Sexual Abuse Tied To Schizophrenia
‘Children May Become Auxious, Withdrawn’
NEW YORK, Nov 3, (RTRS): Sexually abused children are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, Australian researchers have found.
Although child abuse has been firmly tied to other mental health problems — including depression, anxiety and suicide — the link to psychotic illnesses has long been a subject of debate.
The new study shows sexual assaults more than doubled the odds that a child would develop schizophrenia as an adult — from less than 1 in 100 (0.7 percent) in the general population to nearly 2 in 100 (1.9 percent) among the abuse victims.
The risk was higher still if the assault involved penetration or multiple perpetrators, or took place in the early teenage years.
Nearly one in five adults who had been raped by more than one person between ages 13 and 15 developed schizophrenia or another psychotic illness, Margaret Cutajar, of Monash University in Victoria, and colleagues found.
In their report, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, they say the new results cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the abuse and the later psychoses, but at the very least they may help point to a group of people who would benefit from professional help.
The researchers linked three decades’ worth of data from police and medical examinations to a mental health register in the Australian state of Victoria.
Then they compared the rates of psychotic illnesses between people who’d been abused before age 16 and a control group of people drawn from voting records.
That design makes the study stand out, because the intersection between mental health problems and childhood abuse is a difficult area to investigate, said Mark Shevlin, a professor of psychology at the University of Ulster in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
“Many of the studies to date have relied on retrospective recall of traumatic experiences,” said Shevlin, who was not involved in the new research. And recall, he added, is not always trustworthy.
He stressed the findings don’t necessarily mean the abuse triggers later psychosis directly, because it may reflect other risk factors such as poverty or a difficult family situation.
Still, he said, children who experience sexual assaults, especially by a family member, may become anxious and withdrawn and perceive the world as a threatening place.
“These things could maybe explain things like paranoid beliefs,” said Shevlin. “Environmental factors are obviously very important in the development of serious health problems.”
Craig Steel, an expert in psychological trauma at Reading University in the UK, said the new paper made a strong case for going beyond drugs when treating people with schizophrenia.
Although both US and UK government guidelines recommend using cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to medication, he said, psychiatrists tend not to focus on patients’ personal histories.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Plug for an amazing product to help with schizophrenia
As I post this plug for Isagenix International's product, "Cleanse for Life" I must say, in regards to the previous post that I made on this site--if there ever was anything causing my psychosis such as toxoplasmosis, Cleanse for Life has knocked it right out of me for good, it seems.
There are many possible causes for schizophrenia and other mental illness issues, and I am not suggesting that the Isagenix products will work in all cases. However, it certainly has made a HUGE difference for me in my daily life. It is like night and day, that I haven't experienced ANY psychotic symptoms, much less any other types of symptoms, since I have been taking "cleanse for life."
There are many possible causes for schizophrenia and other mental illness issues, and I am not suggesting that the Isagenix products will work in all cases. However, it certainly has made a HUGE difference for me in my daily life. It is like night and day, that I haven't experienced ANY psychotic symptoms, much less any other types of symptoms, since I have been taking "cleanse for life."
Friday, October 15, 2010
I have posted articles on here before, but this one is by far the best
This article is in reference to potential causes of schizophrenia and published by E Fuller Torrey, one of the most trusted researchers in his field.
Schizophr Bull. 2007 May; 33(3): 727–728.
Published online 2007 April 9. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbm026.
PMCID: PMC2526129
Copyright © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.
Editors' Introduction: Schizophrenia and Toxoplasmosis
E. Fuller Torrey1,2 and Robert H. Yolken3
2The Stanley Medical Research Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
3Stanley Laboratory of Developmental Neurovirology, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
1To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 301-571-2078, fax: 301-501-0775, e-mail: torreyf@stanleyresearch.org
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Other Sections▼
This issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin includes articles on a possible infectious cause of schizophrenia. This approach follows a lead suggested by Emil Kraepelin and Eugen Bleuler a century ago. In the 1896 edition of his textbook, Kraepelin speculated that dementia praecox might be caused by a focal infection of bodily organs that then affected the brain as an autointoxication.1 Fifteen years later, Bleuler, in his Dementia Praecox, or The Group of Schizophrenias, suggested that “the connection of the disease to infectious processes equally needs further study … many writers assume that schizophrenia is caused by some physical weakness or possibly even by some infectious disease.”2
Toxoplasma gondii has emerged as an interesting candidate as a possible cause of some cases of schizophrenia. Past infectious research on schizophrenia has focused almost exclusively on bacteria and viruses, but T. gondii is a protozoa. Other protozoa known to chronically infect human brain tissue and cause behavioral changes include Plasmodium (malaria) and Trypanosoma (sleeping sickness).
The meta-analysis by Torrey et al provides an overview of studies of T. gondii antibodies in individuals with schizophrenia.3 The number of such studies that have been carried out surprised even the authors; even as this article was going to press, we became aware of additional studies, such as the one by Yazar et al that accompanies this special section.4 Since most of the studies have been published in languages other than English, they provide a sobering reminder of the limitations of MEDLINE and other search engines. The odds ratio of 2.73, although modest, exceeds that for most genetic studies and suggests that T. gondii may play some etiological role in a large number of cases. The fact that the studies were done in many geographical areas suggests that T. gondii may be associated with the disease worldwide.
Dickerson et al provide additional information on one of the cohorts included in the meta-analysis.5 The individuals with schizophrenia who have antibodies against T. gondii were more likely to be female but otherwise did not differ clinically on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale or cognitively on repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status from those who do not have antibodies, suggesting that cases associated with T. gondii do not form a clinical or cognitive subgroup. Of note, however, is the significantly increased mortality associated with seropositive antibody status. If this study can be replicated, it will be an important milestone in helping explain the 20% increase in premature mortality among individuals with schizophrenia.
T. gondii has a known pernicious effect on the developing fetal central nervous system (CNS) when it infects women early in pregnancy; that is why pregnant women are advised to not change the cat litter. Possible delayed CNS effects of T. gondii infection later in pregnancy have been the subject of much speculation but with no definitive resolution of this issue.6,7 In this regard, the review of two studies by Mortensen et al is of special interest.8 One study showed that mothers having antibodies to T. gondii late in pregnancy, even though the infection was not necessarily recent, had an increased risk of giving birth to offspring who later were diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The other study revealed that newborns who have antibodies to T. gondii have an increased risk of later being diagnosed with schizophrenia. A much larger replication of this latter study is in progress.
Carruthers and Suzuki contribute an elegant summary of T. gondii's life cycle and its ability to cause a chronic, latent infection in both neurons and glia.9 The outcome of such infections is determined by a variety of factors, including host genes and cytokine production. Of special interest are differences in T. gondii strains as well as the route of initial infection. Both these factors may contribute to the differences in levels of antibody observed by Hinze-Selch et al in the accompanying article in her large study of T. gondii in individuals with schizophrenia and major depression.10
The ability of T. gondii to alter rodent behavior has received considerable publicity. Much of this work has been carried out by Joanne Webster, who clearly summarizes it.11 Webster describes how the T. gondii infection causes a rat to lose its innate avoidance of cats, thus increasing the chances that the rat will be eaten by a cat, thereby enabling the T. gondii to complete its life cycle. Noteworthy was Webster's experiment showing that haloperidol apparently suppressed the T. gondii and reversed its effect on the rat.
Finally, Jaroslav Flegr summarizes his pioneering research demonstrating the effects of T. gondii on the personality and behavior of university students and military recruits.12 Such studies need to be replicated but are of great interest. Humans are reluctant to acknowledge the possibility that our behavior may be manipulated by infectious organisms; anyone who doubts that it is possible will no longer doubt, if they read Carl Zimmer's fascinating Parasite Rex13
Where do we go from here with this research? The facts that T. gondii is neurotrophic, affects neurotransmitters, is apparently suppressed by some antipsychotic drugs, and has predisposing genes make an etiological link between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia inherently plausible. A major limitation of such a hypothesis is that it has been difficult to detect Toxoplasma organisms in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. However, it is of note that Toxoplasma organisms can persist in very small numbers in the brains of immune competent individuals. It is also unclear why most individuals with Toxoplasma do not develop schizophrenia. Variables in terms of disease expression are likely to include the timing of infection, the strain of the infecting organism, and the genetic makeup of the infected individual.
If a causal relationship is to be established between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia, it will most likely be established by treatment trials, specifically by demonstrating that medications that suppress T. gondii infections produce an improvement in the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. This is the way in which the Helicobacter pylori bacteria was ultimately proven to cause gastric ulcers. Multiple treatment trials are in progress, and others are planned using various antitoxoplasmosis drugs as adjunct medication to treat individuals with schizophrenia. Combined with ongoing research on the neuropathology and strain differences in T. gondii, such research should help illuminate the validity of this approach to schizophrenia. And if a causal relationship can be established, it will open the door to new treatment approaches as well as to the ultimate possibility of prevention through vaccines.
Schizophr Bull. 2007 May; 33(3): 727–728.
Published online 2007 April 9. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbm026.
PMCID: PMC2526129
Copyright © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.
Editors' Introduction: Schizophrenia and Toxoplasmosis
E. Fuller Torrey1,2 and Robert H. Yolken3
2The Stanley Medical Research Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
3Stanley Laboratory of Developmental Neurovirology, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
1To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 301-571-2078, fax: 301-501-0775, e-mail: torreyf@stanleyresearch.org
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Other Sections▼
This issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin includes articles on a possible infectious cause of schizophrenia. This approach follows a lead suggested by Emil Kraepelin and Eugen Bleuler a century ago. In the 1896 edition of his textbook, Kraepelin speculated that dementia praecox might be caused by a focal infection of bodily organs that then affected the brain as an autointoxication.1 Fifteen years later, Bleuler, in his Dementia Praecox, or The Group of Schizophrenias, suggested that “the connection of the disease to infectious processes equally needs further study … many writers assume that schizophrenia is caused by some physical weakness or possibly even by some infectious disease.”2
Toxoplasma gondii has emerged as an interesting candidate as a possible cause of some cases of schizophrenia. Past infectious research on schizophrenia has focused almost exclusively on bacteria and viruses, but T. gondii is a protozoa. Other protozoa known to chronically infect human brain tissue and cause behavioral changes include Plasmodium (malaria) and Trypanosoma (sleeping sickness).
The meta-analysis by Torrey et al provides an overview of studies of T. gondii antibodies in individuals with schizophrenia.3 The number of such studies that have been carried out surprised even the authors; even as this article was going to press, we became aware of additional studies, such as the one by Yazar et al that accompanies this special section.4 Since most of the studies have been published in languages other than English, they provide a sobering reminder of the limitations of MEDLINE and other search engines. The odds ratio of 2.73, although modest, exceeds that for most genetic studies and suggests that T. gondii may play some etiological role in a large number of cases. The fact that the studies were done in many geographical areas suggests that T. gondii may be associated with the disease worldwide.
Dickerson et al provide additional information on one of the cohorts included in the meta-analysis.5 The individuals with schizophrenia who have antibodies against T. gondii were more likely to be female but otherwise did not differ clinically on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale or cognitively on repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status from those who do not have antibodies, suggesting that cases associated with T. gondii do not form a clinical or cognitive subgroup. Of note, however, is the significantly increased mortality associated with seropositive antibody status. If this study can be replicated, it will be an important milestone in helping explain the 20% increase in premature mortality among individuals with schizophrenia.
T. gondii has a known pernicious effect on the developing fetal central nervous system (CNS) when it infects women early in pregnancy; that is why pregnant women are advised to not change the cat litter. Possible delayed CNS effects of T. gondii infection later in pregnancy have been the subject of much speculation but with no definitive resolution of this issue.6,7 In this regard, the review of two studies by Mortensen et al is of special interest.8 One study showed that mothers having antibodies to T. gondii late in pregnancy, even though the infection was not necessarily recent, had an increased risk of giving birth to offspring who later were diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The other study revealed that newborns who have antibodies to T. gondii have an increased risk of later being diagnosed with schizophrenia. A much larger replication of this latter study is in progress.
Carruthers and Suzuki contribute an elegant summary of T. gondii's life cycle and its ability to cause a chronic, latent infection in both neurons and glia.9 The outcome of such infections is determined by a variety of factors, including host genes and cytokine production. Of special interest are differences in T. gondii strains as well as the route of initial infection. Both these factors may contribute to the differences in levels of antibody observed by Hinze-Selch et al in the accompanying article in her large study of T. gondii in individuals with schizophrenia and major depression.10
The ability of T. gondii to alter rodent behavior has received considerable publicity. Much of this work has been carried out by Joanne Webster, who clearly summarizes it.11 Webster describes how the T. gondii infection causes a rat to lose its innate avoidance of cats, thus increasing the chances that the rat will be eaten by a cat, thereby enabling the T. gondii to complete its life cycle. Noteworthy was Webster's experiment showing that haloperidol apparently suppressed the T. gondii and reversed its effect on the rat.
