The relationship between schizophrenia and smoking is both interesting and complex. In schizophrenia, the very high rates of smoking could point to a form of self-medication that actually seems to improve attention and short-term memory. Yet other forms of smoking, notably cannabis and marijuana, are implicated in the onset of psychosis.  ... Read more
In one of the biggest studies of its kind, researchers have established a way to more accurately predict the onset of psychosis in high risk teenagers. The study, led by a team from UCLA and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), involved 291 young people considered to be at risk for developing psychosis. The findings, published in the... Read more
Long-term mental illness does not necessarily equate with poor parenting or neglect, but it may mean that the capacity to provide care is compromised because of the nature and course of the illness. For example, long periods away from home because of hospital treatment may make care unpredictable, which could lead to attachment issues and... Read more
One of the puzzling things about medicine is the language used and I don't just mean the technical stuff. For example, a positive result in medicine often means that there is something wrong whereas a negative result means you're o.k. - or does it? When it comes to considering positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia, the... Read more