Schizophrenia Symptoms Linked With Faulty 'Switch' In Brain, Study Finds

Sounds drastic I know but it's certainly an alternative to meds which can have some nasty side effects. DBS can also be constantly modified to follow the changes they go through whereas meds usually can't.

The medication does have nasty side effects. There's also a study that says that it causes brain shrinkage unless I understood it wrong:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

If you have severe schizophrenia this might certainly be a better option. The only problem I have with it is that we don't fully understand everything yet. I volunteer with mentally handicapped people, and one has severe epilepsy.
He has a little machine that sends signals to stop the epilepsy.

It doesn't fully work, there's 70 percent change it doesn't if I remember correctly, he still has seizures but it could be less, and a side effect is that his voice is getting worse. But it might be better as all those medications he would get. Though I haven't heard that he is off those.

Originally posted by geobrohaving schizophrenia means you are never alone

the doctors will give you tablets for the rest of your life if you let them their must be a answer in nature to this rather than a chemical kosh

It may mean that what's adaptive in some individuals becomes maladaptive in others. The chemical they believe, psychiatrists, to be involved is dopamine which plays a normal role in the human mind. There's a lot unknown about schizophrenia. Psychiatrists say it's also not one disease at all. It is several.

There are many theories concerning schizophrenia:

en.wikipedia.org...-7

The brain is a complex organ it will take time before we fully understand.

Cannabis alone no but most illegal drug users will never tell you about there other party drugs..

Many Schizophrenics also self medicate with drugs to stop the voices.

It may seem strange that nature has something to do with it, so let me give a example.

Cell growth is a normal progress. However uncontrollable cell growth is called a disease, cancer. Something adaptive turns into something maladaptive.

Sickle cell disease is bad for you. But because it also helps against malaria it hasn't been weeded out.

I don't know what the real cause of schizophrenia is. I just thought one theory was interesting.

Originally posted by ANNED
Cannabis alone no but most illegal drug users will never tell you about there other party drugs..

Many Schizophrenics also self medicate with drugs to stop the voices.

Cannabis affects other chemicals in the body, Anandamide. Cocaine and Meth are both involved with dopamine, so according to the dominant theory, the theory that dopamine is involved, makes more sense.

I wouldn't advice drugs, since they can change hormone/chemicals receptors. But I eat dark chocolate every day (releases hormones/chemicals involved with love) and drink alcohol occasionally. I guess those are not harmful because they are in low doses. Maybe that applies to drugs?

I've read a book about dopamine, endorphin, Oxycontin and serotonin and this and a study:
www.nature.com...

That's where I got the statement from that drugs change hormone receptors.

That book might be already outdated because a scientist says dopamine is involved with more than motivation and pleasure.

But we really do not know much about the brain. Here's something I found interesting:

www.psychologytoday.com...

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

I'm resurrecting your thread.
I wonder if you've heard of this study?

Severance says she and her team focused on a possible association between Candida susceptibility and mental illness in the wake of new evidence suggesting that schizophrenia may be related to problems with the immune system, and because some people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to fungal infections.

Hopkins Medicine

There is also a new study suggesting that schizophrenia may be triggering a response within the immune system itself (not an autoimmune disease per se). Situations for example that could cause issues could be environmental factors or having been exposed to a virus within the womb.
Folks with schizophrenia often complain/suffer with headaches/migraines and I wonder if the connection isn't almost (this will be worded poorly-exhaustion) the brain attacking the intruding cells inducing the migraines.
Study Info

I'm very curious about the candida connection and will be studying that further.
I am also of the belief that a bout with mononucleosis has precipitated the symptoms in someone that I know.
This leads me to wonder if since the 'mono' virus will always be inside this person if the area of the brain that triggers the response isn't targeting it.

Apologies for the vagueness. Perhaps I should have tried to collect my thoughts before putting them down.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Why is it that buses in the US is always full of crazy people? This isn't the first time I've come across this notion, I've heard of this probably dozens of times.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Interesting study, I would have to say...from personal experience dealing with this condition in various degrees of severity for over twenty years, that there might be some truth to the "switch" premise. I'm not well versed in the physiological aspect of medicine, but for sufferers who deal with the severe episodes more frequently than I do, it might warrant some further research.