Finally, Jaroslav Flegr summarizes his pioneering research demonstrating the effects of T. gondii on the personality and behavior of university students and military recruits.12 Such studies need to be replicated but are of great interest. Humans are reluctant to acknowledge the possibility that our behavior may be manipulated by infectious organisms; anyone who doubts that it is possible will no longer doubt, if they read Carl Zimmer's fascinating Parasite Rex13
Where do we go from here with this research? The facts that T. gondii is neurotrophic, affects neurotransmitters, is apparently suppressed by some antipsychotic drugs, and has predisposing genes make an etiological link between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia inherently plausible. A major limitation of such a hypothesis is that it has been difficult to detect Toxoplasma organisms in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. However, it is of note that Toxoplasma organisms can persist in very small numbers in the brains of immune competent individuals. It is also unclear why most individuals with Toxoplasma do not develop schizophrenia. Variables in terms of disease expression are likely to include the timing of infection, the strain of the infecting organism, and the genetic makeup of the infected individual.
If a causal relationship is to be established between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia, it will most likely be established by treatment trials, specifically by demonstrating that medications that suppress T. gondii infections produce an improvement in the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. This is the way in which the Helicobacter pylori bacteria was ultimately proven to cause gastric ulcers. Multiple treatment trials are in progress, and others are planned using various antitoxoplasmosis drugs as adjunct medication to treat individuals with schizophrenia. Combined with ongoing research on the neuropathology and strain differences in T. gondii, such research should help illuminate the validity of this approach to schizophrenia. And if a causal relationship can be established, it will open the door to new treatment approaches as well as to the ultimate possibility of prevention through vaccines.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The right mix of medications
As a person with mental illness, it is important to find the right medication mix and dosages for YOU. The correct treatment plan can only be come up with between you and your doctor and needs to work for you as the patient.
Along with the correct medication, you need to get your sleep, stay away from drugs and alchohol and bad media should be avoided as well.
Looking forward to a healthy and happy holiday season this year as my wife and I expect our second baby boy into our family. Tyler will have a little brother!
Along with the correct medication, you need to get your sleep, stay away from drugs and alchohol and bad media should be avoided as well.
Looking forward to a healthy and happy holiday season this year as my wife and I expect our second baby boy into our family. Tyler will have a little brother!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
More from my book
Chapter 7
As we wove our way through Meringen in the crowd of Swiss locals, I began to notice that we, the American tourists, were something that the Swiss were rather used to. We were, after all, the loudest, most rowdy and gaudy bunch on the streets that morning. Everyone else, however were more subdued, traveling in smaller groups, some couples at the local cafe drinking coffee. They, however, did not condemn our loud and often offensive demeanor. They must have realized that we were a necessary evil in their land, the American tourist who buy their watches and chocolate in great numbers in order to bring them home to our families. Yes, this much quieter French/German mixed culture in Meringen, Switzerland was a grateful group(for our money, but not for our customs).
Soon, Sean was chatting it up with Ginger and myself as if we were all old friends. It had been only two short days since we had met, although we all shared a common experience now, however short-lived it was. The cobblestone street felt uneven from years of wear as I briefly noticed a charming chocolatier shoppe and checked out the delicacy through the window from afar. Then, and just then, it occurred to me, that I wouldn't have an experience quite like this in my life for many years hence.
Short, and roughly paved sidewalks were tracing the outlines of the stony middle portion of road in between. When you looked up, you could only be in awe of the stunning view of snow capped mountains disappearing into the clouds high above where we stood. From a bird's eye view, the architecture stunned me, but now the trip down the ski-lift had revealed a much more rustic look with architectural intricacies imbedded in much of the buildings' weathered charm.
Surrounding the village were plenty of ruffage, shrubbery and neglected (by the rain and climate) blooming flowers. Since this region was so mountainous and the valleys were starved of rain during the summer, smokers like me where on notice that we were to dispose of our cigarette butts safely at all times to avoid the imminent risk of wild fire. Indeed, the wind played a factor in this too, as the gusts would spread and fan even a tiny smolder into something of a disaster in a hurry.
Hurrying wasn't something that we were doing while ambling through the streets of the Swiss Village. We wanted to enjoy every minute and photo opportunity in this picturesque place.
This was the most walking I had done in a while. Although I was in shape, the uneven footing on these village streets were taking it right out of me.
"This is my first time to the Alps," I managed, smiling through the pain.
"Mine too," Ginger replied in her southern drawl.
"You're dressed for this much walking in the summer," then to Shawn, "You and I look like we are hitting the ski slopes."
"Yeah," Shawn was panting, worse off than me with a noticeable spare tire around his mid-section. He was aged beyond his years, or so the eye would perceive. When he spoke, he sounded like a little boy, however, and his intelligent glasses angled and fit with his youthful smile. His hair, a mess of dark brown mish- mosh atop his head was gleaming with beads of sweat in the hot summer sun.
Ginger, on the other hand, was a charming mix of southern bell with all the fix ins and striking dimple-faced beauty. Her short stature was offset while we were walking by her long, generous stride. As if to say, look how smart I am, Ginger kept her Georgetown University tee shirt on with pride.
We strolled into many a shoppe and kiosk with American guile, while we pointed our fingers at the local fare and made off-colored comments. Shawn feigned expertise with the local customs and crafts while Ginger played off the southern inexperienced part well. Me, on the other hand, just gawked at the intricate glass-blown crafts and delectable chocolates at the same time enjoying the company of these two.
"Check this out," flew out of Ginger's mouth from somewhere behind me.
I whirled and set my vision on the Swiss-woven purse that she was already sporting on her shoulder stylishly.
"Very nice," Shawn replied before I could muster a response.
"Yeah, it looks cute on you," I added. "How much?"
"It's a steal at 15 Franks," said Ginger. "I was thinking about getting it for my sister, but I may have to keep it for myself," she added playfully.
Our time in the village was winding down as the sun had found its place behind one of the tall mountains that surrounded us. We boarded the ski lift for the ride back up to the hotel on the ridge.
There was more rehearsing to do tomorrow and for the rest of the two weeks that we were to spend with the sensational Swiss.
As the darkness fell over the rocky landscape, my eyes were heavy from the day and I drifted off to sleep. I could almost see the thick clouds rolling over the mountain range coming closer and closer as it swallowed me in dense immobility.
Chapter 8
As dawn broke, I rolled over to see my room mate, named Leatus, still deep in slumber. Leatus Reed was from Tennessee and had long dark hair, which was currently drowning his face and pillow in it's thick guise. He was fairly slender, with a few ill-placed tattoos and both ears pierced. His face was round with striking blue eyes and a nose that constituted the rest of his persona, which was currently lost in a mess of dark, straight mane.
"Get up, lazybones." I mumbled, too softly to wake Leatus Reed in his current state of REM sleep. I wanted to yank on his past-his-shoulders brunette hair, but it was just a thought that never made it to an action.
"Yo, Leat-man!" I hollered, this time too loudly. My voice carried too well, I had been told, and probably pierced through the walls and doors all the way down to Steven Kimbrough's room.
"Ugh, what's the hurry?" he mumbled in reply.
"Breakfast is in 10 minutes and then we got rehearsal for an hour and a half."
"So what's your hurry? We've got another ten minutes to catch a few winks," he added.
As the native from Tennessee spoke and made his half-awake protest, I knew that this was more than a comment, it was a lifestyle. Harking to the rest of our trip, when we rode the mighty roller coaster of life, love, sex and rock and roll-- Thats what life was all about to us in this time and place. Oh, and there was religion and the gift of song, but we knew that came naturally to us and that rehearsal was just a formality.
As we wove our way through Meringen in the crowd of Swiss locals, I began to notice that we, the American tourists, were something that the Swiss were rather used to. We were, after all, the loudest, most rowdy and gaudy bunch on the streets that morning. Everyone else, however were more subdued, traveling in smaller groups, some couples at the local cafe drinking coffee. They, however, did not condemn our loud and often offensive demeanor. They must have realized that we were a necessary evil in their land, the American tourist who buy their watches and chocolate in great numbers in order to bring them home to our families. Yes, this much quieter French/German mixed culture in Meringen, Switzerland was a grateful group(for our money, but not for our customs).
Soon, Sean was chatting it up with Ginger and myself as if we were all old friends. It had been only two short days since we had met, although we all shared a common experience now, however short-lived it was. The cobblestone street felt uneven from years of wear as I briefly noticed a charming chocolatier shoppe and checked out the delicacy through the window from afar. Then, and just then, it occurred to me, that I wouldn't have an experience quite like this in my life for many years hence.
Short, and roughly paved sidewalks were tracing the outlines of the stony middle portion of road in between. When you looked up, you could only be in awe of the stunning view of snow capped mountains disappearing into the clouds high above where we stood. From a bird's eye view, the architecture stunned me, but now the trip down the ski-lift had revealed a much more rustic look with architectural intricacies imbedded in much of the buildings' weathered charm.
Surrounding the village were plenty of ruffage, shrubbery and neglected (by the rain and climate) blooming flowers. Since this region was so mountainous and the valleys were starved of rain during the summer, smokers like me where on notice that we were to dispose of our cigarette butts safely at all times to avoid the imminent risk of wild fire. Indeed, the wind played a factor in this too, as the gusts would spread and fan even a tiny smolder into something of a disaster in a hurry.
Hurrying wasn't something that we were doing while ambling through the streets of the Swiss Village. We wanted to enjoy every minute and photo opportunity in this picturesque place.
This was the most walking I had done in a while. Although I was in shape, the uneven footing on these village streets were taking it right out of me.
"This is my first time to the Alps," I managed, smiling through the pain.
"Mine too," Ginger replied in her southern drawl.
"You're dressed for this much walking in the summer," then to Shawn, "You and I look like we are hitting the ski slopes."
"Yeah," Shawn was panting, worse off than me with a noticeable spare tire around his mid-section. He was aged beyond his years, or so the eye would perceive. When he spoke, he sounded like a little boy, however, and his intelligent glasses angled and fit with his youthful smile. His hair, a mess of dark brown mish- mosh atop his head was gleaming with beads of sweat in the hot summer sun.
Ginger, on the other hand, was a charming mix of southern bell with all the fix ins and striking dimple-faced beauty. Her short stature was offset while we were walking by her long, generous stride. As if to say, look how smart I am, Ginger kept her Georgetown University tee shirt on with pride.
We strolled into many a shoppe and kiosk with American guile, while we pointed our fingers at the local fare and made off-colored comments. Shawn feigned expertise with the local customs and crafts while Ginger played off the southern inexperienced part well. Me, on the other hand, just gawked at the intricate glass-blown crafts and delectable chocolates at the same time enjoying the company of these two.
"Check this out," flew out of Ginger's mouth from somewhere behind me.
I whirled and set my vision on the Swiss-woven purse that she was already sporting on her shoulder stylishly.
"Very nice," Shawn replied before I could muster a response.
"Yeah, it looks cute on you," I added. "How much?"
"It's a steal at 15 Franks," said Ginger. "I was thinking about getting it for my sister, but I may have to keep it for myself," she added playfully.
Our time in the village was winding down as the sun had found its place behind one of the tall mountains that surrounded us. We boarded the ski lift for the ride back up to the hotel on the ridge.
There was more rehearsing to do tomorrow and for the rest of the two weeks that we were to spend with the sensational Swiss.
As the darkness fell over the rocky landscape, my eyes were heavy from the day and I drifted off to sleep. I could almost see the thick clouds rolling over the mountain range coming closer and closer as it swallowed me in dense immobility.
Chapter 8
As dawn broke, I rolled over to see my room mate, named Leatus, still deep in slumber. Leatus Reed was from Tennessee and had long dark hair, which was currently drowning his face and pillow in it's thick guise. He was fairly slender, with a few ill-placed tattoos and both ears pierced. His face was round with striking blue eyes and a nose that constituted the rest of his persona, which was currently lost in a mess of dark, straight mane.
"Get up, lazybones." I mumbled, too softly to wake Leatus Reed in his current state of REM sleep. I wanted to yank on his past-his-shoulders brunette hair, but it was just a thought that never made it to an action.
"Yo, Leat-man!" I hollered, this time too loudly. My voice carried too well, I had been told, and probably pierced through the walls and doors all the way down to Steven Kimbrough's room.
"Ugh, what's the hurry?" he mumbled in reply.
"Breakfast is in 10 minutes and then we got rehearsal for an hour and a half."
"So what's your hurry? We've got another ten minutes to catch a few winks," he added.
As the native from Tennessee spoke and made his half-awake protest, I knew that this was more than a comment, it was a lifestyle. Harking to the rest of our trip, when we rode the mighty roller coaster of life, love, sex and rock and roll-- Thats what life was all about to us in this time and place. Oh, and there was religion and the gift of song, but we knew that came naturally to us and that rehearsal was just a formality.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Excerpt from book
Excerpt from what I have been working on tonight:
That night is so vivid in my mind, even though it happened some twenty nine years ago. Tonight I can remember it like it happened yesterday.
My mom and dad traveled a whole lot with me—so much so that I hardly knew when it was time to sleep or time to be up, since I was so young. After all, it was told to me that I was around the world twice before I was eighteen months old.
All alone in that crib, like a jail cell in the pitch black, there I was. Well, it wasn’t exactly pitch black, because there was a tiny red LED light on, but pretty darn close to inky blackness. For some reason, I was scared, by what, I don’t to this day know. But I started crying, the young two-year old that I was, and kept crying—as if summoning the devil himself. My parents probably wanted like the dickens for me to “self-sooth,” you know, just cry myself to sleep and put myself out. For they, too must have been exhausted.
