August 19, 2008
Has reality TV spawned a new form of paranoid delusion?
A psychiatrist at New York’s Bellevue Hospital Center has been collecting cases of patients who have the delusion that their lives are a reality TV show. Because several of them identify with Jim Carrey’s character in the movie “The Truman Show”, a proposed new syndrome is named after that film.
(Looking for news from a wider range of sources than the selective SearchMedica list? Choose the option “The entire Web” just below the search box.)
The Bellevue psychiatrist in question, Joel Gold, was a coauthor of the study that documented PTSD among New York residents after the 9/ll attack.
In the high-surveillance, anti-terror era that came after, it’s no delusion that we’re being watched. But for decades psychiatrists have been reporting delusions that involve television.
Related searches
thought broadcasting
delusions virtual reality
Evidence-based Articles
What defines a new delusional syndrome? Authors from Massachusetts suggest that different delusions are more alike than unlike, in this 1999 review.
Free full text is available by clicking on “View Medline abstract on pubmed.gov” and finding the publisher’s link at the upper right of the next screen.
No Comments » | 
Psychiatry, Schizophrenia, Uncategorized | Tagged: delusions, paranoia, psychosis, reality TV, virtual reality | 
Permalink
Posted by smnewsletters
July 15, 2008
Antipsychotics quell violence in schizophrenia–unless that’s not the cause
In general, antipsychotic medication leads to significant reductions in violent behavior among schizophrenia patients, according to new results from the multicenter CATIE study, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health.
However, look also for non-psychotic sources of violent behavior, suggests the report in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which medications will not help and which may require intensive therapy. For instance, among subjects with a childhood history of antisocial conduct problems, adherence to antipsychotic medication had no effect on the prevalence of violent behavior.
The 1445-patient study also revealed the following predictors of violent behavior among schizophrenia patients:
* Childhood conduct problems
* Substance misuse
* History of violent victimization
* Economic deprivation
* Living with others rather than alone
Schizophrenia patients with negative psychotic symptoms were less likely to be violent.
Related searches
victimization of mentally ill
MacArthur study
Practical Articles/News
A search here turns up an article from last month’s Psychiatric Times about how to protect yourself against a violent patient.
Research Reviews
Find studies on the effects of clozapine on violent patients with schizophrenia. (Clozapine was not included for patients in this arm of the CATIE study.)
No Comments » | 
Psychiatry, Schizophrenia | Tagged: clozapine, conduct disorder, psychosis, Schizophrenia, substance abuse, victimization, violent behavior | 
Permalink
Posted by smnewsletters
February 19, 2008
Banked blood shows cat parasite infection precedes schizophrenia onset
Here’s the latest and strongest of the provocative links between toxoplasmosis and behavior change: A case-control study using blood samples taken routinely from members of the U.S. military has shown a strong (P = 0.01) association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and the onset of schizophrenia within six months.
Antibodies to the parasite carried by pet cats were associated with a 26% increase in schizophrenia risk, according to the team from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
This new study strengthens earlier evidence of an association, because of its large numbers and the use of blood samples drawn before diagnosis as well as after.
After using SearchMedica to locate a provocative study, turn to the categories to help decide what you should do next.
Patient Education Materials
What can you say to patients newly concerned about cats? You can use this category to find answers. Try the query Toxoplasma cats, and read the information for pregnant women and HIV patients. (See what the Mayo Clinic article has to say about working in the garden.)
Practical Articles & News
Inform patients that this is not really new, and for now has few practical implications. In this category you’ll find an article suggesting that the cause could just as easily be something caught in preschool, or even something Mom caught. Another reviews the long history of links between infection and mental disorders.
1 Comment | Respiratory_Infectious, Schizophrenia | Tagged: feline, infectious, Schizophrenia, toxoplasma | Permalink
Posted by Cranky Aged Mama
Posted by smnewsletters
