In 1911, Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term ‘schizophrenia’ to describe the set of symptoms that now characterize the disorder. To mark the 100th anniversary of schizophrenia being recognised as a medical condition, Rethink Mental Illness is launching an inquiry which will investigate a more rational treatment system, as well as looking into how read more »

The weather has been ‘bipolar’ this week, a neat and tidy friend has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and someone who tried to chat you up in a bar was as awkward as someone with Asperger’s. Using mental health terms as if they are clichés has become commonplace in the past few years, we hear them read more »

A recent report compiled by US experts has revealed that DNA mutations play a role in at least 50% of schizophrenia cases, even when there is no history of the illness in the family. The team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center analysed the genetic code of 225 individuals, some of whom were affected read more »

Research has revealed that individuals suffering from serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia can have a life expectancy significantly lower than the national average, reports BBC News. A london based study which tracked electronic medical records of over 30,000 patients found that many people were dying early from stroke, heart attack and read more »

A recent study conducted by the University of Edinburgh has found that using brain scans on young adults with a family history of schizophrenia, could help to predict the disease before it sets in, reports the Daily Mail. Schizophrenia, which is thought to affect around one in every 100 individuals, is a condition which is read more »

Brain patterns could now give a valuable insight into youngsters who run a possible risk of becoming ill, reports the Daily Mail. A team of British scientists from Nottingham University have found specific patterns of brain activity which could be ‘makers’ of those who will go on to develop mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. In read more »

For many years there has been a stigma attached to mental illness which often sees people going to great lengths to avoid being diagnosed. However recently a new phenomena has arisen with some people actually asking to be diagnosed with a mental illness, reports BBC News. The stigma attached to mental illness has been around read more »

New studies suggest that creative minds mimic certain aspects of schizophrenia, reports BBC News. Scientists who have been studying how the mind works have conducted brain scans which reveal similarities between the thought patterns of highly creative people and those with schizophrenia, both of whom are missing important receptors which are used to filter and read more »

A programme aired on BBC2 yesterday evening aimed to highlight how the authorities are playing down the number of murders committed by the mentally ill, reports The Independent. The head of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Health Problems (NCISH) has said that approximately 50 people a year who read more »

Recent research has found there could be a link between viral infection in the womb and unborn offspring being predisposed to schizophrenia, reports The Times. Previous research has suggested that women who contract flu during pregnancy are at higher risk of giving birth to a baby likely to develop schizophrenia later on in life. The read more »