As I wailed in the darkness of my room, the demons edged yet closer. There they were, just at the other side of the room in the closet, which I knew was there, but could not make out in the deep darkness that surrounded me.
I will never forget that, what seems like an eternity of never-ending torture was probably only a few minutes, yet like a scene from a horror movie, all the makings of the suspense and cliff hangers were there, in my mind.
Although one of my earliest memories, we are all a sum of our experiences that mar our perceptions, jading us for the rest of our victories and downfalls later.
That night is so vivid in my mind, even though it happened some twenty nine years ago. Tonight I can remember it like it happened yesterday.
My mom and dad traveled a whole lot with me—so much so that I hardly knew when it was time to sleep or time to be up, since I was so young. After all, it was told to me that I was around the world twice before I was eighteen months old.
All alone in that crib, like a jail cell in the pitch black, there I was. Well, it wasn’t exactly pitch black, because there was a tiny red LED light on, but pretty darn close to inky blackness. For some reason, I was scared, by what, I don’t to this day know. But I started crying, the young two-year old that I was, and kept crying—as if summoning the devil himself. My parents probably wanted like the dickens for me to “self-sooth,” you know, just cry myself to sleep and put myself out. For they, too must have been exhausted.
As I wailed in the darkness of my room, the demons edged yet closer. There they were, just at the other side of the room in the closet, which I knew was there, but could not make out in the deep darkness that surrounded me.
I will never forget that, what seems like an eternity of never-ending torture was probably only a few minutes, yet like a scene from a horror movie, all the makings of the suspense and cliff hangers were there, in my mind.
Although one of my earliest memories, we are all a sum of our experiences that mar our perceptions, jading us for the rest of our victories and downfalls later.
AstraZeneca settles Seroquel claims for $198 mln - MarketWatch
AstraZeneca settles Seroquel claims for $198 mln - MarketWatch
This article particularly hits home, since I am a long time user of this medication for my symptoms of psychosis due to schizoaffective disorder. Be warned, drugs aren't always the answer.
This article particularly hits home, since I am a long time user of this medication for my symptoms of psychosis due to schizoaffective disorder. Be warned, drugs aren't always the answer.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Diagnosis Change
I think that my previous PDoc had this part correct from the start, schizoaffective disorder was my diagnosis then, and still is, according to Doctor Malhotra. Since this summer, I have felt extreme highs and lows with no symptoms of Paranoia, psychosis, delusions or hallucinations this summer. The summer is always the worst time for me and maybe it's time to do something about it.
It has been suggested by my mom that I may have a seasonal affective portion of the disorder in which there is a lag time of not having enough light, and my disorder, therefore, manifests itself later in the summer. Then, having stored up all the extra sunlight, I have a great winter, and then, being so deprived of the sun again during the winter months, I then go back to having my negative AND positive symptoms again in the Spring and Summer.
Who knows?
It has been suggested by my mom that I may have a seasonal affective portion of the disorder in which there is a lag time of not having enough light, and my disorder, therefore, manifests itself later in the summer. Then, having stored up all the extra sunlight, I have a great winter, and then, being so deprived of the sun again during the winter months, I then go back to having my negative AND positive symptoms again in the Spring and Summer.
Who knows?
An interesting review of one of my favorite manuals on Schizophrenia
Review - Surviving Schizophrenia
A Manual for Families Consumers and Providers, Third Edition
by E. Fuller Torrey
Harperperennial, 1995
Review by Matt Lee
Dec 19th 2001 (Volume 5, Issue 51)
The manual Torrey has written is a toolbox of information and contacts, written for the everyday lay reader with an interest in the practical side of schizophrenia. It presents as part of that genre of writing that we might call 'medical empowerment', where users or providers outline the background to their concerns, in this case schizophrenia, as well as describing practical methods for negotiating the varieties of treatments and social implications. It focuses on North America alone and so the details Torrey gives of practical issues and possible solutions is limited in scope and means the book is of little use outside of North America. It is also inevitably going to have a relatively short shelf life. The edition I reviewed was from 1995 and is already 6 years out of date and I would suspect that in order for such a manual to fulfill its function adequately it would need updating and reviewing every two to three years. The book then is limited in its remit, useful mainly for North Americans and then only after noting that some of the details will be redundant. One questions remains then. Is it a good manual; can it do what it intends to, which is enable people to 'survive' schizophrenia.
The first thing to note when reading Torrey's manual is his apocalyptic tone with regard to schizophrenia, a tone which is part of an overall polemical attitude that is quite aggressive and often questionable. The first chapter of the work is entitled 'dimensions of the disaster' and traces a history of schizophrenia in the last century in North America. This 'disaster' is not, however, simply schizophrenia itself, although Torrey is clear that being 'afflicted' by schizophrenia is itself a disaster for both the schizophrenic and everyone around them. The real 'disaster' with which Torrey opens his work, however, is the closure of the asylums in North America. Hospitalisation has been reduced too much, according to Torrey, and there is now a crisis in the treatment of schizophrenics for which the main solution seems to be a radical increase in hospitalization. This advocacy of the hospital is a central point in his polemic but that is not the focus of Torreys polemic. The main focus is any suggestion that schizophrenia is anything other than a massively debilitating brain disease treatable with drugs. Torrey is a primary advocate of this medical model and does so in such a way that any discussion or challenge to such a model is seen as not only ludicrous but often as dangerous to the schizophrenic. This is particularly the case with 'insight-oriented psychotherapy'. Such treatment is "not only negligent, it is malpractice" (p.169).
The polemical tone of Torrey's work comes throughout the work and the text is littered with side swipes at psychoanalysis, Thomas Szasz, R.D.Laing, anti-psychiatry and the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH). It is also littered with the phrase 'schizophrenia is a brain disease' and at no point tolerates any deviation from this basic model, even though the manual itself deals in large part with the medical social situation of the schizophrenic. Despite schizophrenia being a 'brain disease' the chapter on neurology (Chapter 6) is a cursory overview of the competing theories. Torrey presents 4 main theories, 5 minor theories and 6 'obsolete theories', none of which inspires much confidence in the rather blunt and absolutist way in which he reduces schizophrenia to brain disease. Moreover the history of psychiatric theories of schizophrenia is not one of increasing clarity of theory but, as anyone who begins to examine the area will find, rather one of ongoing waves of 'fashionable' theories, each of which seems to last a generation or two before being moved onto the shelf of minor or obsolete theories.
Torrey clearly revels in the argument but his polemic is too strident to be convincing. He attempts to offer a route through the maze of treatments and practices on offer in North America and through so doing highlights the crisis in social and medical policy that exists in that country. He does not inspire any confidence, however, in his own approach. The crucial issue of the social implications of schizophrenia is reduced, in essence, to a practice of finding the 'right' doctor or the 'right' treatment. Torrey's own role within the debate appears to blind him to the fact that schizophrenia is a major site of social struggle, possibly the most urgent site of such struggle in our attempt to grapple with 'biotechnologies' and our ability to affect ourselves through medicine.
Torrey himself has taken charge of one of the largest 'brain banks' in the world, as a result of private funding, and now controls a large part of the budget for research into schizophrenia in North America. His preferred organisation, the National Alliance for Mentally Ill, is a particular group within the debate, largely family orientated and inevitably partisan in its approach. The final chapter in his book, 'How to be an advocate' reads as a form of recruitment manifesto for NAMI but does so not through putting the policy differences clearly but rather through writing a history in which, in some sort of inevitable evolution, the only real advocacy organization is now the NAMI. At this point Torrey's clearly political - with a small 'p' - agenda comes to the fore and yet at no point does he step back from the controversy and attempt a more objective account of the issues. In the end the manual is marred fundamentally by this partisanship. A manual should aim to be an objective tool. It should not be a way to garner support for a particular policy with regard to schizophrenia. Torrey uses his position within the medical profession - even down to the 'M.D.' after his name on the cover - to give a veneer of authority and objectivity to his manual but this is an objectivity that he singularly fails to deliver.
©
2001 Matt Lee
A Manual for Families Consumers and Providers, Third Edition
by E. Fuller Torrey
Harperperennial, 1995
Review by Matt Lee
Dec 19th 2001 (Volume 5, Issue 51)
The manual Torrey has written is a toolbox of information and contacts, written for the everyday lay reader with an interest in the practical side of schizophrenia. It presents as part of that genre of writing that we might call 'medical empowerment', where users or providers outline the background to their concerns, in this case schizophrenia, as well as describing practical methods for negotiating the varieties of treatments and social implications. It focuses on North America alone and so the details Torrey gives of practical issues and possible solutions is limited in scope and means the book is of little use outside of North America. It is also inevitably going to have a relatively short shelf life. The edition I reviewed was from 1995 and is already 6 years out of date and I would suspect that in order for such a manual to fulfill its function adequately it would need updating and reviewing every two to three years. The book then is limited in its remit, useful mainly for North Americans and then only after noting that some of the details will be redundant. One questions remains then. Is it a good manual; can it do what it intends to, which is enable people to 'survive' schizophrenia.
The first thing to note when reading Torrey's manual is his apocalyptic tone with regard to schizophrenia, a tone which is part of an overall polemical attitude that is quite aggressive and often questionable. The first chapter of the work is entitled 'dimensions of the disaster' and traces a history of schizophrenia in the last century in North America. This 'disaster' is not, however, simply schizophrenia itself, although Torrey is clear that being 'afflicted' by schizophrenia is itself a disaster for both the schizophrenic and everyone around them. The real 'disaster' with which Torrey opens his work, however, is the closure of the asylums in North America. Hospitalisation has been reduced too much, according to Torrey, and there is now a crisis in the treatment of schizophrenics for which the main solution seems to be a radical increase in hospitalization. This advocacy of the hospital is a central point in his polemic but that is not the focus of Torreys polemic. The main focus is any suggestion that schizophrenia is anything other than a massively debilitating brain disease treatable with drugs. Torrey is a primary advocate of this medical model and does so in such a way that any discussion or challenge to such a model is seen as not only ludicrous but often as dangerous to the schizophrenic. This is particularly the case with 'insight-oriented psychotherapy'. Such treatment is "not only negligent, it is malpractice" (p.169).
The polemical tone of Torrey's work comes throughout the work and the text is littered with side swipes at psychoanalysis, Thomas Szasz, R.D.Laing, anti-psychiatry and the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH). It is also littered with the phrase 'schizophrenia is a brain disease' and at no point tolerates any deviation from this basic model, even though the manual itself deals in large part with the medical social situation of the schizophrenic. Despite schizophrenia being a 'brain disease' the chapter on neurology (Chapter 6) is a cursory overview of the competing theories. Torrey presents 4 main theories, 5 minor theories and 6 'obsolete theories', none of which inspires much confidence in the rather blunt and absolutist way in which he reduces schizophrenia to brain disease. Moreover the history of psychiatric theories of schizophrenia is not one of increasing clarity of theory but, as anyone who begins to examine the area will find, rather one of ongoing waves of 'fashionable' theories, each of which seems to last a generation or two before being moved onto the shelf of minor or obsolete theories.
Torrey clearly revels in the argument but his polemic is too strident to be convincing. He attempts to offer a route through the maze of treatments and practices on offer in North America and through so doing highlights the crisis in social and medical policy that exists in that country. He does not inspire any confidence, however, in his own approach. The crucial issue of the social implications of schizophrenia is reduced, in essence, to a practice of finding the 'right' doctor or the 'right' treatment. Torrey's own role within the debate appears to blind him to the fact that schizophrenia is a major site of social struggle, possibly the most urgent site of such struggle in our attempt to grapple with 'biotechnologies' and our ability to affect ourselves through medicine.
Torrey himself has taken charge of one of the largest 'brain banks' in the world, as a result of private funding, and now controls a large part of the budget for research into schizophrenia in North America. His preferred organisation, the National Alliance for Mentally Ill, is a particular group within the debate, largely family orientated and inevitably partisan in its approach. The final chapter in his book, 'How to be an advocate' reads as a form of recruitment manifesto for NAMI but does so not through putting the policy differences clearly but rather through writing a history in which, in some sort of inevitable evolution, the only real advocacy organization is now the NAMI. At this point Torrey's clearly political - with a small 'p' - agenda comes to the fore and yet at no point does he step back from the controversy and attempt a more objective account of the issues. In the end the manual is marred fundamentally by this partisanship. A manual should aim to be an objective tool. It should not be a way to garner support for a particular policy with regard to schizophrenia. Torrey uses his position within the medical profession - even down to the 'M.D.' after his name on the cover - to give a veneer of authority and objectivity to his manual but this is an objectivity that he singularly fails to deliver.
©
2001 Matt Lee
Friday, July 23, 2010
An interesting life expectancy in Mental Illness article I came across
Home » News » Suicide News » Life Expectancy in Mental Illness
Life Expectancy in Mental Illness
By JESSICA WARD JONES, MD, MPH Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 13, 2010
Mental illness can take years off a person’s life, but perhaps not as many as previously thought.
Recent research shows that serious and persistent mental illness can result in patients losing up to four years of life compared to individuals without mental illness.
