Schizophrenia Update

Schizophrenia and Breast Cancer Risk: A Cause for Concern?

A new study suggests that long-term use of antipsychotic medications may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer among women with schizophrenia. The reasons for this, however, aren’t clear.

Hallucinogen Use and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: Insights From Emergency Department Data

Individuals who are seen in the emergency department for hallucinogen use appear to have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorder compared with the general population.

Biological Aging in Schizophrenia: Effects of Age, Sex, and Illness Duration

Using multiple DNAm clocks, researchers set out to identify patient groups with schizophrenia who could be affected by DNAm aging, providing evidence that could predict disease outcomes and aid in the management of these patients.

In Schizophrenia, Is Early Intervention Effective Against Self-Harm?

A team of researchers in Hong Kong recently conducted a population-based cohort study to track rates of self-harm and suicide before—and after—an early intervention program (EIP) for patients with a first episode of schizophrenia.

Injectable Antipsychotics Adherence: An Innovative Approach Prevails

Learn how a group of providers with the Indian Health Service searched for ways to overcome barriers to medication adherence among people with schizophrenia.

Does COVID-19 Have a Negative Effect on Mental Health?

Researchers in the U.S. recently analyzed the records of more than 219,000 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for a possible causal relationship between the virus and new-onset schizophrenia. Here’s what they discovered.

Are Mental Health Conditions and Strabismus Genetically Linked?

Investigators conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine the relationship between mental health conditions and strabismus.

Prodromal Psychosis: Unraveling the Impact of Symptom Onset on Cognition

In individuals at risk for psychosis, shorter intervals between initial symptoms and help-seeking associate with poorer learning and memory, while longer durations correlate with better cognition.

Chronic Schizophrenia: Insomnia, Suicidal Ideation, and Psychopathology

In a secondary analysis, U.S.-based researchers examined longitudinal associations over 3 months between suicidal ideation, insomnia, and symptom severity in more than 300 patients with chronic schizophrenia. Here’s what they found.

Emotional Awareness in Schizophrenia: The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment

Impaired emotional awareness in patients with schizophrenia may be made worse by childhood maltreatment; this may increase the risk of psychosis in these patients.

People With Schizophrenia Experience Pleasant Stimuli as… Not-So-Pleasant

A meta-analysis of patients with schizophrenia or at risk for psychosis found a pattern of aberrant response to pleasant, neutral, or negative stimuli. A negative experience in response to pleasant stimuli should be considered as an intervention target in the future.

Schizophrenia and the Impact of COVID-19

ED visits rose by 15% among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the 3 months following the pandemic’s onset, according to a new analysis, which warns of a similar increase—or worse—should another large-scale health crisis hit.

Early Psychosis May Be Signaled by Hippocampal Network Dysfunction

A study of 140 participants with detailed neuroimaging data suggests that increased hippocampal signaling within a localized cortical circuit may be a marker of early-stage psychosis, a finding that could have implications for staging and treatment.

In Severe Mental Illness, Does Approach to Care Affect Suicide Outcomes After an ED Visit?

An analysis examined how 3 approaches to care—treatment as usual, universal screening, and a multifaceted intervention—for patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric disorders affect suicide outcomes after presenting in the ED.

ADHD and Psychiatric Comorbidities: Risk of Subsequent Schizophrenia?

A retrospective study found an increased risk of schizophrenia in patients with ADHD and at least one other psychiatric comorbidity, with a greater risk in those with multiple comorbidities. These findings suggest the importance of assessing and managing patients with ADHD to decrease subsequent schizophrenia risk.

Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome: Brain MRI As a Diagnostic Tool in Adolescents

A better understanding of structural brain features in attenuated psychosis syndrome in adolescents could shed light on why some patients progress to psychosis. A team of Italian investigators analyzed MRI data and cognitive performance scores to assess the impact of structural changes.

In Schizophrenia, Sexual Dysfunction Prevalence is "High and Heterogeneous"

Schizophrenia can trigger major depression, disrupt relationships, and impair the ability to work. To make treatment even more challenging, sexual dysfunction can also affect this vulnerable population.

Do Patients with Schizophrenia Derive Health Benefits from Strength Training?

Patients with schizophrenia have been shown to have less muscle strength than unaffected individuals. But the results of a new study suggest that supervised weight training can improve patients’ functional performance, and possibly their mental health as well.

Chronic Schizophrenia: Without Treatment, GABA Levels Are Elevated

This research indicates that levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may be higher in patients with treatment-naïve schizophrenia. But whether this finding represents a path to better stratifying and treating patients with this serious mental illness is unclear.