Amino Acid Linked to Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia
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Dr. Christie Mensch serves as a psychiatrist at the Wyandot Center in Kansas City, Kansas. In this position, Dr. Christie Mensch provides outpatient services to patients with schizophrenia and other mental health challenges.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, recently announced the discovery of a potential link between the amino acid methionine and the onset of schizophrenia. Using a mouse model, the research team determined that an overabundance of this amino acid in the diet of an expectant mother could produce neurodevelopmental deficits that correspond with the presentation of schizophrenia.

The researchers started with mouse subjects in their third week of gestation. They then injected the mice with methionine levels three times higher than normal. After the pups were born, the team conducted a series of nine distinct neurological tests. Results indicated the presence of deficits in all categories of schizophrenic symptomatology.

Furthermore, after treating the mice with the anti-schizophrenic drugs haloperidol and clozapine, each of which targets a different symptom category, the researchers found that deficits in the mouse pups improved significantly. Team members hope to carry this research forward and investigate the molecular basis behind the identified deficits, in order to identify potential treatment targets.

Early Warning Signs of Schizophrenia

 

Schizophrenia
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In her work as a psychiatrist at the Wyandot Center in Kansas, Dr. Christie Mensch draws on her in-depth experience working with patients who have schizophrenia. Dr. Christie Mensch conducted research into contributing factors to schizophrenia and presented her work at the 168th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

Before people exhibit the hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms of schizophrenia, they often goes through a period in which early warning signs are evident. This is known as the prodromal phase and may be instrumental in bringing the person to treatment.

Individuals with prodromal schizophrenia may begin to demonstrate unusual patterns of speech, thought, or behavior. They may claim to have supernatural powers or believe that others are talking about them behind their back, while some report hearing voices. In many cases, these symptoms may correlate with a new and unusual preoccupation with religion or the occult.

Emotional disturbances, such as inappropriate emotional expression or apparent lack of emotion, may also indicate the development of schizophrenia. Symptoms of depression, including social withdrawal and changes in sleep, are common at this stage.

Emotional distress and disturbing thoughts may even lead to suicidal thoughts, which calls for attention regardless of its root cause. Other warning signs include changes in motor function and behavior.

Those with early schizophrenia often become unusually clumsy and may develop a tremor, muscle rigidity, or other difficulties that appear similar to those of Parkinson’s and related motor disorders. The person’s walk may seem to have changed and unusual gesturing or posturing may occur, while the overall movement may speed up or slow down.

These early warning signs of schizophrenia may be difficult to identify, as each one can parallel a number of issues. These signs may even mimic the ordinary behaviors of adolescence, the time of life in which schizophrenia most often emerges. In combination, however, a few or more of such symptoms may indicate the development of a serious mental illness and should prompt professional consultation.

Helping Friends and Family Members Who Live with Schizophrenia

 

Schizophrenia
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A psychiatrist at the Wyandot Center in Kansas City, Kansas, Dr. Christie Mensch provides full service mental health care in an outpatient setting. Dr. Christie Mensch evaluates and treats a variety of mental health concerns, including schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder of the brain. It can cause people to experience delusions, hallucinations, and difficulties with concentration and thinking. If a friend or loved one has a schizophrenia diagnosis, there are simple things you can do to help them.

– Encourage them to get treatment or remain in treatment. There are many trials and studies available as well, many of which offer promising new treatments and therapies.

– Be patient, and recognize their right to their own views. People who live with schizophrenia commonly hold demonstrably false beliefs, but these can seem very real to them. Be as respectful as possible without supporting inappropriate or destructive behavior.

– Be aware of the risk of substance abuse. People who live with schizophrenia tend to be at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, which can also adversely affect treatment.

Serious Mental Illnesses – Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia
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Dr. Christie Mensch serves the Wyandot Center in Kansas City, Kansas, by delivering outpatient mental health services to people with issues like schizophrenia, attention-deficit disorder, and depression. Before accepting her current position, Dr. Christie Mensch treated patients at Kansas City Veterans Hospital.

When psychiatrists inform patients that they have schizophrenia, it means they’ve developed a chronic brain disorder that causes a spectrum of serious and life-changing symptoms. Experts categorize these symptoms according to three standards.

For example, those with “positive” symptoms experience vivid hallucinations that cause them to fall out of touch with reality as healthy individuals perceive it. Such symptoms also include dysfunctional thought patterns and agitated motions. Cognitive problems, another class of schizophrenia symptoms, often result in focus, decision-making, and memory difficulties. Finally, the “negative” symptoms of schizophrenia impede emotional function. For instance, patients may have trouble finding pleasure in the things they do and may speak in ways devoid of emotion.

Schizophrenia most commonly appears in young men and women in their 20s and 30s. In America, about 1 percent of people live with the illness.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia in Adults and Teens

Christie Mensch

Christie Mensch, MD, is a psychiatrist with the Wyandot Center in Kansas City. In this position, Dr. Christie Mensch helps support adults as they deal with various issues of mental health, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that typically develops in a person’s early-to-late 20s. Individuals living with schizophrenia can experience an array of symptoms, though significant cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments are all hallmarks of the disorder.

Hallucinations and delusions are two of the most commonly discussed symptoms of schizophrenia. While auditory hallucinations are a standard for the disorder, hallucinations can also involve visual or olfactory elements. Delusions, which affect an estimated 80 percent of individuals with schizophrenia, are much more diverse, but generally involve strong beliefs that have no base in reality. Such delusions can range from schizophrenic individuals believing they have celebrity status to intense paranoia.

Though it is rare for a teenager to develop schizophrenia, it is not impossible. Younger individuals can experience hallucinations and delusions, as well as other symptoms typical of adult schizophrenia, such as irregular speaking patterns and lack of emotion. Visual hallucinations are more prevalent in teens dealing with schizophrenia, while delusions are less frequent.

Guardians and medical professionals must pay close attention to a teenager, as schizophrenia symptoms like withdrawal from social activities and difficulty sleeping are common among most teens, including those without the condition. Both teens and adults living with schizophrenia will experience a lack of awareness regarding their disorder, and so it is often left to family and friends to notice symptoms and reach out for professional support.