Dr. Elizabeth E. Piatt from the Department of Behaviors and Community Health Services at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown, and her colleagues, examined death records of patients from a community mental health center, and from the general population. The researchers found an increase in premature mortality in the mentally ill patients, not only from suicide, but also cancer, accidents, liver disease and septicemia.
“We found that a community-based sample of adults with severe and persistent mental illness lost 14.5 years of potential life, a difference of 4.2 years from the (control) sample,” said Piatt.
It has been known for years that people with severe psychiatric illness have shorter lifespans, thought to be from 13.5 to 32 years shorter. More than 90 percent of suicides are as a result of a mental illness, and persons with bipolar disorder, for example, have a 10 to 20 percent lifetime risk of suicide. However, recent research has made clear that there is an increased mortality in patients with mental illness that is not directly explained by mental health issues, and is related to general medical problems.
However, most studies have tended to focus on inpatients. In addition, previous research has not directly compared years of potential life lost between mental health patients and individuals without mental illness. Thus the number of potential years of life lost may be lower than previously suggested.
“By not examining differences in premature mortality, the results of these studies may have overestimated (this outcome) in the population with serious mental illness,” note the authors.
To accurately assess the true impact of serious and persistent mental illness on years of potential life lost, Piatt and her colleagues retrospectively matched 647 case management files from patients who had been treated at a community health center prior to their deaths to 15,517 state death records from the general population.
The authors defined serious mental illness as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, major depression, anxiety disorder and personality disorders. Individuals with dementia and substance abuse disorders were not included in the study.
They found that the mean number of years of potential life lost for decedents with serious and persistent mental illness was 14.5 (standard deviation ± 10.6) compared to 10.5 (± 6.7) for the general population. The mean age of death for the psychiatric patients was 73.4 (± 15.4) years compared to 79.6 (± 10.9) years.
Heart disease was the leading cause of death for each group. After statistical adjustments were made for gender, race, education and marital status, the greatest differences in cause of death between the two groups were seen in suicide, cancer, accidents, liver disease, and septicemia.
Differences were also seen in every leading cause of death. However, even after adjusting for all the differences in cause of death, there was still a increased number of years of potential life lost that was not explained.
“Differences in cause of death did not explain the difference in years of potential life lost,” said Piatt.
These results are important in giving a more accurate picture of the true impact of serious and persistent mental illness on life expectency, and the nature of that impact. Patients with psychiatric disorders are not only at risk for psychiatric complications, but are also at greater risk for medical illness, and at an increased risk for more complicated medical disease and worse outcomes.
Patients with psychiatric illness may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors that result in accidents, or to smoke, or be less compliant with medications. Another recent study showed that patients with bipolar disorder are at an increased risk for heart disease. Other research has shown that patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals are at risk for increased mortality from general medical problems. In addition, some psychiatric medications, notably antipsychotics, can increase the risk of diabetes, or heart disease.
Mental health practitioners have an opportunity to intervene not just in preventing suicides, but also in discouraging risky behavior, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and general primary medical care.
“Integrating mental health care, primary health care, and wellness-promoting activities….may ensure access to the interventions needed to reverse the causes of preventable early death,” say Piatt and her team. “Morbidity and mortality from the most common causes of death in this sample…may be reduced by effective medical care that attempts prevention, early detection, and chronic disease management.”
The authors conclude: “Our work adds to the growing body of literature that highlights the need for better preventative health care for persons with mental illness. Along with ongoing suicide prevention programs, efforts to integrate primary and psychiatric care should focus on these preventable causes of death.”
Dr. Piatt’s results are published in the July issue of Psychiatric Services.
Source: Psychiatric Services
Life Expectancy in Mental Illness
By JESSICA WARD JONES, MD, MPH Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 13, 2010
Mental illness can take years off a person’s life, but perhaps not as many as previously thought.
Recent research shows that serious and persistent mental illness can result in patients losing up to four years of life compared to individuals without mental illness.
Dr. Elizabeth E. Piatt from the Department of Behaviors and Community Health Services at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown, and her colleagues, examined death records of patients from a community mental health center, and from the general population. The researchers found an increase in premature mortality in the mentally ill patients, not only from suicide, but also cancer, accidents, liver disease and septicemia.
“We found that a community-based sample of adults with severe and persistent mental illness lost 14.5 years of potential life, a difference of 4.2 years from the (control) sample,” said Piatt.
It has been known for years that people with severe psychiatric illness have shorter lifespans, thought to be from 13.5 to 32 years shorter. More than 90 percent of suicides are as a result of a mental illness, and persons with bipolar disorder, for example, have a 10 to 20 percent lifetime risk of suicide. However, recent research has made clear that there is an increased mortality in patients with mental illness that is not directly explained by mental health issues, and is related to general medical problems.
However, most studies have tended to focus on inpatients. In addition, previous research has not directly compared years of potential life lost between mental health patients and individuals without mental illness. Thus the number of potential years of life lost may be lower than previously suggested.
“By not examining differences in premature mortality, the results of these studies may have overestimated (this outcome) in the population with serious mental illness,” note the authors.
To accurately assess the true impact of serious and persistent mental illness on years of potential life lost, Piatt and her colleagues retrospectively matched 647 case management files from patients who had been treated at a community health center prior to their deaths to 15,517 state death records from the general population.
The authors defined serious mental illness as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, major depression, anxiety disorder and personality disorders. Individuals with dementia and substance abuse disorders were not included in the study.
They found that the mean number of years of potential life lost for decedents with serious and persistent mental illness was 14.5 (standard deviation ± 10.6) compared to 10.5 (± 6.7) for the general population. The mean age of death for the psychiatric patients was 73.4 (± 15.4) years compared to 79.6 (± 10.9) years.
Heart disease was the leading cause of death for each group. After statistical adjustments were made for gender, race, education and marital status, the greatest differences in cause of death between the two groups were seen in suicide, cancer, accidents, liver disease, and septicemia.
Differences were also seen in every leading cause of death. However, even after adjusting for all the differences in cause of death, there was still a increased number of years of potential life lost that was not explained.
“Differences in cause of death did not explain the difference in years of potential life lost,” said Piatt.
These results are important in giving a more accurate picture of the true impact of serious and persistent mental illness on life expectency, and the nature of that impact. Patients with psychiatric disorders are not only at risk for psychiatric complications, but are also at greater risk for medical illness, and at an increased risk for more complicated medical disease and worse outcomes.
Patients with psychiatric illness may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors that result in accidents, or to smoke, or be less compliant with medications. Another recent study showed that patients with bipolar disorder are at an increased risk for heart disease. Other research has shown that patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals are at risk for increased mortality from general medical problems. In addition, some psychiatric medications, notably antipsychotics, can increase the risk of diabetes, or heart disease.
Mental health practitioners have an opportunity to intervene not just in preventing suicides, but also in discouraging risky behavior, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and general primary medical care.
“Integrating mental health care, primary health care, and wellness-promoting activities….may ensure access to the interventions needed to reverse the causes of preventable early death,” say Piatt and her team. “Morbidity and mortality from the most common causes of death in this sample…may be reduced by effective medical care that attempts prevention, early detection, and chronic disease management.”
The authors conclude: “Our work adds to the growing body of literature that highlights the need for better preventative health care for persons with mental illness. Along with ongoing suicide prevention programs, efforts to integrate primary and psychiatric care should focus on these preventable causes of death.”
Dr. Piatt’s results are published in the July issue of Psychiatric Services.
Source: Psychiatric Services
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Cognitive functioning certainly protected in some patients, including me
A gene has been found in some people with schizophrenia that can help protect cognitive ability.
While it may put individuals at risk for schizophrenia in the first place, schizophrenic patients with the at-risk gene performed better on certain tests of cognitive function than patients with a less risky variant of the same gene.
Dr. James T.R. Walters of the Medical Research Council for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardifff University in Wales, and his colleagues found preserved memory with a variation in the gene known as the Zinc Finger Protein 804A.
Prior research has implicated the Zinc Finger Protein 804A gene (ZNF804A) as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Alleles are different variations of the same gene, and one allele of the ZNF804A gene seems to be more commonly present in patients with psychiatric diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While its exact function remains elusive, some researchers suspect that the ZNF804A gene affects communication in the brain.
Walters and his team studied 297 adults with schizophrenia and 165 healthy adults in Ireland. The same research was repeated in Germany on a population of 251 patients with schizophrenia and 1472 controls to confirm the results.
All participants were genetically tested to assess which allele of the ZNF804A gene was present. Study participants also underwent tests of cognitive function including IQ, episodic memory, working memory, and attention.
Variations of the ZNF804A gene did not have any effect on the results of the cognitive testing in the adults with no psychiatric disorder.
However, in the individuals with schizophrenia, the at-risk allele of ZNF804A appeared to have a protective effect on cognitive functions such as working memory and episodic memory.
Walters then limited the results to only patients with a relatively higher IQ and the association between the at-risk gene and the preserved memory functions became even stronger.
“Although the observed association with cognition seem counterintuitive, it is important to note that the risk allele at ZNF804A is not so much associated with better cognitive performance in the present study as with less impaired cognitive performance,” writes Walters.
The exact nature between the relationship of ZNF804A and the development of schizophrenia is not entirely understood. These results are important in suggesting that ZNF804A may be a risk factor for one subtype of schizophrenia, and the development of some subtypes of schizophrenia may also involve cognitive pathways.
Further research into the genetics and the molecular biology of the development of schizophrenia could provide important information to help in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease.
Dr. Walter’s results can be found in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Source: Archives of General Psychiatry
While it may put individuals at risk for schizophrenia in the first place, schizophrenic patients with the at-risk gene performed better on certain tests of cognitive function than patients with a less risky variant of the same gene.
Dr. James T.R. Walters of the Medical Research Council for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardifff University in Wales, and his colleagues found preserved memory with a variation in the gene known as the Zinc Finger Protein 804A.
Prior research has implicated the Zinc Finger Protein 804A gene (ZNF804A) as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Alleles are different variations of the same gene, and one allele of the ZNF804A gene seems to be more commonly present in patients with psychiatric diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While its exact function remains elusive, some researchers suspect that the ZNF804A gene affects communication in the brain.
Walters and his team studied 297 adults with schizophrenia and 165 healthy adults in Ireland. The same research was repeated in Germany on a population of 251 patients with schizophrenia and 1472 controls to confirm the results.
All participants were genetically tested to assess which allele of the ZNF804A gene was present. Study participants also underwent tests of cognitive function including IQ, episodic memory, working memory, and attention.
Variations of the ZNF804A gene did not have any effect on the results of the cognitive testing in the adults with no psychiatric disorder.
However, in the individuals with schizophrenia, the at-risk allele of ZNF804A appeared to have a protective effect on cognitive functions such as working memory and episodic memory.
Walters then limited the results to only patients with a relatively higher IQ and the association between the at-risk gene and the preserved memory functions became even stronger.
“Although the observed association with cognition seem counterintuitive, it is important to note that the risk allele at ZNF804A is not so much associated with better cognitive performance in the present study as with less impaired cognitive performance,” writes Walters.
The exact nature between the relationship of ZNF804A and the development of schizophrenia is not entirely understood. These results are important in suggesting that ZNF804A may be a risk factor for one subtype of schizophrenia, and the development of some subtypes of schizophrenia may also involve cognitive pathways.
Further research into the genetics and the molecular biology of the development of schizophrenia could provide important information to help in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease.
Dr. Walter’s results can be found in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Source: Archives of General Psychiatry
Monday, July 5, 2010
Severe brain disease
Schizophrenia Is A Severe Mental Disease.
All over the world around 1 in 100 people will develop Schizophrenia during their lifetime. There are quite a lot types of Schizophrenia.
In suspicious schizophrenia the patient has delusions and auditory hallucinations. Read more Stenslag reparation
Very often the delusions are about being mistreated unfairly or being some other person who is eminent.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia are mainly disturbances of thought processes but also extend to disturbances of behavior and emotion.
Schizophrenia means split mind or divided self. In such cases the nature loses its unity.
Individuals suffering from Schizophrenia can display anger, unfriendliness, anxiety and argumentativeness.
Social withdrawal, extreme anxiety and a feeling of being unreal, a sense of being controlled by external forces are behavioral changes that can take place in a person suffering from schizophrenia. They incline to also make up words without a meaning.
Schizophrenia makes it difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically or to have proper, emotional responses to others. They are also unable to behave appropriately in social positions.
Antipsychotic medications have been available since the mid-1950s.
These medications shrink the psychotic symptoms of Schizophrenic and usually allow the patient to function more successfully and appropriately.
Psychotherapy is not a supplementary for antipsychotic medication. Read more Boern og kost
The schizophrenic patients feel rejected, despised, detested in their significant interpersonal relationships.
A Schizophrenic patient ought to definitely get support from the family, doctor, counselor and friends.
Genetics, early environment, neurobiology, psychological and social procedures are said to be important contributory factors to schizophrenia.
Symptoms of schizophrenia can be caused or worsened by some amusing and prescription drugs.
Late adolescence and early adulthood are highest years for the onset of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is often described in terms of positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms refer to symptoms that is present in schizophrenia. This includes delusions, auditory, hallucinations and thought disorder.
Harmful symptoms include flat emotion, poverty of speech, inability to experience pleasure and lack of want to form relationships.
Negative symptoms contribute more to poor excellence of life and functional disability.
