In 1911, Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term ‘schizophrenia’ to describe the set of symptoms that now characterize the disorder.

To mark the 100^th 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 research can be more effectively targeted at the disease.

According to Rethink, around 1% of the population are currently affected by schizophrenia, yet still we are ignorant as to the most effective treatments.

The inquiry is to be led by Sir Robin Murray, the professor of psychiatric research at King’s College London, and the findings are to be announced sometime in the New Year.

According to Professor Murray, schizophrenia actually costs the National Health Service more than cardiac disease or cancer, so it is important that research continues to investigate what is going on within the brain.

As it stands there have been two genome-wide studies that have recognised five genetic risk factors of schizophrenia. According to Professor David Collier from the Institute of Psychiatry who was involved in both, these studies are ‘the most powerful genetic studies of psychosis to date’.

“They include one gene which may be acting as a master regulator, influencing the biological pathways in the brain, that once perturbed lead to schizophrenia.” He said.

Studies such as these along with additional mounting bio-chemistry evidence and brain imaging are continuing to add further weight to the opinion of many psychiatry experts that schizophrenia is a neurological disorder. It is now a case of using these findings as a base for new diagnostic tools and treatments.

For further information about schizophrenia please visit our fact-sheet to find out more.

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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 dropped into conversation as though they are just any other word, but as much as the people who say them don’t do so out of malice, are they accurate and more importantly, are they acceptable?

Much research has suggested that using mental health terms to describe personality traits is becoming increasingly common, with a 2007 study of the terms “schizophrenia” and “schizophrenic” in the UK media revealing that 11% of the references were metaphorical.

According to consultant psychiatrist Arun Chopra who works at Queen’s Medical Centre based in Nottingham, using these terms so flippantly can have a negative impact upon patients who are actually affected by these conditions (and their families) and can contribute to misunderstanding and stigma.

Chopra recalled one particular situation in which the mother of a schizophrenic patient burst into tears when she read in a newspaper article that the weather was “schizophrenic”.

“You would never hear it used in relation to a physical condition. You wouldn’t hear someone being described as a bit diabetic.” Chopra added.

Chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, Andrew McCulloch is of the same opinion, and believes that using clinical diagnosis terms in such a way simply fuels public misunderstanding.

He went onto say that the positive of this negative situation is that at least we have now moved away from not mentioning these conditions at all. Now the hard work lies in educating people about these mental health conditions.

“Five years ago people wouldn’t have known what you were talking about if you mentioned OCD,” he says. “Now they have a sense of what it is about and use it, but don’t really fully understand it. The next five years will be about working to fully educate people.” Said McCulloch.

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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 by the condition and some of whom were not.

The results of the analysis showed mutations in 40 different genes which were linked to schizophrenia, even in cases which had not been inherited.

An individuals DNA is not a perfect copy of their parents and when the eggs and sperm are formed this is when the mutations tend to occur.

Head researcher Dr Maria Karayiorgou said that the fact the mutations were all from different genes is very interesting and suggests that many more mutations than initially suspected may contribute to schizophrenia.

”This is probably because of the complexity of the neural circuits that are affected by the disease; many genes are needed for their development and function.” She said.

Professor Bin Xi, a fellow researcher on the project said that the identification of these damaging mutations has transformed their understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia, and could provide an explanation as to the high global incidence of the mental illness despite variable environmental factors.

Mental health charity Rethink commented that scientific research looking into schizophrenia lagged behind that of research for other conditions. The charity’s chief executive Paul Jenkins said: “We welcome any research which helps develop a better insight of the causes of schizophrenia and ultimately brings us closer to finding new ways of preventing or treating the condition in the future.”

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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 cancer as opposed to suicide or violence.

Experts looking into the life expectancy of patients who were suffering from specific mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or serious depression, found that life expectancy across the illnesses was below the UK average.

Currently the average life expectancy of UK men is 77.4 years and for women a slightly higher 81.6 years. However, those in the study who were most affected, such as women with schizoaffective disorder saw their life expectancy fall by 17.5 years. Similarly, the males who were most affected (schizophrenia sufferers) had their lives shorted by around 14.6 years.

Researchers on the study, which took place at the Biomedical Research Centre for mental health at the Maudsley Hospital in London, believe the reduced life expectancy could be attributed to factors such as long-term anti-psychotic drug use and social disadvantages.

Spokeswomen for the mental health charity Mind, Sophie Corelett, commented that doctors need to be more proactive in helping their patients to make informed choices about long-term medications which could eventually have a negative impact on their health.

“It’s vital that people with mental health problems have access to routine physical health checks and that they are helped to make healthy lifestyle choices. We cannot allow this inequality to continue.” She added.

If you are suffering from a mental illness and would like to find out how counselling or psychotherapy could help you to understand and overcome your problems then please visit our Types of Distress page for further information. Alternatively, if you would like to contact a counsellor or psychotherapist in your local area, please use the search tool located on the homepage of this site.

Schizophrenia, which is thought to affect around one in every 100 individuals, is a condition which is characterised by delusions and hallucinations.

Experts have known for a while now that accelerated shrinking of the brain occurs in those with manic depression and schizophrenia, but have only recently discovered that the brain begins shrinking in size before individuals actually become unwell.

The study itself involved examining individuals aged between 16 and 25 who had at least two relatives suffering with schizophrenia and were thus considered to be at a high risk of developing it themselves.

