Sheila Beecham, lives in Nerja, Spain, with her husband, Brian. She has just released her new book, Avoiding The Inevitable, which explains some of the common myths around schizophrenia.

The illness schizophrenia has such a difficult, mislead­ing and frightening name that it does not do justice to the condition.  Rather than encouraging people to try to understand the illness, the very word puts people’s backs up straight away. Its Greek language roots – ‘schizo’ [split] and ‘phrene’ [mind] – were not chosen in 1911 to mean ‘split personality’, as many people think. The word was ill-advisedly coined to refer to the fragmented thinking of sufferers.

In her new book Avoiding the Inevitable, Nerja author Sheila Beacham pens a guide to the illness.  It aims to dismiss the myths surrounding schizophrenia, those of dual personalities, good and murderous evil, as portrayed in so many films. 

It says that in this modern age a better name should be devised and used. It has been done with Bipolar Disorder, so why not with schizophrenia? Then people would feel more comfort­able when told that a relative or friend has the condition. There is still so much stigma and ignorance attached to mental illnesses today and the very word schizophrenia fills people with unnecessary horror.

Says Shelia: “Schizophrenia is a very misunderstood illness.  In my book I have tried, in an easy way, to educate both those involved with a schizophrenic patient and the public generally, about exactly what schizophrenia is really like.  It is purposely a short book so that readers do not get tired of reading it.  I have included the actual thoughts of somebody suffering from the illness so the situation is known from the inside as well as from outside. 

“Chapters include one for the immediate family of a patient, signs and symptoms, treatment, medical staff encountered, research, and a history of schizophrenia.  At the end of the book there are useful addresses and a list of well known schizophrenia sufferers, to put a face to the condition.” 

Avoiding the Inevitable, a Guide to Modern Schizophrenia is published next month and available to pre-order on www.amazon.co.uk.  Sheila Beecham is the author of eight books, including the popular local novel, Andalucian Oasis.  .