I've found CBT and just "dealing with" the auditory hallucinations (meds don't really address that aspect) to be effective in my case. The hardest part of Schizophrenia is coming to acceptance of it being with you for life, hence the CBT and Reality Grounding treatment options. Convincing a Paranoid to drop the ideological delusions of persecution can be extremely challenging, because so many refuse to let go of their initial impressions of those types of experiences (the Government, Witches, Aliens, Magical Thinking, et all).

I've been through every one of those scenarios with very strong manifestations of pattern rationalization, and in order to free oneself from the victimization, one needs a therapist trained in helping shift the perceived abuse into a more benign format...art therapy, for example....writing about the experiences where one can regain control of themselves as a Survivor rather than a Victim.

It's already challenging enough a process for Higher Functioning Clients, and sadly, I know there are some sufferers of this condition cannot be reasoned with, and ideally a proper Client Therapist Relationship with a Psychiatrist who is willing to work through the case diligently alongside the Client while they find the right pharmaceutical management would be preferable to surgery on someone who may turn the operation scenario into further delusions of persecution in their internal rationalization.

Just reminds me of the Icepick Lobotomy in a way.
Bad times.

a reply to: TheLaughingGod

I'm Schizoaffective and ride the bus because my SSDI isn't enough to pay for and maintain the operational costs of owning a vehicle. I'm also quiet, calm, polite and mind my own business unless I'm giving up a seat for physically disabled, elderly or ladies with children. Weather can hit 119 Heat Index in Summer, and I have a trick ankle and bum knee that makes walking impossible sometimes.

I have groceries to get and errands to run.
Sue me.

Chances are the less fortunate are in the same boat as myself.
Go figure that one.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

I wouldn't say that study is 100% across the board....my immune system is through the roof and I haven't had the flu in years.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Why are you acting defensive? The reason I ask is because I'm not an American and I find it pretty strange. I suspect using public transport(maybe buses specifically) is seen as lower class or something. Personally I've never ever met a crazy person on a bus.

a reply to: TheLaughingGod

It's the casual dismissal of lumping everyone who acts absurdly under the banner of metal illness and "crazy". Apologies if you were being casually observant, hostilities and cruelty has been rampant across the board recently and I may have misread your initial intent due to the poor behavior of others onsite.

Apologies if that was the case, it's been a tough couple of months seeing otherwise intelligent rational people slide the cheese of their crackers because of current events and media supersaturation. I guess I'm a victim of it as well.

Like I said, twenty years in the American Mental Health system trying to effect positive change on my end, and while there has been some progress, when I find myself in a crowded bus filled to the brim with loud talking, other mentally ill I know from Group going about their day to day, and lower income people just trying to get by and the bus is somehow given a perceived "luxury cruise ship status" where we are lumped into a undesirable class, it kinda hurts.

Life is tough enough on that end of the Societal Scale, and the casual jabs by the more fortunate just grate on my nerves.

It's part of the Social Cognitive Dissonance that affects all walks of life.

Everyone complains about "how it should be" but very few work towards solving those complex issues.

Once again, if that was not you intent because of a Cultural Misunderstanding, I apologize. Americans can be real asses sometimes, and I guess that applies to me as well on occasion.

Heartfelt apologies.
Just a small rant on my part, no offense intended.

Cheers from across the lake and no hard feelings I hope.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

No problem man.. I have my own psychiatric issues to deal with, I've been locked up in a mental hospital before and have had numerous psychotic episodes. So I know what it's like, not being able to live a normal life. Most people don't believe in demons, whether they are figments of the imagination or not is beside the point - I have my own views on that - the effects of the harassment might as well be just as real.

Personally I think there's something more to a number of these psychiatric disorders. If our brain is the hardware and our consciousness the software bugs in the hardware could affect the way our consciousness is filtered through the brain. There's outer realities that most of us are far too limited to perceive, but others do see things. Our eyes only perceive a fraction of what is out there. Very tricky terrain to navigate though, especially if there's merit to the notion of the observer, our consciousness having some kind of inherent creative power.

www.theatlantic.com...