The results of the study showed that changes in brain size were actually happening in individuals at a high risk of the illness, before they actually began to develop symptoms. In addition to this, areas that were experiencing a loss of brain tissue were the areas of the brain that control personality, decision making and social behaviour.

Researchers are hopeful that these scans can eventually be used to identify the specific areas of shrinkage which could help doctors diagnose the condition and begin treatment in the very early stages or even before symptoms begin to show.

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 addition to this they have said it may be possible to one day use this information to help youngsters before they begin to develop symptoms.

Lucie Russell, Campaign Director for mental health charity Young Minds agree’s that the possibility of predicting the risk of young people developing mental illness could be very useful. However, she also highlights how gene testing comes with the risk of labelling children and believes that a stable and loving background is still a huge factor in a child’s ell-being and emotional state.

The stigma attached to mental illness has been around for a long time, but it seems a new group of people have arisen who are actively seeking out diagnosis of a mental illness, but why?

Psychiatrist Dr Diana Chan and Dr Lester Sireling believe that increased public awareness through mediums such as the internet, radio and T.V plus an increase in the willingness of celebrity figures to discuss their own experiences with mental illness has lessoned the stigma.

This is fantastic news for those who were previously concerned about seeking help for the disorder but there are a large number of individuals diagnosing themselves with the disorder before seeking advice from a professional.

Experts believe this could be a reflection of a persons aspirations for a higher social status as often mental illness is associated with being extremely creative and intelligent.

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder which is characterised by instability in mood, with sufferers experiencing periods of mania ‘highs’ and then periods of depressions ‘lows’.

It is a very serious mental condition which could result in lack of social functioning and could effect both home and working life. It is essential that the condition is diagnosed where valid so the sufferer can receive the help they need and it is equally important to help people understand that having ‘mood swings’ or chaotic behaviour does not necessarily mean they are suffering with the disorder.

The work has been done to increase awareness of bipolar disorder and reduce the stigma, but the challenge is now sensitively dealing with individuals who wish to be diagnosed. This can hopefully be achieved by helping the public to better understand illnesses such as schizophrenia.

More information on mental health can be found here.

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 direct thought.

Experts from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden think this might be what causes creative people to ”think outside the box” and in some cases leads to mental illness.

Creativity has long since been associated with an increased risk of depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and we now know that those with a family history of mental illness may stand a higher chance of being creative. Professor Fredrik Ullen believes he may be able to explain why.

Ullen took a look as the brains dopamine receptor genes (D2) which are believed to govern divergent thought.

The results showed that those who did well on tests had a lower level of D2 receptors than expected, as did those with schizophrenia.

The thalamus is a relay centre which filters information before it reaches areas of the cortex responsible for cognition and reasoning.

Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus is likely to result in a lower level of signal filtering and a therefor higher flow of information from the thalamus.

UK psychologist Mark Millard believes this heavy flow of information is what causes a creative spark in people and he also feels it would explain how creative people often see unusual connections in problem-solving situations.

Millard has said businesses have already recognised this knowledge and are now beginning to capitalize on it by having what is known as ‘skunk works’ – secure secret laboratories for their highly creative staff so they can experiment freely without disrupting the daily business.

If you are concerned that you or anyone you know is suffering from a mental illness then it is important that you visit your GP who will be able to diagnose your condition. You may also find that talking to a counsellor may help and if you would like to further explore this option you can use the homepage of this site to contact a counsellor in your local area.

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 had been in contact with specialist mental health care in the 12 months before the incident were convicted of homicide.

The statistics are not accurate. If one person was responsible for a homicide where there was more than one victim then it would still only count as one incident and then you have to take into account that sometimes the person who committed the homicide then commits suicide, resulting in no conviction so no statistic.

After investigating the figures it was found that since 1993 there has been more than 100 incidents per year, compared with the 50 stated officially.

The statistics have caused many people to call for prompt and effective treatment for the small minority of mentally ill people who are violent and for all figures to be included in the statistics which will allow a more in depth understanding of the situation.

If you believe that you or anyone you know are suffering from a Mental Illness then the first step is to contact your GP so they can diagnose the issue. Talk therapies are known to have a positive effect on many mental health issues and should you wish to contact a counsellor regarding this matter or any other then you can find one in your local area using the homepage of this site.

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 discovery, made in rats, could explain a suspected link between flu and the mental illness.

The new study which was reported in the journal of Biological Psychiatry, has found that early detection and use of medication could stop the illness developing.

Israeli scientists exposed rats to a chemical with similar properties to a flu virus and were then monitored regularly using scans to evaluate the progress of their offspring.

Results showed that the affected rat pups were normal throughout childhood but began to exhibit schizophrenia like symptoms when they reached early adulthood. However, treating the rats with two common antic psychotic drugs risperidone and clozapine appeared to counteract the affects. The drugs were found to be most affective when administered during the rats adolescent period, several months before reaching full maturity.

Schizophrenia developing during early adulthood is a pattern which is reflected in humans with most people who suffer from a mental illness developing it during their early twenties.

Professor Ina Weiner from Tel Aviv University conducted the study and has said that if progressive brain changes occur as schizophrenia is emerging, it could be possible to intervene and prevent the illness from developing. “That would revolutionise the treatment of the disorder.” She said.

Professor Weiner is continuing research to determine at what stage the changes in the brain can be detected.