Dante's Cure: A Journey Out of Madness

Catherine, nineteen years old and suffering from severe schizophrenia, sat in a mental hospital - mute, catatonic, and hearing voices. Her psychiatrist, the author of DANTE'S CURE, was convinced that his patient did not suffer from chemical imbalances. Determined not to use mind-numbing medication, Dr. Dorman fought opposition from his peers and superiors to guide Catherine out of madness. Now she has fully recovered, without the use of drugs. DANTE'S CURE takes the reader along on their psychotherapeutic journey and reveals both how and why psychotherapy can be successful. The author likewise redefines success in recovery. While many researchers claim that the vast majority of patients with schizophrenia improve with the aid of medication, they fail to inquire into the nature of improvement. Most of these studies limit their findings to changes measured by clinical rating scales, which merely gauge a few feelings and behaviors. For example, in a survey of 500 standard-treatment-outcome studies in schizophrenia, researchers found that only two studies sought to assess how the afflicted individual had actually changed. In fact, most schizophrenics continue to be dependent on others