Science is finally starting to catch up with mysticism, when scientists talk of reality being some kind of simulation it sounds eerily similar to the teachings of Hermeticism, Buddhism, and other esoteric schools of thought.

I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this affliction, it can be a terrible curse to live with.

originally posted by: TheLaughingGod
a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Science is finally starting to catch up with mysticism, when scientists talk of reality being some kind of simulation it sounds eerily similar to the teachings of Hermeticism, Buddhism, and other esoteric schools of thought.

That's both the blessing and the bane, depending on which schools of thought one gravitates towrds can either have wonderful or tragic consequences. Beautiful insight on your part, I completely agree!

I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this affliction, it can be a terrible curse to live with.

I'm slowly learning and adjusting, but I'm staying away from dark aspects because no human should ever have to meet that Beast. No matter how much of a badass they think they are, it will humble them in an instant.

Peace be with you and well wishes for you on your personal path to health and happiness.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

The thing is though we see significantly lower occurrence rates between normal siblings or even fraternal twins. And while a lot rarer, we do have studies that use identical twins that were raised in different families. That's the gold standard for any heritability study. Considering how rare identical twins are though and then how even more rare it would be for identical twins to be adopted by different families early on these kinds of studies are very hard to do.

I will add two images to your post for interest.. Thanks..


(Image Source: Debby Tsuang, M.D., M.Sc., University of Washington/VAPSHCS, Special thanks to Dr. Kristin Cadenhead, UCSD) 1971


(Source: Gottesman, 1991)

www.schizophrenia.com...

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Haha, you are right. I always try to face my fears and have sort of developed the attitude that it's an opportunity to overcome that fear and I therefore sometimes wish for these things to happen. When you're in the middle of some of these episodes it's easy to be overcome with fear though. Crazy stuff.

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES

a reply to: TNMockingbird
I wouldn't say that study is 100% across the board....my immune system is through the roof and I haven't had the flu in years.

Yes, I get that. It was even mentioned in the article. Of course, they also stated that there are differences between men and women and bacterias and/or pathogens may 'trigger' certain disorders which is leading them to investigate:

The researchers in the Stanley Division of Developmental Neurovirology are investigating whether pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, may contribute or trigger certain mental disorders.

I'm glad that you are healthy, that can only help, I would imagine, with your disorder. The person that I speak of has always been relatively healthy also except for a few instances that may or may not be a contributing factor.
Those instances were pneumonia at 4 months old, chronic ear infections between the ages of 2-8, mononucleosis which occurred sometime in the fall season of last year and migraines off and on for a few years but are much more often now.

Symptoms were noticed off and on before puberty and through their early teenage years however the mono seemed to have 'ramped things up' including nearly weekly and days long migraines. The individual is not in agreement with proper psychiatric treatments so I have been studying and reading and trying everything under the sun to, possibly (albeit unlikely, I know), help find them some comfort and relief.

I am excited and optimistic for the (any) research and I suppose I am just hopeful for an answer/origin and that may lead to a possible cure one day or at least a manageable way of life that doesn't involve antipsychotics, antiepileptics, and pain meds along with anti nausea medication.

Good luck to you on your journey!

I expirement with external methods of stopping voices. Found black seed oil on toes and fingers works for me. I heard them say "what happened-dragon seed oil-black seed oil, damnit."

They got it wromg. The evidence is the body of work studying the disease to date, and the functioning of this neural connection up until the psychotic break.

They have the effect right. But they misattribute it to the cause. Whatever the cause of schizophrenia, an effect is the disuse and decay if this network which appears to function up until the first break.

a reply to: ForbiddenDesire

At the end of adolescence the brain undergoes a heavy round of trimming of neurons that are no longer used.

Perhaps during this time the effect discussed here relates to that?

I found that about 40% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia are diabetics.

And when they go into a major schizophrenic episode you will find there blood sugar levels are above 600.

We always checked blood sugar levels when transporting people with schizophrenia

Interesting that the only push back or disagreements on this thread seem to come from people who have admitted at some point here on ATS as being diagnosed.

I find that very telling in itself.

Theres nothing bad in this article, nothing judgmental or accusatory, so why the "hard wall" against the information?