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.''

Psychotic experiences ‘not always pathologic’

A study backs the existence of “healthy schizotypy,” in which psychotic experiences do not lead to mental illness.

10 Sep 2013

Plasma marker inflames schizophrenia risk

Elevated plasma levels of the inflammatory molecule C-reactive protein may be a marker of an increased risk for developing schizophrenia, a study suggests.

6 Sep 2013

International team of scientists discover new disease related to inability to process Vitamin B12

An international team of scientists, including University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado researchers, has discovered a new disease related to an inability to process Vitamin B12.

6 Sep 2013

Acute manic episodes linked to increased edema risk

Bipolar disorder patients admitted to hospital with a manic episode are at an increased risk for lower limb edema, compared with their peers with depressive or non-affective psychosis episodes, study findings show.

5 Sep 2013

Research finding provides blueprint for understanding how the brain communicates with itself

During a normal conversation, your brain is constantly adjusting the volume to soften the sound of your own voice and boost the voices of others in the room.

4 Sep 2013

Genetic score backs schizophrenia spectrum

Researchers report that polygenic scores derived from one well-characterized cohort of schizophrenia patients correspond to clinical diagnostic categories in another.

3 Sep 2013

Researchers develop model that completes bridge between cellular and human studies of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most devastating neurological conditions, with only 30 percent of sufferers ever experiencing full recovery. While current medications can control most psychotic symptoms, their side effects can leave individuals so severely impaired that the disease ranks among the top ten causes of disability in developed countries.

31 Aug 2013

Blood biomarkers predict suicidality

Researchers have found possible blood biomarkers for suicidal behavior that could help identify psychiatric patients at risk.

29 Aug 2013

Negative symptoms ‘key to recovery’ in first-episode psychosis

The severity of negative symptoms in people with first-episode psychosis is a strong determinant of subsequent recovery, a long-term study has shown.

29 Aug 2013

Cannabis affects addiction processes in adolescent brain

The nature of the teenage brain makes users of cannabis amongst this population particularly at risk of developing addictive behaviors and suffering other long-term negative effects, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and New York's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

27 Aug 2013

Antipsychotic drugs for children with behavioral problems may put at risk for type 2 diabetes

Prescribing of "atypical" antipsychotic medications to children and young adults with behavioral problems or mood disorders may put them at unnecessary risk for type 2 diabetes, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows.

22 Aug 2013

Psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia caused by faulty 'switch' within brain

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have shown that psychotic symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia could be caused by a faulty 'switch' within the brain.

22 Aug 2013

Study investigates issues faced by prisoners with mental health problems after release

Offenders, and especially prisoners, have a high prevalence of mental health problems. Rates for various mental health conditions range from 50 to 90 per cent. Prisoners released from prison with mental health problems face difficulty with family relationships, employment, long-term illness, self-harm, depression and re-offending.

12 Aug 2013

Study: Full Body Illusions can be accompanied by changes in body temperature

Researchers from the Center for Neuroprosthetics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Switzerland, show that people can be "tricked" into feeling that an image of a human figure -- an "avatar" -- is their own body. The study is published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

31 Jul 2013

Study: Bipolar disorder evolves differently in patients who binge eat

Bipolar disorder evolves differently in patients who also binge eat, a study by Mayo Clinic, the Lindner Center of HOPE and the University of Minnesota found. Binge eating and obesity often are present among bipolar patients, but the mood disorder appears to take a different path in those who binge eat than it does in obese bipolar patients who do not, the researchers discovered.

26 Jul 2013

Experts team up to launch International Centre for Mental Health Social Research

Mental health experts from around the world are teaming up to undertake a unique research programme applying social science to mental health practice.

22 Jul 2013

Study shows link between reclassification of cannabis, hospital admissions for cannabis psychosis

Researchers from the University of York have demonstrated that the change in cannabis declassification in 2009 has coincided with a significant increase in hospital admissions for cannabis psychosis - rather than the decrease it was intended to produce.

19 Jul 2013

Long-term cannabis use, dopamine and motivation: an interview with Dr Michael Bloomfield, Department of Medicine at Imperial

We classified ‘long-term’ cannabis use as being regular, at least weekly, cannabis use for over 12 months. This is the period of time that’s used in the DSM-IV psychiatric diagnostic manual to classify substance use disorders. In our study the average duration of at least weekly use was just over four and a half years.

17 Jul 2013

Women at high risk of postpartum psychosis need very careful care, says new review

There are clear risk factors for postpartum psychosis that all women should be asked about antenatally to ensure early recognition and prompt treatment of the condition, says a new review published today (12 July) in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist.

15 Jul 2013

Gang members and violent men are more likely to suffer from mental disorder

Young men who are gang members suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness, placing a heavy burden on mental health services, according to new research led by Queen Mary, University of London.

12 Jul 2013