Psychology Memoirs · Book 1 · Standalone · 10th Anniversary Edition
Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope
No drugs. No warning. How does a devoted father develop schizophrenia at fifty-three?
Joseph is grounded, responsible, and deeply connected to his family—until sudden medical events disrupt his life.
About the Book
Joseph is grounded, responsible, and deeply connected to his family—until sudden medical events disrupt his life. Confusion escalates into grandiose delusions and paranoia. Convinced he is a prophet of God and that enemies are out to kill him, he vanishes across continents—claiming to be arrested in Israel, preaching to a Mafioso in Italy, and hailed as a prophet in Africa. Then he disappears.
He drifts into homelessness in the United States, confronting danger, isolation, and a reality only he can see. Medical and legal protocols create obstacles for his wife and three children, who race to find him before he is lost forever.
Their greatest fear: that he will not only die—but die unknown, unreachable, and alone.
Read More
Told through the perspectives of Joseph, his spouse, and children, Losing Dad is a gripping true story and a rare window into the lived experience of late-onset schizophrenia—revealing its devastating impact on family and the challenges of navigating a system unprepared for those who cannot recognize their illness.
Featuring a foreword by Dr. Xavier Amador, expert on anosognosia and founder of the LEAP Institute, this 10th Anniversary Edition includes updated insights into mental health laws, family interviews, photographs, and expanded discussion questions. For readers, caregivers, and professionals alike, this Silver Award–winning memoir in Psychology (IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards) is both an intimate case study and compelling account of love, loss, and the realities of severe mental illness.
Praise for Losing Dad
“will inspire and encourage loved ones not to give up hope.”
— Amy Raines for Readers’ Favorite (5-Star Review)
“uniquely powerful, deeply personal . . . will resonate with readers.”
— The BookLife Prize (Quarter Finalist)
“hard-hitting, powerful . . . highly recommended.”
— D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Awards & Recognition
- IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in Psychology
- Readers’ Favorite Award Finalist in Non-Fiction – Grief/Hardship
- Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Quarter-Finalist
For Readers, Caregivers, and Professionals
Supplemental Materials
- Foreword by Xavier Amador, PhD, explaining the neurological condition of anosognosia
- Afterword discussing mental health laws
- Photographs
- Family member interviews
- Bibliography
- List of resources
- Reading guide questions
Reader Resources
Reading Guide
Reading guide questions are available for book clubs, classrooms, caregivers, professionals, and thoughtful individual reading.
View Reading Guide
Buy / Borrow / Request
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Book Details
Formats: Paperback, jacketed hardcover, eBook
BISAC Codes
- PSY022050 PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Schizophrenia
- BIO026000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs
- BIO017000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Medical (incl. Patients)
- MED102000 MEDICAL / Mental Health
About the Author
Amanda LaPera
Amanda LaPera is a passionate advocate for individuals and families dealing with mental illness, because of her family's experience. For ten years, she served on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Orange County, CA affiliate (NAMI-OC). In addition to reading and writing, she finds joy in music, art, and nature, which she learned from her dad.
Her books have earned Readers’ Favorite 5-star reviews and BookLife Prize, IBPA Benjamin Franklin, Readers’ Favorite, and IAN Book of the Year Awards recognition.
Continue the Series
Continue the psychology memoir series with Finding Dad, the standalone sequel to Losing Dad.
View Finding Dad