"According to researchers, reductions in stress, preventing drug use, and proactive cognitive support, as well as the development of targeted pharmacologic interventions, are all currently being explored as ways to mitigate schizophrenia.
"According to one researcher, for primary prevention and secondary interventions, particularly in those in whom a risk for schizophrenia already has been identified, reducing stress, enhancing cognitive abilities, and preventing drug use was found to be essential.
"According to researchers, higher levels of brain glutamate in adolescents correlated with more schizotypal symptoms, leading investigators to consider that there might be a problem with cortical glutaminergic regulation.
"Recent discoveries in genetics have shown how several mental illnesses—such as autism, bipolar disorder and ADHD—overlap, but the way in which they manifest is determined by how one’s genes are either triggered or influenced by the environment or by neurochemical influences, according to researchers.
“Depletion of gray matter in the brain occurs in adolescence, both preceding and during schizophrenia’s prodromal phase, particularly in boys. Also, a decrease in the brain’s plasticity because of exaggerated synaptic pruning by the adolescent brain, an otherwise normal function, has been cited as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Additionally, research into disruptions of the adolescent’s maturing stress response system has shown that, for some, prolonged periods of stress can lead to an imbalance of cortical cognitive control.”
There are no cure for permanent remodeling of the limbic emotion regulation system in the area between the top of the brain stem and the underside of the corpus callosum beneath the cerebral cortex. for those who didn’t hear it the first time, I will repeat: There is NO CURE.
I will never be “cured” nor will you nor anyone else out there who is holding out hope on the basis of magical thinking unsupported by physiological fact.
HOWEVER… There is a lot that can be done with psychotherapy on top of stabilizing medication that will NEVER be done by MEDICATION ALONE.
The sooner people get on board with this, the sooner they will experience the benefits of having done so.
That would be great if my son was on board…
I know there is no cure–like no cure for cancer, it`s manmade. With so much money supposedly pouring in, and all the research? Something needs to happen…
I like to play “Follow The Money!” So. I did. I bought stock in three pharmaceutical companies that manufacture psych meds just so I could see their annual reports. (I made some money, too. Hahaha.)
Anyway, what I dis-cover-ed was the extent to which they poured money into advertising, publicity and outright media manipulation to promote their wares even though their wares really didn’t cure anyone of anything.
Anti-psychotics do not “cure” – meaning “eliminate” or “do away with” sz. Just as anti-depressants do not cure depression. Just as anxiolytics do not cure anxiety.
All they do SUPRESS the SYMPTOMS. (Period.)
If one wants anything close to a “cure,” they will have to “surgically remove” the CAUSE of the problem… or come up with actions that diminish the symptoms as a result of managing that cause.
That is what psychotherapy does. Meds may be required to stabilize a sz pt sufficiently to be able to do psychotherapy, but if the pt does not do it, he has no evidence-verified right to expect that he’s going to get any “better” than what the meds do for him
Our DNA may have had the predisposition for schizophrenia in turn life itself colors it in.
The tricky part is when our DNA actually changes through bullying, trauma, stress. And they are only just now touching on the human genome, so it will take some time to isolate and fix.
@notmoses Whilst agreeing that medications currently do not cure, and that people do better with adjunctive non meds therapy, I think you overstate the effects of therapy.
I guess this is because you are very pro therapy and therefore prone to overstating it’s benefits.
I think it is important in your quest to help that you post accurate and realistic information. This means not exaggerating the benefits of any one treatment approach.
I must admit that therapy has helped. I’ve had a lot of CBT and other forms of therapy (before I got diagnosed). But it hasn’t helped a lot. Writing lists helps me more. Meds help a hell of a lot more.
I guess you have a right to misinterpret what others say, but how does that work for you?
I have written a 20 times on this forum that meds are usually required to stabilize a psychotic pt sufficiently to make psychotherapy possible.
Psychotherapy produces meaningful behavioral change and anxiety reduction about 80% if the time. But if one doesn’t do it, it produces behavioral change and anxiety reduction 0% of the time.
Notmoses and Firemonkey - don’t over-emphasise the small differences in your perspectives.
The fundamental point is that you both agree that medication is a the place to start. Of course - medication results will vary by person.
After that - therapy (CBT, REBT, etc.) is very helpful to many people (again, not all - I know Firemonkey has not had great results with CBT, while NotMoses has had good results).
Everyone’s experiences are different. I think its best just to agree to this point and move on.
A person who has had good results with something may overestimate the value of something for other people, and similarly people who have had a bad experience with something may undervalue it for other people.
This is standard procedure in every legitimate tx facility I know of. And for good reason if one stops and thinks about it.
Alcohol is mind-altering, memory-disconnecting and dis-inhibiting.
As an example, one may have good reason to be reactively angry (because of, say, child abuse, workplace frustration, a spouse who won’t communicate or an aging parent who is demented), but usually does a good job of keeping that anger under control. However, that ability to keep a lid on the unprocessed frustration is diminished by the mind-altering and dis-inhibiting effects of alcohol.
Moreover, memory retention is so effected that the problem drinker cannot benefit from the skills training that is the bedrock of current psychotherapies. Hence, the drinking has to be dealt with so that the constant cycle of withdrawal > agitation > drinking > acting out > self-shaming > withdrawal >>>> is broken up sufficiently to make skills training possible.
The ways I’ve quit in the past are I think concurrent with CBT, because I replaced the unhealthy habit with exercise. And I always over did it, and thought more that the body is a vessel.
When they taught us some in rehab, they said you feel you must reward yourself, or you allow yourself the option of drinking, either because of enduring pain, or trauma that won’t go away. I guess it’s just the easy way out. It sucks.
Yeah; this is the reward-displacement strategy that’s bedrock in CBT txs for substance abuse. It is a good approach, but for those who have dual-diagnosis difficulties (as any periodic drinking sz would), it’s difficult to remember to use it.
Exercisecan be beneficial, but if you’re bipolar like me, you may over-do it, get the nasty lactic acid poisoning and autonomic burnout, and then head for the bottle to “fix” it (or at least mask off the symptoms). I did that for years.
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