeking the help they need.

I hope my novel has shed a little light on schizophrenia, and prompts readers to start talking about mental illnesses. By encouraging conversations, hopefully more and more people will recognize that mental illness is a disease, like cancer or diabetes and that it's nothing to be ashamed of.

There are a lot of great people and great organizations that mental health consumers and their loved ones can turn to for information, resources and support. I've listed the ones I found most helpful when researching schizophrenia and the impacts it has on people along with their URLs. Many of these organizations have local chapters that offer support groups, meetings, and face-to-face conversations, and many address all types of mental illnesses.

The great thing about the internet is that you can access information from any part of the globe. The not-so-great thing is that urls, as well as organizations and associations, can and do change. While these addresses were current in May, 2014, if you find a link no longer works, please email me at terri@terrimorgan.net so I can update this information. If you know of an organization that's not included, please send me information as well.


National Alliance on Mental Illness http://nami.org

Schizophrenia Society of Canada www.schizophrenia.ca

Sane Australia www.sane.org

Rethink Mental Illness www.rethink.org

Mental Health America www.mentalhealthamerica.net

National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression www.narsad.org

Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America www.sardaa.org

Embracing My Mind www.emminc-recovery.org

Psych Central online resources http://psychcentral.com

Mental Health Association Australia www.mentalhealth.org.au

International Schizophrenia Foundation www.orthomed.org/isf/isf.html

SZ Magazine www.mentalwellnesstoday.com

Compeer www.compeer.org

National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov

http://.schizophrenia.com An online community providing information, education, support and forums

Bring Change 2 Mind (working to end the stigma and discrimination) www.bringchange2mind.org