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Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope
No drugs. No alcohol. So, how does a fifty-three-year-old develop schizophrenia? That’s the question puzzling Joseph’s family when his mind descends into madness, filled with grandiose 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.
Shrouded by secrecy related to stigma and confusion of a complicated medical system that hinders rather than helps, his wife and three kids race to find answers before he slips away forever. Their biggest fear—he will die a faceless stranger on the streets. Alone.
A Benjamin Franklin Silver award-winner 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 glimpse into a world that will either feel hauntingly familiar or shocking.
The foreword by Dr. Xavier Amador, Founder, LEAP Institute, Author of I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! explains the neurological condition of anosognosia. Includes supplemental materials including a discussion of laws, exclusive family interviews, photographs, and reading guide questions.
Losing Dad is a standalone book. If you would like additional information after reading, there is a follow-up book called Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search by Amanda LaPera.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“hard-hitting, powerful … highly recommended.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“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.” —Publisher's Weekly BookLife Reviews (Editor’s Pick)
“shows that behind every severe mental illness there is a human being." —Xavier Amador, Ph.D., Founder, LEAP Institute, Author, I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help
“a uniquely powerful. deeply personal chronicle that will resonate with readers. Characterization is top-notch and intimate.” —Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize
“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)
NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING BOOK
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in Psychology
Readers’ Favorite Award Finalist in Non-Fiction – Grief/Hardship
Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Quarter-Finalist
Shrouded by secrecy related to stigma and confusion of a complicated medical system that hinders rather than helps, his wife and three kids race to find answers before he slips away forever. Their biggest fear—he will die a faceless stranger on the streets. Alone.
A Benjamin Franklin Silver award-winner 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 glimpse into a world that will either feel hauntingly familiar or shocking.
The foreword by Dr. Xavier Amador, Founder, LEAP Institute, Author of I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! explains the neurological condition of anosognosia. Includes supplemental materials including a discussion of laws, exclusive family interviews, photographs, and reading guide questions.
Losing Dad is a standalone book. If you would like additional information after reading, there is a follow-up book called Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search by Amanda LaPera.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“hard-hitting, powerful … highly recommended.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“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.” —Publisher's Weekly BookLife Reviews (Editor’s Pick)
“shows that behind every severe mental illness there is a human being." —Xavier Amador, Ph.D., Founder, LEAP Institute, Author, I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help
“a uniquely powerful. deeply personal chronicle that will resonate with readers. Characterization is top-notch and intimate.” —Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize
“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)
NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING BOOK
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in Psychology
Readers’ Favorite Award Finalist in Non-Fiction – Grief/Hardship
Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Quarter-Finalist
340 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2013
13 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 1, 2014
Reviewed for Readers’ Favorite.
Introduction: This review was prepared for Readers’ Favorite, although I would like to add some additional notes to my review posted here. I wanted to take a moment to mention why I chose this book to review.
I do not know if it was due to having seen the 1948 film starring Olivia de Havilland, The Snake Pit, or from reading Will There Really Be a Morning?, the story of Frances Farmer, a movie star who ended up institutionalized, but I have long been intrigued by stories of the mentally ill. On further thought, maybe it was neither of those things. Maybe it was from representing a woman years ago, who may have been mentally ill. . . . In any case, some early experiences left me believing that the worst catastrophe that might strike me personally, would be to have a mental illness or to have a family member who is mentally ill.
Too often in the last decades, there have been stories of catastrophe brought about by mentally ill individuals whose families have been unable to get assistance for them before tragedy struck. Current laws do not allow for intervention on behalf of a mentally ill person who does not want help unless that person displays evidence that he is a danger to themselves or others. My heart goes out to the parents and families of those people. Where are they to turn when doctors may not discuss the details of a person’s mental illness unless that person allows it (assuming they are “of age”) but is unable to recognize the need? Where do those families turn when they fear for themselves or others but current laws will not allow them to take action when harm has not yet befallen someone? Where are they to turn when the stigma of mental illness causes them to keep things secret and when the mentally ill person himself may suffer from the inability to recognize his own illness?
Now, to my review—
Tragedy strikes a family when a father and husband, well loved and respected, is diagnosed with cancer, undergoes treatment that does not go smoothly, and is then diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a mental illness that rarely makes its debut in one’s life later than early adulthood. Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family’s Search for Hope, is the story of Amanda LaPera’s family, with a forward by Dr. Xavier Amador that discusses “anosognosia,” a condition whereby a person is unable to acknowledge the presence of his own illness and need for treatment.
