The Candid Book 3 - Book Overview - schizophrenia.life

THE CANDID BOOK 3

Living, Loving, Recovering

on intimacy and reproductive well-being in schizophrenia

by Peter Falkai, Ángel Luis Montejo González, Mihaela Osadcii

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This book gives voice to the deeply human side of living with schizophrenia – the need to feel understood, loved, close to others, and hopeful about the future.

It follows the personal questions that often remain unspoken, showing how care, trust, and honest communication can help people and families protect connection, dignity, and the possibility of a meaningful life together.

Schizophrenia does not erase a person’s capacity to love, to seek closeness, or to imagine a future that includes relationships or family.

A word before we begin

Caring for someone living with schizophrenia means walking alongside them through many dimensions of life, not only illness, but also relationships, identity, and personal hopes for the future.

For many families, the first focus is on understanding the condition and finding stability. Questions about relationships, intimacy, or the future often come later, and sometimes feel harder to ask.

While much attention is given to clinical aspects and treatment, other deeply human experiences often remain in the background. Questions about closeness, partnership, self-confidence, and the possibility of becoming parents are often present but not easily brought up in conversation.

At the same time, these questions are rarely simple. They are often accompanied by uncertainty:

Is this still possible? Is it safe? Are we ready?

These moments of hesitation are part of real life, and they deserve space. It is within this space that many important questions begin to take shape, often quietly, and not always easily expressed.

About The Candid Book series

This book is the third volume in The Candid Book Series, created to open important aspects of life with schizophrenia gently and to support those who walk alongside someone they care about.

The first volume focused on understanding the illness and managing the early stages of care, while the second addressed a particularly complex reality: the co-occurrence of schizophrenia and substance use. This third volume moves the conversation further into everyday life, focusing on areas that are deeply personal, often unspoken, and sometimes difficult to approach: intimacy, sexuality, reproductive health, and the possibility of building a future.

Rather than returning to what schizophrenia is, this book explores how people continue to live, connect, and make meaningful life decisions while living with it. For many families, these questions arise later in the journey, when stability begins to return, and attention gradually shifts toward what life can become.

Explore book chapters

Chapter 1.

Women and Men Living With
Schizophrenia: Understanding Emotional and
Relational Differences

Chapter 2.

What intimacy means
in the lives of people
living with schizophrenia

Chapter 3.

The role of body image
and physical well-being in
intimacy and relationships

Chapter 4.

Treatment considerations
in sexually active patients
living with schizophrenia

Chapter 5.

Fertility, reproductive health,
and family planning when
living with schizophrenia

What this book offers

This book opens an honest dialogue about topics often left unspoken. It is written for families, partners, friends, and caregivers who want to better understand and support the emotional lives of people living with schizophrenia.

It does not aim to provide perfect answers, but rather to make these questions easier to approach. Instead of focusing only on pathology, it explores the need for intimacy, the experience of relationships, the role of physical and hormonal factors, as well as fertility, family planning, and the realities of building a future.

Each chapter combines scientific insight, clinical experience, and real-life perspectives – offering clarity without overwhelming detail, and reassurance without oversimplifying complexity.

Developed through a collaborative effort among experienced clinicians and mental health professionals, it reflects a shared commitment to translating this expertise into language that is accessible, respectful, and meaningful in everyday life.

Who are the voices in this book?

The conversations in this book are guided by two voices.

Elena Maurer, a health journalist, represents the perspective of families, partners, and caregivers. She asks the questions many people are thinking, but may not always feel comfortable expressing. Dr. Lukas Stein, a psychiatrist and researcher, brings clinical experience and scientific understanding, translating complex medical topics into practical and relatable insights.

Together, they reflect the kind of dialogue that may take place in clinical settings, sometimes clear, sometimes uncertain, but always focused on understanding. Their exchange is not meant to provide definitive answers to every situation, but rather to offer a way to think, to ask questions, and to begin conversations that can continue beyond the pages of this book.

How this book is structured

The book unfolds across five interconnected chapters:

Sex Differences and Their Impact in Schizophrenia; Understanding the Need for Intimacy; Intimacy and Relationships in Schizophrenia; Treatment Considerations and Intimate Well-being; and Reproductive Health and Family Planning.

Each chapter can be read independently, while also contributing to a broader understanding. Together, they reflect how these topics often overlap and interact in real life, moving from understanding to experience, to managing challenges, and eventually to planning.

Why these topics matter

Intimacy and reproductive health are not secondary concerns. They are closely connected to self-esteem, identity, emotional stability, relationship quality, engagement with treatment, and overall quality of life.

When these aspects are not addressed, people may feel isolated or uncertain, sometimes gradually, without it being immediately visible. When they are acknowledged, something important begins to change: people feel seen, communication becomes easier, and trust can grow.

Schizophrenia does not erase a person’s capacity to love, to seek closeness, or to imagine a future that includes relationships or family.

These possibilities may look different. The path may require more support, and at times more patience. But they remain deeply human and deeply important.

Not every question will have a simple answer. But understanding can grow, step by step.

And sometimes, that is where the connection begins.

Let us begin…

Meet the Authors

Prof. Peter Falkai is a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Germany and Chair of the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry. He has worked in the field of psychiatry for over 30 years, with a primary research focus on the neurobiology of psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia.

Mihaela Osadcii holds a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health from the University of Sussex. Her research dissertation examined the neural mechanisms underlying conditioned responses to drug-related environments. She has clinical experience as a psychological support worker at Conifer Lodge and Venture-People, residential care facilities in Brighton, UK, for adults experiencing and recovering from mental health difficulties, as well as related needs and comorbidities.

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