Psychosis News and Research

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Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People suffering from psychosis are said to be ''psychotic.''

Cinnamon compound could be useful supplement to dexamethasone in COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in Germany and the United States have conducted a study showing that supplementing dexamethasone treatment with Ceylon cinnamon in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may allow dexamethasone to be administered at lower doses, thereby avoiding the side effects that occur with high doses of the steroid.

17 Jun 2021

Immune system dysfunction can alter the link between cannabis use and psychosis

The presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood can boost the effects of daily cannabis use and heighten the risk of developing psychosis in adulthood.

16 Jun 2021

Treatment-resistant depression relieved by laughing gas

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Chicago have found that a single, one-hour treatment involving the inhalation of a mixture of oxygen and the anesthetic drug nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, can improve symptoms of depression in people resistant to treatment.

15 Jun 2021

A single blood-based biomarker can help indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive

7 Jun 2021

Methamphetamine users more susceptible to have medical, mental, and substance use issues

People who use methamphetamine are nearly twice as likely to have medical multimorbidity, and over three times as likely to have a mental illness.

2 Jun 2021

Research offers new hope for people affected by the microdeletion of chromosome 22

One person in 2000 suffers from a microdeletion of chromosome 22 that can lead to the development of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, in adolescence.

1 Jun 2021

Adolescents with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids less likely to develop psychotic disorder

New research has found that adolescents with higher levels of an omega-3 fatty acid in their blood were less likely to develop psychotic disorder in early adulthood, suggesting that it may have a potential preventative effect of reducing the risk of psychosis.

1 Jun 2021

Adults with schizophrenia have increased risk of dying from suicide

Adults with schizophrenia have an elevated risk of dying from suicide. Yet there's only limited understanding of when and why people with schizophrenia die of suicide --in part because research studies have looked at relatively small groups of patients.

27 May 2021

Medications commonly prescribed for schizophrenia linked to cognitive impairment

Writing in the May 14, 2021 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry, a multi-institution team of scientists led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that medications commonly prescribed to reduce the severity of physical and mental health symptoms associated with schizophrenia may have a cumulative effect of worsening cognitive function in patients.

18 May 2021

Brain thinning in youth associated with psychosis

Subtle differences in the shape of the brain that are present in adolescence are associated with the development of psychosis, according to an international team led by neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

5 May 2021

Partners to people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder also meet diagnostic criteria for mental disorder

Almost half of the parents who have children together with a parent with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, are themselves burdened by psychological issues. This can affect family life and the children. This is shown in the research result from the major Danish psychiatry project iPSYCH.

4 May 2021

Bath scientists receive £1.3 million grant to develop a portable spice-detection device

University of Bath scientists have been awarded a research grant of £1.3 million to develop a portable device to detect the street drug ‘spice’ on the spot. They expect the new technology to be ready for use in clinical settings, prisons and across police services within three years.

22 Apr 2021

Cannabis users genetically predisposed to schizophrenia may have higher risk for psychosis

It has been long been known that cannabis users develop psychosis more often than non-users, but what is still not fully clear is whether cannabis actually causes psychosis and, if so, who is most at risk.

13 Apr 2021

Inhibition of nsp14 methyltransferase as a potential antiviral target for SARS-CoV-2

Beyond vaccination, the broad-spectrum antiviral medication remdesivir has robust clinical evidence and is known as the best antiviral treatment to reduce severe COVID-19 infection in hospitalized patients. Research led by John F.X. Diffley of the Chromosome Replication Laboratory suggests a potential therapeutic target for treatment development is the viral RNA cap methyltransferases, essential for viral protein translation and immune evasion.

13 Apr 2021

Antipsychotics could have a protective impact against SARS-CoV-2

Two studies led by the Mental Health Unit of the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital and involving researchers from the US conclude that antipsychotic drugs could have a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, patients treated with these drugs have a lower risk of becoming infected or suffer a milder form of the disease if they do become infected.

9 Apr 2021

SlowMo therapy helps treat paranoid thoughts in people experiencing psychosis

A new clinical trial from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, in collaboration with Oxford University, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex University, and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has established an innovative therapy as an effective means of treating paranoid thoughts in people experiencing psychosis.

7 Apr 2021

Mice experiencing hallucination-like events provide clues to understand psychosis

The humble lab mouse has provided invaluable clues to understanding diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes to COVID-19. But when it comes to psychiatric conditions, the lab mouse has been sidelined, its rodent mind considered too different from that of humans to provide much insight into mental illness.

1 Apr 2021

Disrupted biochemical pathway can lead to the brain changes characteristic of bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder affects millions of Americans, causing dramatic swings in mood and, in some people, additional effects such as memory problems.

1 Apr 2021

Study finds higher psychotic symptoms in young 'night owls' at risk of psychosis

Young people at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis have significantly higher psychotic symptoms if they are an evening person, researchers at Orygen, Australia's centre of excellence in youth mental health, have found.

10 Mar 2021

Real-time fMRI neurofeedback offers a novel treatment method for psychiatric illness

In recent years, researchers have begun using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) not just for better understanding the neural bases of psychiatric illness, but also for experimental treatment of depression, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorder, and schizophrenia with a technique called real-time fMRI neurofeedback.

5 Mar 2021