It has been suggested that Schizophrenia is a form of complex inheritance, with many different potential genes each of small consequence, with different pathways for different individuals. Read more Palaevilla
A interesting finding has been done relating to schizophrenia and that is in the northern hemisphere people diagnosed with schizophrenia are more probable to have been born in winter or spring.
About the Author:
www.ledgaardstyropor.dk
All over the world around 1 in 100 people will develop Schizophrenia during their lifetime. There are quite a lot types of Schizophrenia.
In suspicious schizophrenia the patient has delusions and auditory hallucinations. Read more Stenslag reparation
Very often the delusions are about being mistreated unfairly or being some other person who is eminent.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia are mainly disturbances of thought processes but also extend to disturbances of behavior and emotion.
Schizophrenia means split mind or divided self. In such cases the nature loses its unity.
Individuals suffering from Schizophrenia can display anger, unfriendliness, anxiety and argumentativeness.
Social withdrawal, extreme anxiety and a feeling of being unreal, a sense of being controlled by external forces are behavioral changes that can take place in a person suffering from schizophrenia. They incline to also make up words without a meaning.
Schizophrenia makes it difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically or to have proper, emotional responses to others. They are also unable to behave appropriately in social positions.
Antipsychotic medications have been available since the mid-1950s.
These medications shrink the psychotic symptoms of Schizophrenic and usually allow the patient to function more successfully and appropriately.
Psychotherapy is not a supplementary for antipsychotic medication. Read more Boern og kost
The schizophrenic patients feel rejected, despised, detested in their significant interpersonal relationships.
A Schizophrenic patient ought to definitely get support from the family, doctor, counselor and friends.
Genetics, early environment, neurobiology, psychological and social procedures are said to be important contributory factors to schizophrenia.
Symptoms of schizophrenia can be caused or worsened by some amusing and prescription drugs.
Late adolescence and early adulthood are highest years for the onset of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is often described in terms of positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms refer to symptoms that is present in schizophrenia. This includes delusions, auditory, hallucinations and thought disorder.
Harmful symptoms include flat emotion, poverty of speech, inability to experience pleasure and lack of want to form relationships.
Negative symptoms contribute more to poor excellence of life and functional disability.
It has been suggested that Schizophrenia is a form of complex inheritance, with many different potential genes each of small consequence, with different pathways for different individuals. Read more Palaevilla
A interesting finding has been done relating to schizophrenia and that is in the northern hemisphere people diagnosed with schizophrenia are more probable to have been born in winter or spring.
About the Author:
www.ledgaardstyropor.dk
Friday, July 2, 2010
Rushing Thoughts Yet To Subside
6/30/10 11:34am
I try all the time, and push myself to be the best man that I can be. I think that I am a good father and husband to Heather and Tyler. Now that we are having another child, I feel like I am shot out of a cannon. Spring and summer seem to be the bane of my existence. Usually in the Spring and Summer, I must admit, I feel more manic, psychotic and disturbing thoughts that shoot through my brain like a razor wire moving at the speed of light. I cannot ever, when I feel manic, turn my brain on silent. Sorry, Shea's thoughts are not available right now, but if you leave a message at the tone, he'll be sure to consider getting back to you when he gets back into the office. But no, I do not have the luxury, nor the extra money to take any time off work, home or life in general. Nay, I must suffer through the worst of it, with the very stimuli that cause my rushing thoughts all around me all the time.
6/30/10 4:54 PM
And now, just as quickly as the hastening thoughts had arisen, they calm down, as if to say, as you wish, for now. I know that as uncomfortable as these thoughts are, as a quickly approaching thunder storm in the middle of July, they pass and a calm sets in. This period, though I know is temporary, comes on and is marked by low thought volume in my mind and flat emotions. Whereas when I am feeling at the height of my mania, I could never take a nap, during these periods of calm, I feel I must, at times, take a few winks.
I try all the time, and push myself to be the best man that I can be. I think that I am a good father and husband to Heather and Tyler. Now that we are having another child, I feel like I am shot out of a cannon. Spring and summer seem to be the bane of my existence. Usually in the Spring and Summer, I must admit, I feel more manic, psychotic and disturbing thoughts that shoot through my brain like a razor wire moving at the speed of light. I cannot ever, when I feel manic, turn my brain on silent. Sorry, Shea's thoughts are not available right now, but if you leave a message at the tone, he'll be sure to consider getting back to you when he gets back into the office. But no, I do not have the luxury, nor the extra money to take any time off work, home or life in general. Nay, I must suffer through the worst of it, with the very stimuli that cause my rushing thoughts all around me all the time.
6/30/10 4:54 PM
And now, just as quickly as the hastening thoughts had arisen, they calm down, as if to say, as you wish, for now. I know that as uncomfortable as these thoughts are, as a quickly approaching thunder storm in the middle of July, they pass and a calm sets in. This period, though I know is temporary, comes on and is marked by low thought volume in my mind and flat emotions. Whereas when I am feeling at the height of my mania, I could never take a nap, during these periods of calm, I feel I must, at times, take a few winks.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Mania and the period that ensues after said episode
The thoughts just never stop
They just keep on coming, with little relief on the horizon. I know what will end up happening, I will end up crashing one day soon and then my thoughts, every single last one of them, will evaporate into nothingness.
And with the help of my medication and change of diagnosis from the doctor, I have indeed been less up and more, well, down. I feel like taking a nap all the time. Alas, I will not get to take one, and will need to tough it out.
The rushing thoughts subside, like the change of tides, and I suddenly feel a wave of normalcy on the edge of my consciousness. Following an episode of mania, I always welcome the normalcy that ensues.
Sent from Shea's iPad
They just keep on coming, with little relief on the horizon. I know what will end up happening, I will end up crashing one day soon and then my thoughts, every single last one of them, will evaporate into nothingness.
And with the help of my medication and change of diagnosis from the doctor, I have indeed been less up and more, well, down. I feel like taking a nap all the time. Alas, I will not get to take one, and will need to tough it out.
The rushing thoughts subside, like the change of tides, and I suddenly feel a wave of normalcy on the edge of my consciousness. Following an episode of mania, I always welcome the normalcy that ensues.
Sent from Shea's iPad
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
What I'm currently working on in my spare time.....HAHAHAHA.....What spare time?
Chapter 1, Prologue
It was one of those crisp evenings, and on nights like this, I could remember how it all started. Abruptly, without warning, I had gone from a happy college kid, to someone who feared fear itself. What made it all the more disturbing was the lack of sleep. In one instance, I was tired, but could not sleep, then I would lay there in my dorm room bunk bed and stare out the window at the beautiful Gettysburg College campus and listen to the chirping of birds, which normally was a happy sound. The sound of these birds, however, took on a demonic and meaningful (to my ears only) shrill chirp. After a few hours of laying there, eyelids clicking, trying desperately to sleep with no sign of the sweet relief coming, I climb out of bed and check the time while I reach for the telephone by the TV set. The clock read 6:45 am. It was finals week as I neared the middle of my college career, end of my sophomore year. Just three more exams to take, I thought. But at that point I was in trouble. Not the kind of trouble you get into with the law or with a girl you date, no, I was in over my head, and it would be a long way out of a deep, dark hole.
I was going to call my mom, but even as I dialed the numbers, I couldn't remember what her number was and the numbers on the keypad looked all mixed up in a jumble of mathematics that I couldn't figure out. "Ok, you can do this," I thought to myself. I reminded myself that anyone that had not had a wink of sleep in 72 hours would probably be in similar shape. Finally, after several attempts of punching in random strings of phone numbers, the phone was ringing, I was calling for help.
"Are you feeling all right?" my room mate would ask me. "No, not really," I would respond as the very fabric of time would be in my perceptions, intermittently speeding up and then back to a slow crawl. Every outside stimuli, like someone calling to their friend from far away or a car honking it's horn, had some insidious purpose for doing so, in my mind. In fact, they were all just cogs in a grand master paranoid delusion that made up conspiracy theories and confirmed their validity with every passing moment. my friends, they just got to enjoy life, free of the burden of schizophrenia and its poison to my thoughts. For me, well, I was just stuck in a racing auto bon of thoughts with no slowing down in sight.
It wasn't until my mom arrived and picked me up that I felt my first pang of relief, if just for a moment. The next 11 years of my life, as it turns out, would be a roller coaster to recovery through medication, doctor's visits, brief hospital stays and an ever increasing ability to cope with the symptoms of my brain disease. I have come so far in coping with the disease that I look back at those first few years that I was in an ominous dark cloud that would hang over me, to a sense of clarity. Whereas, at first, I would not know what to do or how to handle the symptoms as they struck me, I now have a heightened awareness of those same symptoms and have developed almost what you would call an action plan in order to deal with each type as it comes. This is the story of my journey to the abyss of schizophrenia and back.
Chapter 2
One thing that we often lack in Mental illness specifically, is insight. A little bit of understanding or the word insight as it pertains to mental illness is needed here. Insight is often not a hard concept for us to grasp normally, with a regularly functioning brain, that is. Now imagine that you are entirely a prisoner in your own mind. Imagine a world warped by the many perceptions and thoughts cutting sharply through your neurons like a lightning bolt.
Put another way, is this--imagine that you are a world-renowned lecturer and you have the biggest audience of the best academics at a speaking engagement before you. You have zero time and absolutely no way to predict what will happen next. Like someone just jabbed a razor-blade through your temple, the most painful headache that you have ever experienced suddenly hits you as you are standing in front of, lets say 5,000 extremely intelligent people (you the most revered among them) and you have been stopped dead in your tracks. Just like the lecturer has no insight, most likely into what brought on his terrible migraine, those with mental illness have no insight into what causes the pain in their thoughts.
You see, every day of a functioning schizophrenic's life is the big performance in front of onlooking peers, coworkers, colleagues, Vice Presidents and subordinates- not to mention your family, friends, neighbors, and whomever else you may come in contact with every day. All the while, you are attempting the impossible, like the world-renowned lecturer that needs some Advil, those with mental illness need to sort out and set filters for, the excruciating psychic pain that they are feeling......all the time.
Chapter 3
As I stepped off the plane in Frankfurt, Germany, I entered the airport thinking to myself, "This is my dream, to travel to Europe during college." And I was right, it was the summer of 1998, after my freshman year at G-Burg and now I could feel the wind in my hair. We then shuffled into a bus, that is, myself and 15 other kids from around the country, were all here on a missionary whose purpose was set to inspire churches in eastern Europe to make a difference. And this was a highly selective group of which I was one of the chosen few.
Yes, I had six weeks of travel, culture, food, singing and fun ahead of me and then my whole life to enjoy thereafter. As far as the Youth Mission Chorale and the missionary trip were concerned, I was right on. After that, however, I had no idea that the future would hold a major psychic break one short year later.
That bus trip to Switzerland, was a gorgeous display of hillsides set in with rivers and snowy peaks and lush green valleys. As the landscape rolled along, I sat by the window, completely taken in by what I witnessed passing before my eyes, and I heard, "just wait till we get there, Meringen is known for it's beauty," a beautiful female voice said.
I turned and replied, "I can't wait- you know I have never been abroad before this." then: " Have you? I'm sorry, I don't recall your name?"
"That's ok, it's Katarina," the blue eyed blond from Dickenson college, it turns out, that was right down the road from my institution.
"Nice to meet you," I said, with a little swagger, since I really meant it.
"You too, hun."
Silence
"Have you traveled much in the past?" I asked, just trying to make casual conversation, although my heart was fluttering with the flirting excitement.
"Yes, but just to Russia, Moscow is an extraordinary city, it's too bad that we are not headed there this trip."
"But you have to admit that this trip is going to be spectacular," I hoped.
"Oh, yes, definitely"
And as abruptly as Katarina had struck up a conversation, she moved on to her next social adventure, a man, whom I knew for many years, Mark Miller.
"Ok, see you later!" I managed to blurt out.
She gave me a big, toothy smile and waved. Yup, this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience abroad. I smiled back at her and gave her a half-wave as she made her way on the moving bus up three rows of seats to where Mark Miller was chatting with a heavy set young man with curly dark hair and glasses to complete the look. On his feet, I noticed a pair of worn out looking berkenstocks.
This trip, while it was going to be a life changing experience and a highly selected few got to experience it, heck, we were even going to be staying at wonderful accommodations while on our trip--but the icing on the cake was that most of the cost of the trip was subsidized heavily by the Global Board of General Ministries of the United Methodist Church. The end result to my parents, who were footing the relatively small bill for me to come, was less money than it actually cost to fly Luftansa Airlines on the round trip from JFK to Frankfurt. A mere defray for the Methodists, who were obviously putting up some pretty big bucks to send the "chosen few" for a six week tour of the Baltic States and St Petersburg, not to mention a two week stay in Switzerland (one of the most gorgeous settings in the world) in order to rehearse the songs we were going to sing in 7 different local and world languages.
Yup, this was going to be sweet.
