Schizophrenia and Psychosis

Researchers Explore Sexuality and Gender in the Context of Psychosis

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Nev Jones and a team of researchers examine how sex, sexuality, and gender-related content are underexplored in contemporary research on psychosis.

Social Support Improves Antipsychotic Discontinuation, Study Finds

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A new study explores how people manage to discontinue antipsychotic medication and examines how social supports may improve outcomes.
road

Enjoying the Road Less Traveled

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The people that my son and I continued to consult with over the years didn't talk of mental illness as a brain disease, a chemical imbalance, or a problem with one's genes. Depending on the therapy, they spoke in terms of restoring life force energy, changing cellular vibration, learning to listen and understand, and building a self.

Study Finds Connection Between Trauma and Psychosis in Children

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Researchers connect the impact of early trauma to the development of psychosis in children as young as 7 years old.

Childhood Adversity Influences Levels of Distress in Voice Hearers

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Research finds that hearing negative voices explains how childhood adversity is related to distress.

Study Explores Māori Community’s Multifaceted Understanding of “Psychosis”

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A new study explores how “psychosis” and “schizophrenia” are viewed within the Māori community in New Zealand.

Meta-analysis Links Childhood Trauma to Psychosis Symptoms

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The study results suggest that experiences of childhood trauma impact the development of symptoms associated with psychosis.

Psychosocial Explanations of Psychosis Reduce Stigma, Study Finds

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A review of mental health anti-stigma campaigns finds psychosocial models are effective in reducing stigma, while biogenetic models often worsen attitudes.

Interventions that Promote Disclosure Among Voice-Hearers

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The perspectives of the voice-hearers featured in the research underscore that stigma and negative perceptions of voice hearing present significant obstacles within early intervention programs.

New Review Suggests Higher Recovery and Remission Rates for Psychosis

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Meta-analysis gives updated recovery and remission rates for persons identified as having a first-episode psychosis and those diagnosed with schizophrenia.

International Study Examines Environmental Factors Associated with Psychosis

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Study finds the incidence of “psychosis” to vary by person and place, corresponding to factors such as race, ethnicity, age, and environment.

Police Violence Victims at Increased Risk of Psychotic Symptoms

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Researchers examine links between police victimization and psychotic symptoms in a topical new study.

AVATAR Therapy Shows Some Positive Outcomes, Now What?

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In a commentary piece, Ben Alderson-Day and Nev Jones discuss the AVATAR therapy research for psychosis and propose further questions.

Study Challenges Assumption that Schizophrenia Impairs Cognitive Ability

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Secondary factors may impair performance on cognitive tasks, making it difficult for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to perform to the best of their ability.

Outcome Reporting Bias in Antipsychotic Medication Trials

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A new study in the journal Translational Psychiatry, an influential journal in biological psychiatry published by Nature, challenges the state of the research on antipsychotic drugs.

Psychologists Push For New Approaches to Psychosis: Part 2

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The authors of the report expand upon the traumatic and sociopolitical factors underlying presentations of psychosis and “schizophrenia.”

Psychologists Push For New Approaches to Psychosis: Part 1

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Psychologists and people with experience of psychotic symptoms publish a report on new ways of understanding psychosis.
rethink

Rethinking the Validity of Schizophrenia on World Mental Health Day

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An open letter launched on World Mental Health Day, supported by people with lived experience, friends, family members, workers and researchers, calls on Rethink Mental Illness, one of the major English mental health charities, to co-create a new conversation about the diagnosis “schizophrenia.”

Childhood Victimization Connected with Experiences of Psychosis

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Childhood victimization associated with experiences of psychosis later in life, and in persons without childhood victimization, there is a bidirectional association between psychosis and adult victimization.

Leading Researchers Critique Current Paradigm for Studying ‘Schizophrenia’ Risk

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Re-conceptualizing the Clinical-High-Risk/Ultra-High-Risk Paradigm: A critique and reappraisal

Researchers Question Add-On Treatment for ‘Schizophrenia’

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A common practice when antipsychotics are found to be ineffective for schizophrenia is to prescribe a second, additional psychoactive medication. Now, a new study suggests that this practice is not supported by the research.

Increased Risk of Movement Disorders From Antipsychotics in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

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Large cohort study demonstrates that those with an intellectual disability are at an increased risk for movement disorder side effects of antipsychotics.

Married Individuals with Schizophrenia Show Better Outcomes, Study Finds

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14-year study of a rural sample in China shows those who were married had higher rates of remission from schizophrenia.

Patients With Schizophrenia Show Better Work Functioning Off Antipsychotics

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20-year follow-up study finds that after four years, patients not prescribed antipsychotics have significantly better work functioning.

Study Suggests Mania More Common in Psychosis When Antidepressants Used

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A prospective cohort study of those labeled high risk for psychosis finds a higher prevalence of antidepressant use among those who develop manic symptoms.