Dr. John Csernansky's Reading List

The filmmakers of People Say I'm Crazy have been very fortunate to be able to rely on the expertise of Dr. John Csernansky, an eminent figure in the field of psychotherapy and particularly schizophrenia, for much of the medical information on this website.

Dr. Csernansky, along with his wife Dr. Cynthia Csernansky, has also written an invaluable schizophrenia “Study Guide” exclusively for People Say I'm Crazy. You can learn more about this Study Guide and how to obtain it on our newsletter page.

Dr. John Csernansky

John Csernansky  has devoted his career to caring for patients with schizophrenia, and to conducting research on the underlying biology of schizophrenia.  He is currently Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Gilman Professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.  

Until 2008, he served as the Couch Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.  

Dr. Csernansky has authored several books on schizophrenia, including Schizophrenia: A New Guide for Clinicians, published in 2002, and Csernansky, JG/ Lauriello, J (Eds.) Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs: From Bench to Bedside, co-authored with J Lauriello, published in 2004.  

Dr. Csernansky received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, and his training in psychiatry from Stanford University.

Dr. Cynthia Csernansky                

Cynthia Csernansky received her doctorate in Pharmacology from Stanford University and has worked extensively on the biochemistry of the central nervous system. For several years, she worked to enhance programs in medical education and to develop a database that facilitates collaborative research on brain disorders. She currently serves as Senior Associate Director at the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) in Chicago, Illinois.

Recommended Reading

Accounts of First Hand Experience

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Mood and Madness
Author:  Jamison, K.R.
Published by:  Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1995

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia
Authors:  Miller, R./ Mason, S.E.
Published by:  Columbia University Press, New York, 2002

A Beautiful Mind: A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr.
Author:  Nasar,  S.
Published by:  Simon and Schuster, New York, 1998

The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness
Authors:  Schiller, S/ Bennett, A. 
Published by:  Warner Books, Inc., New York, 1994

Conquering Schizophrenia: A Father, His Son, and a Medical Breakthrough
Author:  Wyden, P.
Published by:  Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1998

Practical Guides for Individuals and Families

The Broken Brain: The Biological Revolution in Psychiatry
Author:  Andreasen, N.C.
Published by:  Harper and Row, Inc., New York, 1984

Schizophrenia Revealed: From Neurons to Social Interactions
Author:  Green, M.F.
Published by:  W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., New York, 2001

Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers and Providers, 4th Edition
Author:  Torrey, E.F.
Published by:  Harper Collins, New York, 2001

Coping with Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families
Authors:  Mueser, K.T./ Gingerich, S.
Published by:  New Harbinger Publishers, 1994

Breakthroughs in Antipsychotic Medication: A Guide for Consumers, Families and Clinicians
Authors:  Weiden, P.J./ Diamond, R.J./ Scheifler, P.L./ Diamond, R.I./ Ross, R.
Published by:  W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., New York, 199

Professional Textbooks

A Clinical Guide for the Treatment of Schizophrenia
Author:  Bellack, A. (Ed.)
Published by:  Plenum Press, Oxford, 1989

Schizophrenia: A New Guide for Clinicians
Author:  Csernansky,  J.G. (Ed.)
Published by:  Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, 2002

Schizophrenia From a Neurocognitive Perspective: Probing the Impenetrable Darkness
Author:   Green, M.F.
Published by:  Pearson Allyn and Bacon, Inc. New York, 1997

Negative Symptom and Cognitive Deficit Treatment Response in Schizophrenia
Authors:  Keefe, R.S.E./ McEvoy, J.P. (Eds.)
Published by:  American Psychiatric Association Press, Washington, D.C., 2001

Clinical Handbook of Schizophrenia
Authors:  Mueser K.T./ Jeste D.V. (Eds.)
Published by:  The Guildford Press, New York, New York, 2008

Cognition in Schizophrenia: Impairments, Importance and Treatment Strategies
Authors:  Sharma, T./ Harvey, P .(Eds.)
Published by:  Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000