Definition of Schizophrenia
Mental illness is a disease of the brain, a chemical imbalance, a result of a neurotransmitter misfire in a billion neurons at the same time. But I can tell you that from my perspective, from one who suffers from it each and every day, it's defined a bit differently. First there are the delusions, the hallucinations, the never ending-and sometimes impossible to "turn off" brain activity. Then there is the guilt, an overwhelming feeling that you somehow caused yourself to be and act this way. Of course, we have all had experience with the oft described self-neglect of those with schizophrenia. To top it all off, for all that you are going through, you cannot tell anyone around you what is going on. No. You must selectively tell a chosen few who act as both a caretaker, friend, confidant and sounding board for your warped perception of the world around you. For if you did tell everyone that you came in contact with, eventually, you would find yourself very lonely and outcast. Indeed, a person with Diabetes, another biological disease that is also very manageable through medication and insulin, may tell just about ANYONE they want about their condition and what they go through. Any reasonable person listening to this diabetic tell their story would feel sympathetic to that person. The schizophrenic, on the other hand, if they were to tell just ANYONE about their affliction, would most likely be treated as an outcast at best. After all, what can a reasonable, rational person do to relate to a psychotic episode? Nothing, because these symptoms are extremely specified to someone who has mental illness. To be fair, each and every one of us has an occasional period of feeling a bit down-in-the dumps. But to truly appreciate what someone with mental illness goes through, try visiting a psyche ward of any hospital, and tell me that mental illness is somehow just a part of the human condition.
Of course, since these dark hours in the dorm room of my sophomore year at Gettysburg College in 1999, I have come a long way. Instead of getting lost in the dark shroud of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, I navigate the ins and outs of all of the nuances of the horrific disorder.
It was one of those crisp evenings, and on nights like this, I could remember how it all started. Abruptly, without warning, I had gone from a happy college kid, to someone who feared fear itself. What made it all the more disturbing was the lack of sleep. In one instance, I was tired, but could not sleep, then I would lay there in my dorm room bunk bed and stare out the window at the beautiful Gettysburg College campus and listen to the chirping of birds, which normally was a happy sound. The sound of these birds, however, took on a demonic and meaningful (to my ears only) shrill chirp. After a few hours of laying there, eyelids clicking, trying desperately to sleep with no sign of the sweet relief coming, I climb out of bed and check the time while I reach for the telephone by the TV set. The clock read 6:45 am. It was finals week as I neared the middle of my college career, end of my sophomore year. Just three more exams to take, I thought. But at that point I was in trouble. Not the kind of trouble you get into with the law or with a girl you date, no, I was in over my head, and it would be a long way out of a deep, dark hole.
I was going to call my mom, but even as I dialed the numbers, I couldn't remember what her number was and the numbers on the keypad looked all mixed up in a jumble of mathematics that I couldn't figure out. "Ok, you can do this," I thought to myself. I reminded myself that anyone that had not had a wink of sleep in 72 hours would probably be in similar shape. Finally, after several attempts of punching in random strings of phone numbers, the phone was ringing, I was calling for help.
"Are you feeling all right?" my room mate would ask me. "No, not really," I would respond as the very fabric of time would be in my perceptions, intermittently speeding up and then back to a slow crawl. Every outside stimuli, like someone calling to their friend from far away or a car honking it's horn, had some insidious purpose for doing so, in my mind. In fact, they were all just cogs in a grand master paranoid delusion that made up conspiracy theories and confirmed their validity with every passing moment. my friends, they just got to enjoy life, free of the burden of schizophrenia and its poison to my thoughts. For me, well, I was just stuck in a racing auto bon of thoughts with no slowing down in sight.
It wasn't until my mom arrived and picked me up that I felt my first pang of relief, if just for a moment. The next 11 years of my life, as it turns out, would be a roller coaster to recovery through medication, doctor's visits, brief hospital stays and an ever increasing ability to cope with the symptoms of my brain disease. I have come so far in coping with the disease that I look back at those first few years that I was in an ominous dark cloud that would hang over me, to a sense of clarity. Whereas, at first, I would not know what to do or how to handle the symptoms as they struck me, I now have a heightened awareness of those same symptoms and have developed almost what you would call an action plan in order to deal with each type as it comes. This is the story of my journey to the abyss of schizophrenia and back.
Chapter 2
One thing that we often lack in Mental illness specifically, is insight. A little bit of understanding or the word insight as it pertains to mental illness is needed here. Insight is often not a hard concept for us to grasp normally, with a regularly functioning brain, that is. Now imagine that you are entirely a prisoner in your own mind. Imagine a world warped by the many perceptions and thoughts cutting sharply through your neurons like a lightning bolt.
Put another way, is this--imagine that you are a world-renowned lecturer and you have the biggest audience of the best academics at a speaking engagement before you. You have zero time and absolutely no way to predict what will happen next. Like someone just jabbed a razor-blade through your temple, the most painful headache that you have ever experienced suddenly hits you as you are standing in front of, lets say 5,000 extremely intelligent people (you the most revered among them) and you have been stopped dead in your tracks. Just like the lecturer has no insight, most likely into what brought on his terrible migraine, those with mental illness have no insight into what causes the pain in their thoughts.
You see, every day of a functioning schizophrenic's life is the big performance in front of onlooking peers, coworkers, colleagues, Vice Presidents and subordinates- not to mention your family, friends, neighbors, and whomever else you may come in contact with every day. All the while, you are attempting the impossible, like the world-renowned lecturer that needs some Advil, those with mental illness need to sort out and set filters for, the excruciating psychic pain that they are feeling......all the time.
Chapter 3
As I stepped off the plane in Frankfurt, Germany, I entered the airport thinking to myself, "This is my dream, to travel to Europe during college." And I was right, it was the summer of 1998, after my freshman year at G-Burg and now I could feel the wind in my hair. We then shuffled into a bus, that is, myself and 15 other kids from around the country, were all here on a missionary whose purpose was set to inspire churches in eastern Europe to make a difference. And this was a highly selective group of which I was one of the chosen few.
Yes, I had six weeks of travel, culture, food, singing and fun ahead of me and then my whole life to enjoy thereafter. As far as the Youth Mission Chorale and the missionary trip were concerned, I was right on. After that, however, I had no idea that the future would hold a major psychic break one short year later.
That bus trip to Switzerland, was a gorgeous display of hillsides set in with rivers and snowy peaks and lush green valleys. As the landscape rolled along, I sat by the window, completely taken in by what I witnessed passing before my eyes, and I heard, "just wait till we get there, Meringen is known for it's beauty," a beautiful female voice said.
I turned and replied, "I can't wait- you know I have never been abroad before this." then: " Have you? I'm sorry, I don't recall your name?"
"That's ok, it's Katarina," the blue eyed blond from Dickenson college, it turns out, that was right down the road from my institution.
"Nice to meet you," I said, with a little swagger, since I really meant it.
"You too, hun."
Silence
"Have you traveled much in the past?" I asked, just trying to make casual conversation, although my heart was fluttering with the flirting excitement.
"Yes, but just to Russia, Moscow is an extraordinary city, it's too bad that we are not headed there this trip."
"But you have to admit that this trip is going to be spectacular," I hoped.
"Oh, yes, definitely"
And as abruptly as Katarina had struck up a conversation, she moved on to her next social adventure, a man, whom I knew for many years, Mark Miller.
"Ok, see you later!" I managed to blurt out.
She gave me a big, toothy smile and waved. Yup, this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience abroad. I smiled back at her and gave her a half-wave as she made her way on the moving bus up three rows of seats to where Mark Miller was chatting with a heavy set young man with curly dark hair and glasses to complete the look. On his feet, I noticed a pair of worn out looking berkenstocks.
This trip, while it was going to be a life changing experience and a highly selected few got to experience it, heck, we were even going to be staying at wonderful accommodations while on our trip--but the icing on the cake was that most of the cost of the trip was subsidized heavily by the Global Board of General Ministries of the United Methodist Church. The end result to my parents, who were footing the relatively small bill for me to come, was less money than it actually cost to fly Luftansa Airlines on the round trip from JFK to Frankfurt. A mere defray for the Methodists, who were obviously putting up some pretty big bucks to send the "chosen few" for a six week tour of the Baltic States and St Petersburg, not to mention a two week stay in Switzerland (one of the most gorgeous settings in the world) in order to rehearse the songs we were going to sing in 7 different local and world languages.
Yup, this was going to be sweet.
Definition of Schizophrenia
Mental illness is a disease of the brain, a chemical imbalance, a result of a neurotransmitter misfire in a billion neurons at the same time. But I can tell you that from my perspective, from one who suffers from it each and every day, it's defined a bit differently. First there are the delusions, the hallucinations, the never ending-and sometimes impossible to "turn off" brain activity. Then there is the guilt, an overwhelming feeling that you somehow caused yourself to be and act this way. Of course, we have all had experience with the oft described self-neglect of those with schizophrenia. To top it all off, for all that you are going through, you cannot tell anyone around you what is going on. No. You must selectively tell a chosen few who act as both a caretaker, friend, confidant and sounding board for your warped perception of the world around you. For if you did tell everyone that you came in contact with, eventually, you would find yourself very lonely and outcast. Indeed, a person with Diabetes, another biological disease that is also very manageable through medication and insulin, may tell just about ANYONE they want about their condition and what they go through. Any reasonable person listening to this diabetic tell their story would feel sympathetic to that person. The schizophrenic, on the other hand, if they were to tell just ANYONE about their affliction, would most likely be treated as an outcast at best. After all, what can a reasonable, rational person do to relate to a psychotic episode? Nothing, because these symptoms are extremely specified to someone who has mental illness. To be fair, each and every one of us has an occasional period of feeling a bit down-in-the dumps. But to truly appreciate what someone with mental illness goes through, try visiting a psyche ward of any hospital, and tell me that mental illness is somehow just a part of the human condition.
Of course, since these dark hours in the dorm room of my sophomore year at Gettysburg College in 1999, I have come a long way. Instead of getting lost in the dark shroud of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, I navigate the ins and outs of all of the nuances of the horrific disorder.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Passionate
I am writing today about something that I am extremely passionate about. The prospect of helping those like me who suffer from mental illness, specifically schizophrenia and are less fortunate than me to not be as successful. How better to do that and help YOU than to write a book about my experiences and secrets in balanacing and fighting the symptoms and living life to the fullest, despite the debiliting disease that afflicts me and so many others every day.
Take your medication, be a partner with your doctor in your own treatment, take care of getting your sleep, don't drink alchohol or do street drugs, build a support system in order to back you up when you need it the most.
Take your medication, be a partner with your doctor in your own treatment, take care of getting your sleep, don't drink alchohol or do street drugs, build a support system in order to back you up when you need it the most.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Life is good
Compared to how my life was going two years ago, just got out of the hospital in May of 2007, my life is much improved at the moment. I am looking forward to some extended periods of normalcy for a while now.
No more bouts of positive and negative symptoms and other things like that.
I have a new job to focus on now and that's what I intend to do.
Love,
Me
No more bouts of positive and negative symptoms and other things like that.
I have a new job to focus on now and that's what I intend to do.
Love,
Me
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Just started a new job
Hello all,
I just began a new job at a MUCH smaller bank. So far so good. I like the look and feel of the branch that I manage, the people that work for me are AMAZING and I even like the woman that I work for as well.
Too soon to tell. More to come.
I just began a new job at a MUCH smaller bank. So far so good. I like the look and feel of the branch that I manage, the people that work for me are AMAZING and I even like the woman that I work for as well.
Too soon to tell. More to come.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Falling asleep whenever I need to be awake!!!!
And what a feeling that is! My medication, while helpful, can also be a negative for me when I take it and am feeling well, I oftentimes feel like I need to sleep when I do not want to.
Not much that I can do at this point, except for take a bit less medication at the points in time like this, when I am feeling a little bit better.
Not much that I can do at this point, except for take a bit less medication at the points in time like this, when I am feeling a little bit better.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Educated and Enlightened Person with Mental Illness
The funny thing about episodes of mental illness is that you never know when you are going to have one. There is no predictor or one thing that brings it on. You can just one minute be fine, then the next minute, be reeling in paranoid delusions or vivid and disturbing hallucinations.
There are, of course, things that you should not do if you know that you have mental illness. For example, one afflicted from said condition should avoid alcohol and street drugs, take their medication as prescribed by a doctor and get an appropriate amount of sleep. All things taken into account, though, there is still nothing that you can engage in, or stay away from, that will GUARANTEE that you will not suffer from your next episode. Therefore, it is my advice that those with schizophrenia, bipolar or major depression carry medication with them at all times. This way, in case of an onset of symptoms, the sufferer may excuse themselves from the crowd and take a prescribed dosage of their medication. This will, or should prove to help manage those symptoms to the point where you can still function to some extent.
Good luck and God speed.
There are, of course, things that you should not do if you know that you have mental illness. For example, one afflicted from said condition should avoid alcohol and street drugs, take their medication as prescribed by a doctor and get an appropriate amount of sleep. All things taken into account, though, there is still nothing that you can engage in, or stay away from, that will GUARANTEE that you will not suffer from your next episode. Therefore, it is my advice that those with schizophrenia, bipolar or major depression carry medication with them at all times. This way, in case of an onset of symptoms, the sufferer may excuse themselves from the crowd and take a prescribed dosage of their medication. This will, or should prove to help manage those symptoms to the point where you can still function to some extent.
Good luck and God speed.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Losing my job......tough, yet managable
Due to the merger of the two banks that now make up the organization that I work for currently, the decision makers made a determination (in their infinite wisdom) to close 14 locations in the great state of New Jersey. Of course, the one I manage was one of those.
