MIAMI BEACH – Elevated levels of the same cytokine receptor were seen in three serious mental illnesses, but each illness had separate and distinct patterns of inflammatory markers, according to a study of immune function and mental illness.
Dr. David R. Goldsmith and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis that pooled results of three dozen studies of outpatients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression, to search for commonalities and differences in immune system activation.
Why this is significant: Because an ever-increasing # of MHPs have found that pt use of over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (like Aleve naproxen and Motrin ibuprofen) is sometimes “helpful” for symptom reduction if the pt has sz, bipolar, borderline, PTSD, high anxiety and other disorders.
I have tried them myself, but I cannot say for sure that they “helped.”