Largest-Ever Study Finds Genetic Markers for Schizophrenia
A collaboration of more than 100 scientists from several countries has identified 108 genetic markers linked to schizophrenia, according to research recently published in the journal Nature.
Tag Archives: schizophrenia
The Latest Drug Treatment for Schizophrenia Is … Aspirin?
Schizophrenia is among the most debilitating of all mental illnesses and affects approximately 24 million people around the world. Without effective treatment, people with schizophrenia may be unable to function independently from day to day.
New Information on Overlapping Cases of Schizophrenia and OCD
Schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are well-known psychiatric conditions that typically make profound changes in the behaviors of affected individuals. Current evidence indicates that the two conditions appear together in the same people much more often than random chance would permit. In a new study, published in 2013 in the journal CNS Spectrums, a multinational […]
Low Childhood Social Function a Good Predictor of Schizophrenia
A study reveals that many years before a person begins to experience schizophrenia-spectrum disorder symptoms their social difficulty is a good predictor of schizophrenia. Teachers played a large role in the research, providing rich insight into children’s social ability and function.
Why Synthetic Marijuana Harms Brain More Than Pot
Synthetic marijuana is a chemical-plant material mixture that contains synthetic cannabinoids, manmade compounds designed to reach the brain through the same pathway as the main cannabis/marijuana ingredient THC. One of the potential consequences of using synthetic cannabinoids is the onset of psychosis symptoms highly similar to those found in people with the severe mental illness […]
Connecting Schizophrenia and Autoimmune Disease
Schizophrenia can severely affect quality of life for those afflicted, as well as family and friends. Successful treatment relies on a robust support system, but support can often center on around-the-clock care. A study provides insight into additional health problems that can complicate treatment.
Brain Changes Pronounced in Schizophrenics Who Smoke Marijuana
Cannabis use disorder is the standard term for people diagnosed with cannabis (marijuana or hashish) addiction or a pattern of dysfunctional, non-addicted cannabis use that causes serious impairment or life disruption. People affected by this disorder commonly experience changes in their brain function that include significant memory problems. In a study published in December 2013 […]
Study Underscores Similarities Between Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are two mental health conditions known for the disruptive, dysfunctional changes they can make in everyday human behavior. Mental health professionals view these two conditions as distinct from one another, and the American Psychiatric Association officially places them in separate categories of mental illness. However, according to the authors of a […]
Heavy Alcohol, Drug Use Shortening Lives of Mentally Ill
Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Southern California recently undertook the largest-ever survey of drug, alcohol and tobacco use among people with severe mental illnesses. They found that people with significant psychiatric problems are far more likely to use alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs. The survey, published recently in the online journal […]
Teens Who Use Marijuana Hurt Memory, Study Finds
Marijuana has been all over the news, with two states legalizing its recreational use and more than 20 legalizing the drug for medical use. Critics of these measures have voiced concerns that the increasingly casual attitude toward marijuana will harm people, especially young adults and teens. In many ways, marijuana is less harmful than other […]
Complications in Diagnosing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental condition well known for its ability to produce a combination of mental obsessions and compulsive behaviors. Sometimes, mental health professionals have a fairly easy time diagnosing the condition’s presence in their patients. However, certain factors can complicate an OCD diagnosis and create a much more complex picture for doctors. […]
Childhood Cancer Survivors More Likely To Develop Mental Health Disorders Later in Life
A new study from Denmark shows that people who suffer from cancer when they are children are more likely to develop mental health problems when they are adults. The study also found that the young siblings of children with cancer are at greater risk for mental health problems than the general population. The study was […]
Voices Become Force for Recovery for Schizophrenic
Jamie was the epitome of the girl next door. Blonde and wide-eyed with a smile that shone bright enough to light her face and yours, she was a good student, a decent gymnast, and only a little bit shy. She’d lived all of her life in the same house in a small northwest Chicago suburb, […]
The Courage of Antoinette Tuff
The town of Decatur, Georgia, is like a lot of college towns. It’s known for its hip downtown atmosphere, its influx of brainy students, its coffee shops, brew pubs and unique bistros. Decatur sits inside Atlanta’s metropolitan perimeter but is like a whole other world—a safe and sanctified landscape all its own. Decatur is a […]
Study Reveals Why Some Schizophrenics Lack Motivation
When most people think of schizophrenia, they probably focus on the psychotic symptoms classically associated with the disorder. However, psychosis represents just one aspect of schizophrenia’s impact, and people affected by the illness also commonly experience a range of problems collectively known as “negative” symptoms. A new study, published in July 2013 in the journal […]
Blood Pressure Medicine Works for Schizophrenia
Acute schizophrenia is a term used to describe episodes of relatively severe schizophrenia-related symptoms that have a strongly negative impact on a person’s ability to function. Doctors can combat the effects of these episodes with the help of a number of different antipsychotic medications. However, these medications only work in certain individuals and typically come […]
iPhone App Helps Schizophrenics Block Voices
Auditory hallucinations are sound-based hallucinations that frequently occur inside the minds of people with the mental disorder schizophrenia, and also occur inside the minds of some psychologically healthy people. In schizophrenic individuals, the presence of these hallucinations can effectively block genuine sound input from the outside world and contribute significantly to the break with reality […]
Schizophrenia – The ‘Cancer’ of Mental Illness
It’s often been said that depression is the “common cold” when it comes to psychiatric disorders, while schizophrenia is likened to “cancer.” While those metaphors may be oversimplified, they’re not far off the mark in many ways. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious — and often one of the most disabling — types of […]
New Treatment for Schizophrenia Discovered in Finland
Schizophrenia is extreme form of mental illness commonly treated with a number of medications called antipsychotics, as well as with secondary means such as psychotherapy and a group of life skills training techniques collectively known as psychosocial treatments. Unfortunately, antipsychotic medications sometimes fail to adequately stabilize people with schizophrenia, or produce side effects that make […]
Five Mental Disorders Are ‘Linked’ Through Our Genes
Researchers are constantly seeking clues that may unlock the mysteries of mental illness. A recent discovery about a genetic link between five major disorders has great potential for helping professionals find better ways to treat and diagnose mental illness. Scientists found genetic links between the following disorders: attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. […]
Links Between Marijuana Use and Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe disorder that alters aspects of normal mental health such as the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy and the ability to exhibit appropriate emotional and social responses to a given situation. People affected by the disorder often have debilitating degrees of mental and social impairment. Statistically speaking, schizophrenics smoke marijuana much […]
Sleep Disturbances May Trigger Schizophrenia
Sleep disturbance is a general term that doctors use to describe any difficulties relating to the ability to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout a sleeping session. Some people with these disturbances have problems severe enough to qualify as official sleep disorders, while others do not. Schizophrenia is heavily linked to sleep disturbances, and for […]
Children of Schizophrenic Parents
If you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, you have many things to think and worry about. If you have children, concerns for them are probably the first thoughts you have. How will this diagnosis affect their lives? Are they going to be schizophrenic too? Yes, your mental illness diagnosis will affect them, and yes there […]
Self-Concept in Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that can significantly change the quality of life for not only the patient, but also sometimes their close relatives. Helping individuals with schizophrenia achieve the highest quality of life possible is linked to understanding the negative moods of schizophrenia. The negative moods that come with the disorder can result […]