I have always been an optomist. The glass half full, yadda yadda. So, therefore, I view this not as the end, but as the beginning of a new career for me. Luckily, I have many more skills-ones that are currently untapped in my banking career--that I can fall back on. Ones that I most certainly will use to my advantage to gain a rewarding and financially fulfilling career path, such as writing a novel or opening up a music academy.
As one door inevitably closes in life, another opens. A wise man once told me this: if we look too long at the door that has been closed, we do not notice the other one open. This too shall pass.
V
I have always been an optomist. The glass half full, yadda yadda. So, therefore, I view this not as the end, but as the beginning of a new career for me. Luckily, I have many more skills-ones that are currently untapped in my banking career--that I can fall back on. Ones that I most certainly will use to my advantage to gain a rewarding and financially fulfilling career path, such as writing a novel or opening up a music academy.
As one door inevitably closes in life, another opens. A wise man once told me this: if we look too long at the door that has been closed, we do not notice the other one open. This too shall pass.
V
The Ravages of The Milenium's Most Misunderstood Disease
A post I found on Twitter. I follow these types of things, don't cha know!
A decade ago psychologist Ronald Levant, then at Nova Southeastern University, was telling some of his colleagues at a conference about patients with schizophrenia whom he had seen recover. One of them asked rhetorically, “Recovery from schizophrenia? Have you lost your mind, too?”
Until recently, virtually all experts agreed that schizophrenia is always, or almost always, marked by a steady downhill progression. But is this bleak forecast warranted? Certainly schizophrenia is a severe condition. Its victims, who make up about 1 percent of the population, experience a loss of contact with reality that puts them at a heightened risk of suicide, unemployment, relationship problems, physical ailments and even early death. Those who abuse substances are also at risk for committing violent acts against others. Contrary to popular belief, people with schizophrenia do not have multiple personalities, nor are they all essentially alike—or victims of poor parenting.
Nevertheless, research has shown that with proper treatment, many people with schizophrenia can experience significant, albeit rarely complete, recovery from their illness. Many can, for example, live relatively normal lives outside a hospital, holding down a job and socializing periodically with family and friends. As psychiatrist Thomas McGlashan of Yale University concluded in a prescient 1988 publication, “The certainty of negative prognosis in schizophrenia is a myth.”
From Desperation to Hope
Around 1900 the great German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin wrote that schizophrenia, then called dementia praecox (meaning “early dementia”), was characterized by an inexorable downward slide. In 1912 another doctor, A. Warren Stearns, wrote of the “apparent hopelessness of the disease.” Some treatments of the day, which included vasectomy and inducement of intense fever using infected blood, reflected this sense of desperation. An attitude of gloom pervaded the field of schizophrenia research for decades, with many scholars insisting that improvement was exceedingly rare, if not unheard of.
Yet experts have lately come to understand that the prognosis for patients with schizophrenia is not uniformly dire. Careful studies tracking patients over time—most of whom receive at least some treatment—suggest that about 20 to 30 percent of people recover substantially over years or decades. Although mild symptoms such as social withdrawal or confused thinking may persist, these individuals can hold down jobs and function independently without being institutionalized.
In one study published in 2005 psychologist Martin Harrow of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and his colleagues followed patients over 15 years and found that about 40 percent experienced at least periods of considerable recovery, as measured by the absence of significant symptoms as well as the capacity to work, engage in social activities and live outside a hospital for a year or more. Although most patients do not go into long remissions and may even decline over time, some 20 to 30 percent of this majority experience only moderate symptoms that interfere with—but do not devastate—their ability to perform in the workplace or maintain friendships.
Improved Treatments
Contributing to this less fatalistic view of schizophrenia are the effective treatments that have become available over the past two decades. Such atypical antipsychotic medications as Clozaril (clozapine), Risperdal (risperidone) and Zyprexa (olanzapine), most of which were introduced in the 1990s, appear to ameliorate schizophrenia symptoms by affecting the function of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which relay chemical messages between neurons.
In addition, certain psychological interventions developed over the past few decades can often attenuate symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. For example, cognitive-behavior therapy aims to remedy the paranoid ideas or other maladaptive thinking associated with the disorder by helping patients challenge these beliefs. Family therapies focus on educating family members about the disorder and on reducing the criticism and hostility they direct toward patients. Though not panaceas by any means, these and several other remedies have helped many patients with schizophrenia to delay relapse and, in some cases, operate more effectively in everyday life.
A decade ago psychologist Ronald Levant, then at Nova Southeastern University, was telling some of his colleagues at a conference about patients with schizophrenia whom he had seen recover. One of them asked rhetorically, “Recovery from schizophrenia? Have you lost your mind, too?”
Until recently, virtually all experts agreed that schizophrenia is always, or almost always, marked by a steady downhill progression. But is this bleak forecast warranted? Certainly schizophrenia is a severe condition. Its victims, who make up about 1 percent of the population, experience a loss of contact with reality that puts them at a heightened risk of suicide, unemployment, relationship problems, physical ailments and even early death. Those who abuse substances are also at risk for committing violent acts against others. Contrary to popular belief, people with schizophrenia do not have multiple personalities, nor are they all essentially alike—or victims of poor parenting.
Nevertheless, research has shown that with proper treatment, many people with schizophrenia can experience significant, albeit rarely complete, recovery from their illness. Many can, for example, live relatively normal lives outside a hospital, holding down a job and socializing periodically with family and friends. As psychiatrist Thomas McGlashan of Yale University concluded in a prescient 1988 publication, “The certainty of negative prognosis in schizophrenia is a myth.”
From Desperation to Hope
Around 1900 the great German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin wrote that schizophrenia, then called dementia praecox (meaning “early dementia”), was characterized by an inexorable downward slide. In 1912 another doctor, A. Warren Stearns, wrote of the “apparent hopelessness of the disease.” Some treatments of the day, which included vasectomy and inducement of intense fever using infected blood, reflected this sense of desperation. An attitude of gloom pervaded the field of schizophrenia research for decades, with many scholars insisting that improvement was exceedingly rare, if not unheard of.
Yet experts have lately come to understand that the prognosis for patients with schizophrenia is not uniformly dire. Careful studies tracking patients over time—most of whom receive at least some treatment—suggest that about 20 to 30 percent of people recover substantially over years or decades. Although mild symptoms such as social withdrawal or confused thinking may persist, these individuals can hold down jobs and function independently without being institutionalized.
In one study published in 2005 psychologist Martin Harrow of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and his colleagues followed patients over 15 years and found that about 40 percent experienced at least periods of considerable recovery, as measured by the absence of significant symptoms as well as the capacity to work, engage in social activities and live outside a hospital for a year or more. Although most patients do not go into long remissions and may even decline over time, some 20 to 30 percent of this majority experience only moderate symptoms that interfere with—but do not devastate—their ability to perform in the workplace or maintain friendships.
Improved Treatments
Contributing to this less fatalistic view of schizophrenia are the effective treatments that have become available over the past two decades. Such atypical antipsychotic medications as Clozaril (clozapine), Risperdal (risperidone) and Zyprexa (olanzapine), most of which were introduced in the 1990s, appear to ameliorate schizophrenia symptoms by affecting the function of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which relay chemical messages between neurons.
In addition, certain psychological interventions developed over the past few decades can often attenuate symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. For example, cognitive-behavior therapy aims to remedy the paranoid ideas or other maladaptive thinking associated with the disorder by helping patients challenge these beliefs. Family therapies focus on educating family members about the disorder and on reducing the criticism and hostility they direct toward patients. Though not panaceas by any means, these and several other remedies have helped many patients with schizophrenia to delay relapse and, in some cases, operate more effectively in everyday life.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
How do you tell bipolar and schizophrenia apart? They symptoms are very similar.
Part 2: How do you tell bipolar disorder, schizophrenia apart?
Asked by Tony Felts, Helmetta, New Jersey
Are the psychoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia very similar? How do you tell psychotic bipolar disorder apart from schizophrenia with mood disorder? How similar are the two diseases considering that the same medicines (anti-psychotics) are beneficial to both?
Mental Health Expert
Dr. Charles Raison
Psychiatrist,
Emory University Medical School
Expert answer
Dear Tony,
This week we pick up where we left off last week. If you didn't see last week's entry regarding this question, click here.
When I was a psychiatry resident at UCLA I had an ongoing friendly disagreement with a friend of mine named Matthew State, who was one of the best residents I ever knew and who has gone on to become a famous psychiatric genetics researcher. Matt maintained steadfastly in those years that because psychiatric disorders actually existed as distinct entities, every patient could be described fully by one or more diagnoses. If you couldn't do this you hadn't tried hard enough.
In contrast, I maintained then, and still maintain, that psychiatric diagnoses are like Platonic ideals, they are "perfect types" that patients more or less approximate. Because of this some patients have histories that walked right out of the DSM-IV diagnostic manual, but others have stories that fall between the diagnostic cracks and that, therefore, will never fit a diagnosis very well no matter how hard you try.
You can see why I'm telling this story. While modern psychiatry was built to no small degree upon the belief that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were separate psychotic illnesses, I think data increasingly suggest they are more similar than different. You can see this any way you look at it.
More and more studies suggest that they share genetic risk factors. That, in fact, there may be some genes that predispose one to psychosis and other genes that predispose one to mood disorders. If you just get the psychotic genes you look schizophrenic. To the degree you get both types of risk genes you look more bipolar. Although as I mentioned last week, lithium works for bipolar disorder but not for schizophrenia, in the last decade a small army of medications has been introduced onto the market that work well for both conditions, strongly suggesting a shared neurobiology.
Finally, long term follow-up studies have shown that schizophrenia doesn't always lead to an unremitting downward spiral, and, unfortunately, bipolar disorder is not a condition characterized by no long-term damage. In fact, it is increasingly clear that the deterioration in functioning over time that was once thought to be a hallmark for schizophrenia is also very common in people with bipolar disorder.
So these comments answer your first and third question, leaving the question of how to tell a psychotic mania apart from a schizophrenic psychotic episode. Every psychiatrist in the world believes he or she can do this, but the best data on the issue suggest this isn't true. In fact, any symptom present during a psychotic episode can occur in people who, over time, look more schizophrenic or who look more bipolar. Having said this, however, because I am a psychiatrist I, like everyone else, think I can make an educated guess about whether someone is manic.
Here are a few clinical "pearls" for identifying a manic psychosis. First, manias tend to come on more quickly than schizophrenic episodes. They are often preceded and accompanied by remarkable reductions in sleep. Classic manic episodes are characterized by profound mood changes. These are easiest to recognize when the mood is euphoric, but rage is just as common, and more dangerous. If you see a psychotic patient who is moving and speaking a million miles an hour, that doesn't prove he is manic, but it is a pretty strong clue. Finally, although data show you can't separate out manic from schizophrenic episodes by the quality of the psychotic delusions, I have always been impressed by the fact that at the core of manic delusions is a sense that everything in the universe is connected in strange and meaningful ways. Again this isn't specific for mania, but if this type of thinking is present along with other symptoms I've described, it is a tip that someone is having a manic episode.
So let me end on one final note of confusion/uncertainty. Long-term studies of patients who are schizophrenic suggest that a high percentage of them will have at least one manic episode in their lives! So what is the take-home message? Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are serious and often devastating conditions that have the best outcomes when treated early and aggressively. You don't want to leave someone in any type of psychotic state for one moment longer than you have to.
Asked by Tony Felts, Helmetta, New Jersey
Are the psychoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia very similar? How do you tell psychotic bipolar disorder apart from schizophrenia with mood disorder? How similar are the two diseases considering that the same medicines (anti-psychotics) are beneficial to both?
Mental Health Expert
Dr. Charles Raison
Psychiatrist,
Emory University Medical School
Expert answer
Dear Tony,
This week we pick up where we left off last week. If you didn't see last week's entry regarding this question, click here.
When I was a psychiatry resident at UCLA I had an ongoing friendly disagreement with a friend of mine named Matthew State, who was one of the best residents I ever knew and who has gone on to become a famous psychiatric genetics researcher. Matt maintained steadfastly in those years that because psychiatric disorders actually existed as distinct entities, every patient could be described fully by one or more diagnoses. If you couldn't do this you hadn't tried hard enough.
In contrast, I maintained then, and still maintain, that psychiatric diagnoses are like Platonic ideals, they are "perfect types" that patients more or less approximate. Because of this some patients have histories that walked right out of the DSM-IV diagnostic manual, but others have stories that fall between the diagnostic cracks and that, therefore, will never fit a diagnosis very well no matter how hard you try.
You can see why I'm telling this story. While modern psychiatry was built to no small degree upon the belief that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were separate psychotic illnesses, I think data increasingly suggest they are more similar than different. You can see this any way you look at it.
More and more studies suggest that they share genetic risk factors. That, in fact, there may be some genes that predispose one to psychosis and other genes that predispose one to mood disorders. If you just get the psychotic genes you look schizophrenic. To the degree you get both types of risk genes you look more bipolar. Although as I mentioned last week, lithium works for bipolar disorder but not for schizophrenia, in the last decade a small army of medications has been introduced onto the market that work well for both conditions, strongly suggesting a shared neurobiology.