“Dad” in this story is Joseph, re-married to Hilda and the father of three, who leaves the hospital following treatment for his cancer, a changed man. Eventually disappearing, the family later pieces together the story of what seems to have occurred over a series of years during which Joseph rarely made contact with them. While unable to completely substantiate Joseph’s claims, there is evidence that during his “lost” years, Joseph embarked on a trip involving four continents, thirty countries and thirteen wives. Along the way, he lived on the streets, proselytized to drug dealers and prostitutes and was even hailed a “prophet” by some, but he also lost his family, his career and his lifetime savings.
Amanda LaPera, a vocal advocate for people affected by severe mental illness, has met her goal of raising awareness in this open discussion of her own experiences. She has told a gripping story of fear and loss—of a search for hope—and of love. Losing Dad illustrates the pain felt by families that because of current laws, are unable to help their mentally ill relatives. Closing with a summary of those current laws and how difficult they make it to help a mentally ill loved one unless that person has exhibited that he is a danger to himself or others (which in some cases has come too late to avoid tragedy), LaPera’s book is timely. Parents, families, and even the larger community seek the means to humanely and respectfully assist the mentally ill who are unable to care for themselves and who may act out in their delusions, causing harm to others. The subject is mental illness; the time for discussion, is now.
Also posted at www.Oathtaker.com and on BookLikes, added to my FaceBook page and to two Google+ review groups, and tweeted. Cover pinned.
Introduction: This review was prepared for Readers’ Favorite, although I would like to add some additional notes to my review posted here. I wanted to take a moment to mention why I chose this book to review.
I do not know if it was due to having seen the 1948 film starring Olivia de Havilland, The Snake Pit, or from reading Will There Really Be a Morning?, the story of Frances Farmer, a movie star who ended up institutionalized, but I have long been intrigued by stories of the mentally ill. On further thought, maybe it was neither of those things. Maybe it was from representing a woman years ago, who may have been mentally ill. . . . In any case, some early experiences left me believing that the worst catastrophe that might strike me personally, would be to have a mental illness or to have a family member who is mentally ill.
Too often in the last decades, there have been stories of catastrophe brought about by mentally ill individuals whose families have been unable to get assistance for them before tragedy struck. Current laws do not allow for intervention on behalf of a mentally ill person who does not want help unless that person displays evidence that he is a danger to themselves or others. My heart goes out to the parents and families of those people. Where are they to turn when doctors may not discuss the details of a person’s mental illness unless that person allows it (assuming they are “of age”) but is unable to recognize the need? Where do those families turn when they fear for themselves or others but current laws will not allow them to take action when harm has not yet befallen someone? Where are they to turn when the stigma of mental illness causes them to keep things secret and when the mentally ill person himself may suffer from the inability to recognize his own illness?
Now, to my review—
Tragedy strikes a family when a father and husband, well loved and respected, is diagnosed with cancer, undergoes treatment that does not go smoothly, and is then diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a mental illness that rarely makes its debut in one’s life later than early adulthood. Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family’s Search for Hope, is the story of Amanda LaPera’s family, with a forward by Dr. Xavier Amador that discusses “anosognosia,” a condition whereby a person is unable to acknowledge the presence of his own illness and need for treatment.
“Dad” in this story is Joseph, re-married to Hilda and the father of three, who leaves the hospital following treatment for his cancer, a changed man. Eventually disappearing, the family later pieces together the story of what seems to have occurred over a series of years during which Joseph rarely made contact with them. While unable to completely substantiate Joseph’s claims, there is evidence that during his “lost” years, Joseph embarked on a trip involving four continents, thirty countries and thirteen wives. Along the way, he lived on the streets, proselytized to drug dealers and prostitutes and was even hailed a “prophet” by some, but he also lost his family, his career and his lifetime savings.
Amanda LaPera, a vocal advocate for people affected by severe mental illness, has met her goal of raising awareness in this open discussion of her own experiences. She has told a gripping story of fear and loss—of a search for hope—and of love. Losing Dad illustrates the pain felt by families that because of current laws, are unable to help their mentally ill relatives. Closing with a summary of those current laws and how difficult they make it to help a mentally ill loved one unless that person has exhibited that he is a danger to himself or others (which in some cases has come too late to avoid tragedy), LaPera’s book is timely. Parents, families, and even the larger community seek the means to humanely and respectfully assist the mentally ill who are unable to care for themselves and who may act out in their delusions, causing harm to others. The subject is mental illness; the time for discussion, is now.
