
When the Body Attacks the Mind - akbarnama
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/07/when-the-body-attacks-the-mind/485564/?single_page=true
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0xcde4c3db
Sasha and his family were very lucky to know someone qualified and willing to
give a second opinion. In my experience, once a doctor decides on a
psychiatric diagnosis, it tends to turn into a black hole that "explains"
almost any symptom short of gross anatomical damage.

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tominous
For the last few years I've been keeping an eye on Geneuro [1]. They're
trialling a HERV-W antibody on the theory that this endogenous retrovirus
triggers an immune reaction in the brain that causes multiple sclerosis.
Schizophrenia may also share a similar etiology [2]. When/if it does get
approved for MS, I will be asking if it can be tried off-label on my brother
with schizophrenia (although of course it may be too late now anyway, 15 years
after his diagnosis).

[1] [http://www.geneuro.ch/en/news-press](http://www.geneuro.ch/en/news-press)

[2]
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26404170/](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26404170/)

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whenwillitstop
To late in the sense that his mind is already gone at this point? I have a
brother who also has schizophrenia, and as time goes on I wonder if any chance
of return to normality still exists...

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tominous
It's impossible to know. There are examples like John Nash where there is
apparently a very good outcome, so I wouldn't lose hope. However, I would be
concerned about long term physical changes from both the disease and the
existing treatment. Separately I don't know how one would cope with "waking
up" from years of schizophrenia - would the delusions persist even if the
initial cause is removed?

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davymac
My mother was diagnosed schizophrenic at around 38 yrs old. She was
hospitalized after every relapse, probably a dozen times. Each time she
relapsed, it was at least a month, if not several months before we were able
to get her in to treatment because of her refusal. It would take an incident
with the police to initiate the process. My mom is now 62. She's medicated,
happy, and perfectly normal. She hasn't had a full relapse in about 10 yrs,
there were moments when hints of it would return, and she would be aware
enough to self-correct and continue medication. The only problems she says she
has is that she doesn't feel as quick-witted as she used to be. As for the
memories, she occasionally has a hard time distinguishing real memories from
invented memories. Most of the voices were obviously fake to her, now that
she's clear headed and can reevaluate what happened. There were occasions
where one of the voices she had was her sister's, and she now has a hard time
reconciling real memories from false ones in that situation. She tends to
avoid talking to her because when she hears that voice, painful memories come
back and she gets stressed. Stress is a major factor in relapses, so she sadly
tries to avoid it. At least in my mom's case, this anecdotal evidence suggests
it's definitely possible to recover after being "gone" for months at a time.
Not enough families are able to cope with the trauma this causes and fight
this disease and, instead, let their family member "do what they want." Which
usually means they become homeless and lost until they die. Happens a lot here
in LA (skidrow). I personally know people that couldn't cope with the trauma
it caused their family so they let them wander off to whereever they wanted.
Almost without fail, they end up in skid row. Strangely enough, we have a
history of auto-immune disorders in my family: Hashimoto's (2) and Alopecia
Areata (2). Depression and bipolar as well (most likely every sibling,
diagnosed or not). It's an area of study I've recently been interested in
because it seems promising in preventing schizophrenia and maybe curing our
depression. There's so much great research going on in this area, from anti-
virals, immunosuppressive drugs, to even dietary changes and fasting
(something I've recently piloted on myself). It seems promising. In my case
it's already yielded results in that I'm no longer constantly sleepy.
Hopefully we'll have this fully sorted and cured in under 15 yrs. I think it
has the potential to be revolutionary on a global scale.

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nibs
People with bipolar tend to have higher antibodies to gliadin (gluten) than
controls. People with schizophrenia have higher casein (dairy) antibodies than
controls. In neither case does it cause the illness, but in both in can impact
severity of symptoms.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21320252](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21320252)
And
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22801085](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22801085).
It does not mean it applies to everyone, but scandinavian/Northern European
people with milder cases of both illness often actually have autoimmune
disease. One study found 7percent of schizophrenia inpatients actually had
Celiac, to say nothing of other autoimmune disorders. More:
[http://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac--Disease--
Research.....](http://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac--Disease--Research..--
Associated--Diseases--and--Disorders/Schizophrenia--_____--Mental--Problems--
and--Celiac--Disease-c-3375.html)

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Noseshine
In this wider context of psychological issues not not as physical disease
problem:

> What if PTSD Is More Physical Than Psychological?

> A new study supports what a small group of military researchers has
> suspected for decades: that modern warfare destroys the brain.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/what-if-ptsd-
is-m...](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/what-if-ptsd-is-more-
physical-than-psychological.html)

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angry-hacker
Out of interest, if anyone knows: why "modern" warfare? Is this some kind of
expression? The old school wars must have been worse for one's mental health,
or not?

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tyleraland
Ancient warfare: anxiety as one anticipates impending war, which may be known
months or years in advance (armies were slow), and very bloody melee combat
which probably left survivors with PTSD.

Pre-modern warfare: relatively few people lined up and shot each other to
death from long distances. People on the front lines knew they were likely
going to die.

Modern warfare (WWI and beyond): constant artillery fire inflicts chronic and
acute shell shock [1].

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock)

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dbcurtis
Except thar I recently read that some are thinking that PTSD is the result of
concussion from being near explosions. PTSD may well be mechanically induced.

~~~
DenisM
It doesn't explain non-e plosives PTSD, such as procured by military drone
operators.

[http://www.salon.com/2015/03/06/a_chilling_new_post_traumati...](http://www.salon.com/2015/03/06/a_chilling_new_post_traumatic_stress_disorder_why_drone_pilots_are_quitting_in_record_numbers_partner/)

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trhway
>have found, for example, that simply activating people’s immune systems as
though they were fighting a viral infection can cause profound despair and
suicidal thoughts.

reminded about that trial when anticancer drugs suppressing immune system were
successfully used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Sasha's case from the article sounds like from Dr.House series, and
reading the article i was waiting for when bone marrow transplant will be
brought up.