Finally, long term follow-up studies have shown that schizophrenia doesn't always lead to an unremitting downward spiral, and, unfortunately, bipolar disorder is not a condition characterized by no long-term damage. In fact, it is increasingly clear that the deterioration in functioning over time that was once thought to be a hallmark for schizophrenia is also very common in people with bipolar disorder.
So these comments answer your first and third question, leaving the question of how to tell a psychotic mania apart from a schizophrenic psychotic episode. Every psychiatrist in the world believes he or she can do this, but the best data on the issue suggest this isn't true. In fact, any symptom present during a psychotic episode can occur in people who, over time, look more schizophrenic or who look more bipolar. Having said this, however, because I am a psychiatrist I, like everyone else, think I can make an educated guess about whether someone is manic.
Here are a few clinical "pearls" for identifying a manic psychosis. First, manias tend to come on more quickly than schizophrenic episodes. They are often preceded and accompanied by remarkable reductions in sleep. Classic manic episodes are characterized by profound mood changes. These are easiest to recognize when the mood is euphoric, but rage is just as common, and more dangerous. If you see a psychotic patient who is moving and speaking a million miles an hour, that doesn't prove he is manic, but it is a pretty strong clue. Finally, although data show you can't separate out manic from schizophrenic episodes by the quality of the psychotic delusions, I have always been impressed by the fact that at the core of manic delusions is a sense that everything in the universe is connected in strange and meaningful ways. Again this isn't specific for mania, but if this type of thinking is present along with other symptoms I've described, it is a tip that someone is having a manic episode.
So let me end on one final note of confusion/uncertainty. Long-term studies of patients who are schizophrenic suggest that a high percentage of them will have at least one manic episode in their lives! So what is the take-home message? Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are serious and often devastating conditions that have the best outcomes when treated early and aggressively. You don't want to leave someone in any type of psychotic state for one moment longer than you have to.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Loneliness and How to Overcome It
Loneliness. Not an easy word for those afflicted with a broken mind. Although, I realize, that loneliness is not easy for anyone, it is especially difficult for those who suffer from mental illness. How do you react when you are lonely--When you miss the touch and clever conversation of another who understands you fully?
You must commit yourself to useful work, as well as know that none of us are truly alone. We are with a higher power as well--and that higher power is a Deity known as God.
Recently, I heard a sermon from a Methodist Minister here at Trinity Church and he was speaking about loneliness. He used the Genesis book parable about Joseph being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and the message hit home.
Although I rarely deal with loneliness, being alone does not mean you must be lonely. After all, we all have useful work that we may commit ourselves to and a prayer to send up to God. And let's face it, folks, if we would like to meet someone, there are always those places, whether they be virtual or land-based, that we may meet someone else who truly understands you and what you go through day in and day out.
You must commit yourself to useful work, as well as know that none of us are truly alone. We are with a higher power as well--and that higher power is a Deity known as God.
Recently, I heard a sermon from a Methodist Minister here at Trinity Church and he was speaking about loneliness. He used the Genesis book parable about Joseph being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and the message hit home.
Although I rarely deal with loneliness, being alone does not mean you must be lonely. After all, we all have useful work that we may commit ourselves to and a prayer to send up to God. And let's face it, folks, if we would like to meet someone, there are always those places, whether they be virtual or land-based, that we may meet someone else who truly understands you and what you go through day in and day out.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
An interesting article I stumbled upon about POW'S
Winners and Losers:Breaking down Obama's budget
..Ex-POW in Iraq war recalls nightmares, depression
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print .. AP – Shoshana Johnson poses for a picture in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Johnson, the nation's first …
. Play Video Iraq Video:Baghdad's 'Big Brother' FOX News .
Play Video Iraq Video:Technology Helps to Deter Crime FOX News .
Play Video Iraq Video:Iraq pilgrims flock despite bombings Reuters .
By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 3, 9:34 am ET
WASHINGTON – Shoshana Johnson survived gunshot wounds to both legs and 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq. Life wasn't so easy when she came home, either.
In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and tells how it felt to play second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch, who was captured in the same ambush.
"It was kind of hurtful," the former Army cook said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If I'd been a petite, cutesy thing, it would've been different."
Johnson, the nation's first female black prisoner of war, said she felt she was portrayed differently because of her race, either by media outlets that chose not to cover her experience or those who portrayed her as greedy when she challenged the disability rating she was given for her post-traumatic stress disorder.
While the story of Lynch, then 19, remains firmly in the nation's collective memory from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, far less attention has been paid to Johnson, then 30, and four male soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Co. from Fort Bliss, Texas, who also survived captivity.
Johnson was rescued by Marines, about two weeks after Lynch's rescue. Months after returning home, Johnson left the military and today is enrolled in culinary school. She lives in El Paso, Texas, with her 9-year-old daughter.
Johnson's book, "I'm Still Standing," is being released in time for Black History Month. Johnson said she hopes that by telling her story, she can set the record straight and bring attention to mental health issues affecting veterans.
The day of the 2003 ambush, Johnson and Lynch were among 33 U.S. soldiers in a convoy that got lost in Nasiriyah en route to Baghdad. Their journey, Johnson said, was hampered by broken-down vehicles and malfunctioning equipment. Eleven were killed — including Johnson's friend Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa.
Johnson asked to be medically discharged from the military in part because she felt other soldiers resented her over the attention her POW status attracted.
She's also struggled with depression and nightmares. At times it was so bad, she writes, that her daughter, who was 2 at the time Johnson was captured, asked Johnson's parents, "Why is Mommy crying all the time?"
In 2008, she checked herself into a psychiatric ward for a few days.
"Even when I came home, I didn't think I'd ever get better. I didn't think the issues I had would ever ease," Johnson said in the interview. "But as time goes on and I stick with my therapy, it has gotten easier, and I know if I keep on the right track, I'll be OK."
It was hard at first to admit to having PTSD, she said, because she thought of it as something that happened to Vietnam veterans.
"When they started throwing out that word when I came home, I was like, no, that's not me," Johnson said.
Today, Johnson is training to be a pastry chef so she can make wedding and birthday cakes.
"It would just be nice to be able to celebrate those special moments with people," she said. "After everything that's gone on, I think those kinds of moments are very special."
After successfully fighting to receive improved disability benefits stemming from her PTSD, she was later asked to serve on the Veterans Affairs Department's panel on minority affairs.
She speaks proudly of the other POWs in captivity with her and keeps in touch with them. She said they schedule annual POW exams — the Defense Department is studying the effects of captivity — at the same time in Florida so they can see each other.
Contrary to speculation, Johnson said she was never angry at Lynch or jealous of her.
"Jessica is my friend," Johnson writes. "I was her friend before the ambush and I'm still her friend now."
One of the most brutal things Johnson endured was a captor grabbing her chest. She tells in her book of mobs of Iraqi people coming to view her as a vehicle she was in traveled from town to town, with one villager slapping her and another spitting on her. But while the men endured beatings during the captivity, she said she was treated better.
She describes acts of kindness, too, by the Iraqis. One doctor operated on her legs, which she credits with allowing her to keep them. Another doctor early in her captivity whispered to her that a woman Johnson assumed was Lynch was alive, which provided comfort.
_____
..Ex-POW in Iraq war recalls nightmares, depression
Buzz up!266 votes Send
Email IM .Share
Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print .. AP – Shoshana Johnson poses for a picture in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Johnson, the nation's first …
. Play Video Iraq Video:Baghdad's 'Big Brother' FOX News .
Play Video Iraq Video:Technology Helps to Deter Crime FOX News .
Play Video Iraq Video:Iraq pilgrims flock despite bombings Reuters .
By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 3, 9:34 am ET
WASHINGTON – Shoshana Johnson survived gunshot wounds to both legs and 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq. Life wasn't so easy when she came home, either.
In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and tells how it felt to play second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch, who was captured in the same ambush.
"It was kind of hurtful," the former Army cook said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If I'd been a petite, cutesy thing, it would've been different."
Johnson, the nation's first female black prisoner of war, said she felt she was portrayed differently because of her race, either by media outlets that chose not to cover her experience or those who portrayed her as greedy when she challenged the disability rating she was given for her post-traumatic stress disorder.
While the story of Lynch, then 19, remains firmly in the nation's collective memory from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, far less attention has been paid to Johnson, then 30, and four male soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Co. from Fort Bliss, Texas, who also survived captivity.
Johnson was rescued by Marines, about two weeks after Lynch's rescue. Months after returning home, Johnson left the military and today is enrolled in culinary school. She lives in El Paso, Texas, with her 9-year-old daughter.
Johnson's book, "I'm Still Standing," is being released in time for Black History Month. Johnson said she hopes that by telling her story, she can set the record straight and bring attention to mental health issues affecting veterans.
The day of the 2003 ambush, Johnson and Lynch were among 33 U.S. soldiers in a convoy that got lost in Nasiriyah en route to Baghdad. Their journey, Johnson said, was hampered by broken-down vehicles and malfunctioning equipment. Eleven were killed — including Johnson's friend Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa.
Johnson asked to be medically discharged from the military in part because she felt other soldiers resented her over the attention her POW status attracted.
She's also struggled with depression and nightmares. At times it was so bad, she writes, that her daughter, who was 2 at the time Johnson was captured, asked Johnson's parents, "Why is Mommy crying all the time?"
In 2008, she checked herself into a psychiatric ward for a few days.
"Even when I came home, I didn't think I'd ever get better. I didn't think the issues I had would ever ease," Johnson said in the interview. "But as time goes on and I stick with my therapy, it has gotten easier, and I know if I keep on the right track, I'll be OK."
It was hard at first to admit to having PTSD, she said, because she thought of it as something that happened to Vietnam veterans.
"When they started throwing out that word when I came home, I was like, no, that's not me," Johnson said.
Today, Johnson is training to be a pastry chef so she can make wedding and birthday cakes.
"It would just be nice to be able to celebrate those special moments with people," she said. "After everything that's gone on, I think those kinds of moments are very special."
After successfully fighting to receive improved disability benefits stemming from her PTSD, she was later asked to serve on the Veterans Affairs Department's panel on minority affairs.
She speaks proudly of the other POWs in captivity with her and keeps in touch with them. She said they schedule annual POW exams — the Defense Department is studying the effects of captivity — at the same time in Florida so they can see each other.
Contrary to speculation, Johnson said she was never angry at Lynch or jealous of her.
"Jessica is my friend," Johnson writes. "I was her friend before the ambush and I'm still her friend now."
One of the most brutal things Johnson endured was a captor grabbing her chest. She tells in her book of mobs of Iraqi people coming to view her as a vehicle she was in traveled from town to town, with one villager slapping her and another spitting on her. But while the men endured beatings during the captivity, she said she was treated better.
She describes acts of kindness, too, by the Iraqis. One doctor operated on her legs, which she credits with allowing her to keep them. Another doctor early in her captivity whispered to her that a woman Johnson assumed was Lynch was alive, which provided comfort.
_____
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Could it be? I went to a party for Tyler, and I felt fine?
Well, I made it through one of Tyler's parties, this time at Giggles in Rockaway where some of his friends from school were having a birthday party for Jack. Jack turned four years old, and Tyler still has some time until he reaches that age.
Anyway, the point is, even with all of the excess stimulation from surrounding children, mom's, dad's and video games, I managed to come away from the whole thing without going through paranoia, or even overstimulation. Perhaps it is a testament to how I am not able to cope and manage my schizophrenia, since I took half or a seroquel (50mg is a whole pill, so approx 25mg). That, alone, probably was enough to keep my thoughts at bay, without the usual episode at the party.
Also, my lovely wife, and Tyler's mother was there who helped me, and always has, to keep my symptoms at bay.
I made it! WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Anyway, the point is, even with all of the excess stimulation from surrounding children, mom's, dad's and video games, I managed to come away from the whole thing without going through paranoia, or even overstimulation. Perhaps it is a testament to how I am not able to cope and manage my schizophrenia, since I took half or a seroquel (50mg is a whole pill, so approx 25mg). That, alone, probably was enough to keep my thoughts at bay, without the usual episode at the party.
Also, my lovely wife, and Tyler's mother was there who helped me, and always has, to keep my symptoms at bay.
I made it! WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Note from my mother
Hi Shea,
I think this article seemed to be particularly well-documented for a Wikipedia entry. I was heartened to see that of the complications listed, you've managed to dodge all the negatives listed there due to your strength of will, engagement with your treatment, and lifestyle choices. I'm so proud of how you handle this "beast."
Can't wait to see you later this week. Don't forget ot give me some concrete examples of toys for Tyler.
Love you,"
Mom
Original Message from myself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder
Hey Mom,
Please click on the link above to read some information from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.
I think this article seemed to be particularly well-documented for a Wikipedia entry. I was heartened to see that of the complications listed, you've managed to dodge all the negatives listed there due to your strength of will, engagement with your treatment, and lifestyle choices. I'm so proud of how you handle this "beast."
Can't wait to see you later this week. Don't forget ot give me some concrete examples of toys for Tyler.
Love you,"
Mom
Original Message from myself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder
Hey Mom,
Please click on the link above to read some information from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Definition from Wikipedia of Schizoaffective Disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder
Please read the above link as it is quite informative.
Please read the above link as it is quite informative.
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