Also posted at www.Oathtaker.com and on BookLikes, added to my FaceBook page and to two Google+ review groups, and tweeted. Cover pinned.
December 7, 2023
Oof. So many feelings for this poor family and what they’ve been through. Amanda does an amazing job in pulling you into the story, writing a narrative that flows and takes you on the harrowing roller coaster ride that was her family’s life with her dad. It’s a captivating read, and an in depth look into how untreated mental illness affects everyone, not just the afflicted. I really appreciated the afterword and resources, and applaud Amanda for helping to educate others and hopefully preventing others from experiencing the same pain her family has felt through all of this. Looking forward to reading the second book!
May 10, 2018
Mental Illness Can Devastate Families
As someone living with bipolar disorder who has family members also struggling with brain disorders, I greatly appreciate Amanda LaPera’s story about her father’s late onset schizophrenia. Untreated brain disorders and homelessness negatively affect family members and society as a whole. Lack of insight into one’s brain disorder and the need for help makes treating it challenging.
As someone living with bipolar disorder who has family members also struggling with brain disorders, I greatly appreciate Amanda LaPera’s story about her father’s late onset schizophrenia. Untreated brain disorders and homelessness negatively affect family members and society as a whole. Lack of insight into one’s brain disorder and the need for help makes treating it challenging.
Read
October 23, 2021In doing research for my own book on a dear person in my life with schizophrenia, I read this account. It reflects a lot of my own experience. It is always heartbreaking to the family when someone is lost to this horrid disease. However, with all of the research I have done, hope is on the horizon. DNA research is just beginning. Maybe some day we will understand how to stop or prevent this disease. One can only hope.
August 25, 2025
Not what I expected. This was one of those books that you just can't wait to get back to. A heart-wrenching story of a life lost to mental illness. LaPara artfully describes dealing with her father as his paranoid schizophrenia advances to a point where he is no longer the same person she grew up with. I am eagerly waiting to read the sequel!
May 25, 2024
I had such a great experience reading this book. I went through so many emotions throughout this dynamic story and came to feel very deeply for Amanda and her family. I think this book is great for bringing awareness to schizophrenia and how it affects not only those who are diagnosed, but also the people that love them.
April 4, 2014
Anyone who has lived this will find we never are truly alone in this experience. As I was reading I found myself nodding or remembering as a child-young adult-grown adult very similar feelings, thoughts and actions. The chaotic world that changes daily and just how incredibly helpless one feels in trying to help your loved one only to be met by idiotic laws, rules or ignorance. Also the enormous feeling of guilt and "if onlys" we are often left with.
Nothing makes much sense, everything about your world is viewed in a hypersensitive and hyper aware place.
I encourage anyone who knows someone living with this in their life, or those who wish a snapshot or greater understanding of what mental illness can mean, life made of not just for the one suffering from this devastating disease but also for those who care for, live with and love, those suffering from this disease.
This is one family journey.... There is a common thread that is part of the tapestry of all of us that live or have lived this kind of life.
Nothing makes much sense, everything about your world is viewed in a hypersensitive and hyper aware place.
I encourage anyone who knows someone living with this in their life, or those who wish a snapshot or greater understanding of what mental illness can mean, life made of not just for the one suffering from this devastating disease but also for those who care for, live with and love, those suffering from this disease.
This is one family journey.... There is a common thread that is part of the tapestry of all of us that live or have lived this kind of life.
December 9, 2023
Mental Illness touches us at unexpected times, in surprising and often unrelenting ways. Losing Dad is a touching memoir that dispels the myth that we are alone in dealing with it, and when we do, we must struggle quietly. Amanda, the author, allows you to be intimately brought inside her father’s ordeal with late onset Paranoid Schizophenia. A well thought out book with a unique voice, full of resources to help the reader through similar situations, you very much feel you are there, inside this family’s particular situation, without ever feeling like it’s being sensationalized just for entertainment. I recommend this read highly, you will feel supported in your own mental health journey and truly know you are never alone, there is help to be had, and to never give up on yourself or your family.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews