Launch of "Discover the Road Ahead"
Sunday, 26 March 2006 17:54
"Discover the Road Ahead", a new support initiative to help improve the lives of anyone who has been affected by schizophrenia or psychosis.
"Discover the Road Ahead", a comprehensive and user-friendly handbook that gives people with schizophrenia and their families information, advice and support has been launched today (29th March 2006) by Tim O'Malley T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children at an event hosted by Schizophrenia Ireland in the National Concert Hall.
"Discover the Road Ahead", which was a cross European initiative, provides helpful information on detecting the early signs of schizophrenia, how to deal with diagnosis and outlines information on supports and the recovery process. All the people involved in producing the handbook have first-hand experience of coping with schizophrenia, including people with self-experience, relatives, friends and service providers.
"Discover the Road Ahead" includes examples of Irish people's experiences and is being made available to people with self-experience of schizophrenia and their relatives free of charge. Schizophrenia Ireland would like to recognise the unrestricted grant from Bristol Myers Squibb, which has allowed the free distribution of this handbook in Ireland and across Europe.
John Saunders, Director of Schizophrenia Ireland, said: "We know that knowledge is power, and as a person affected by schizophrenia, if you aren't informed about your illness, your access to information on the recovery process are severely reduced. People can and do recover from schizophrenia and 'Discover the Road Ahead' helps to provide information on how best to foster recovery, looking at the holistic range of experiences and needs of the individual."
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterised by disturbances in a person's thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviour. It affects approximately one in every hundred people worldwide and first onset commonly occurs in adolescence or early adulthood although it can also occur later in life.
Schizophrenia Ireland is the national organisation dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs of those affected by schizophrenia and their caring relatives. The organisation has seven offices around the country. Schizophrenia Ireland offers a wide range of services including support groups, information helpline, social and vocational rehabilitation initiatives, suicide prevention programmes and counselling.
For further information on schizophrenia please call Schizophrenia Ireland's confidential information helpline 1890 621 631, or log on to www.recover.ie or www.sirl.ie.
For your copy of "Discover the Road Ahead" contact info@sirl.ie, ring 01 8601620 or log on to www.recover.ie
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Further Information:
John Saunders,
Director,
Schizophrenia Ireland
Tel. (01) 860 1620 and (087) 927 1292
Notes to the Editor:
-Photos of Tim O'Malley T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children launching the booklet will be forwarded after the event.