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An Update on the National RAISE Schizophrenia Project – An Interview with John Kane, MD
The last issue of Mental Health News was devoted to the science, research, treatment and understanding of schizophrenia. As a follow-up to this important area of study and understanding, I had the opportunity to speak with John Kane, MD, one of the principal investigators and leaders of the...
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My Return from the Darkness of Schizophrenia – An Interview with Susan Weinreich
Susan Weinreich is an award-winning artist whose work has won acclaim around the world. For close to 40 years she endured a heroic journey through the darkness of schizophrenia. Her story has become an inspiration to many and she has become an advocate for people with mental illness. Mental Health...
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Schizophrenia: Current Research and Treatment
Ways of Looking at Schizophrenia “I was of three minds, like a tree in which there are three blackbirds.” Wallace Stevens, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird It’s an interesting time, to look back and look forward, at the state of psychiatric practice in the treatment of...
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Point of View – Schizophrenia, The Mortality Gap, and Suicide
People with serious mental illness have a much lower life expectancy than the general population; estimates range from 9 to 32 years. Recent recognition of this mortality gap has led to increasing efforts to improve the health of these people by improving their access to health care and by...
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Understanding and Treating Schizophrenia – A Comprehensive Review from the National Institute of Mental Health
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. About 1 percent of Americans have this illness. People with the disorder may hear voices other people don’t hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling...
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Schizophrenia Management as Part of Home Health Care
The World Health Organization has identified schizophrenia as one of the ten most debilitating diseases affecting human beings. Schizophrenia is comprised of several symptoms. Symptoms of this illness can also be found in other mental illnesses. However, when “the symptoms of schizophrenia...
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From the Publisher – There are “No Old Topics” When it Comes to Mental Health Education
I was recently asked “Why do you keep revisiting the same old topics over again in Mental Health News?” I did not have a cute or definitive answer at the moment. However, as I sit here writing this column, I am convinced that it is because you can never cover a good topic often enough. Each...
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Living with Schizophrenia: A Sister’s Perspective
Aaron* was born in 1950 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 17. Everyone thought that Aaron was a difficult child. He had tantrums and rages from a young age, but he seemed very intelligent although he had trouble succeeding in school. Aaron had seen many psychiatrists and...
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Schizophrenia Linked to Over-expression of Gene in Fetal Brain
A gene called DISC1, (for “disrupted in schizophrenia”) has been a leading contender among possible genetic causes since it was implicated in schizophrenia in a large Scottish clan two decades ago. The DISC1 gene codes for a protein important for brain development, as well as for mood and...
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Research Project to Test Approaches to Altering the Course of Schizophrenia
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is launching a large-scale research project to explore whether using early and aggressive treatment, individually targeted and integrating a variety of different therapeutic approaches, will reduce the symptoms and prevent the gradual deterioration of...
