Schizophrenia has long been blamed on bad genes or even bad parents. Wrong, says a growing group of psychiatrists. The real culprit, they claim, is a virus that lives entwined in every person’s DNA. Curious? Continue reading
Source: Discover Magazine
Schizophrenia
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Marijuana gives people with schizophrenia a quick rush but worsens their psychotic symptoms within a few hours, a new study reveals.
Researchers in the Netherlands recruited 48 psychiatric patients and 47 healthy people to record what they were doing and how they felt 12 times a day for six days. All the study participants were regular pot smokers. The results showed that schizophrenia sufferers were more sensitive than healthy individuals to both the positive and negative effects of marijuana, or cannabis. continue reading
Source: Live Science
An estrogenic drug that influences neurotransmitter and neuronal systems in the brain is showing promise as an effective therapy for women who suffer from schizophrenia.
A study has found that Raloxifene – a synthetic estrogen currently used to treat osteoporosis – has beneficial effects on postmenopausal women with schizophrenia, with a test group experiencing a more rapid recovery from psychotic and other symptoms compared to control groups.
The National Post’s Saturday Interview features Dr. Fredrick Frese , a clinical psychologist who has schizophrenia
When he was in the grip of his psychosis, Dr. Frese never really had intense visual hallucinations. Nor did he think he could fly. His delusions were coloured more by his fixation on numbers and his role in the military. But with his uniquely scientific bird’s-eye view of the cuckoo’s nest, he stands today as an especially powerful inspiration for anyone whose horizon is expanding out of control.Read more
Source: National Post
