There are always the cliches about schizophrenia- usually involving people with uncharacteristic behavior, perhaps homeless and destitute, wandering the streets, hearing voices, or shouting unrecognizable words at invisible enemies. Mental illnesses, including schizophrenia do not always meet it’s typical stereotype. In fact, as this particular article points out, schizophrenia is not uncommon among college students. “Studies show that the incidence of mental; illness on college campuses is rising, and a new survey of 2,785 college students indicates that more than half of the students with significant symptoms of anxiety or depression do not seek help” (U of Mich. 2007 para. 1).

One cannot fault the University of Michigan, where this study was conducted, since they offer all kinds of mental health screening, counseling, and, where and when needed, medical intervention. The problem, which this article only really hints at, is that while mental illness among young people is rising in the U.S. it is so stigmatized that young people would rather suffer than admit they are mentally ill.

As we know, schizophrenia- as any mental illness- can be terrifying not just to those suffering, but everyone around them, sometimes frustrated in not being able to DO something. The article is, perhaps, too general. It seems to be trying for a little shock value, and, even worse, make some students look at their classmates with some fear and trepidation if they act strangely. Adolescence is a time for sometimes acting strangely. The fact remains that mental illness- whether serious as schizophrenia or somewhat less threatening such as depression- is all too often covert, hidden with extreme effort on the part of the person suffering. The younger the person, the more he or she will want to hide the symptoms for fear of being ostracized. It is, in some ways, the same as someone with ADD being called “Dummy” by classmates not aware of, or informed about, that particular aberration.

Frankly, it would have been more informative- and instructive- for this survey to try to determine not just how many are mentally ill, but whether the ambience of college and the tremendous competitiveness for grades or scholarships- for maintaining a high GPA and good social contacts, contribute to schizophrenia or depression. And, if the survey were to conclude that the symptoms were present earlier, then one question must be answered- “Why did no one notice and do something before college admission, and did a personal interview with an admissions officer not provide some sort of indication?” Of course, from a legal standpoint, again the article fails to mention whether there is any liability on behalf of the U. of Michigan if someone previously undiagnosed has some sort of “episode” which harms him and perhaps others.
William O. Faustman explains and exploits the idea that so few people really understand schizophrenia: “Schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood of all human afflictions. Most people would define the illness as some form of split personality, a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” disorder in which individuals show dramatic personality shifts: (Faustman 2002 Para. 3).. He mentions that many people refer to schizophrenia as “a split personality” disorder. He also indicates that, throughout history people have accused schizophrenics of being “possessed.”

According to the article, it was not until the 1950s that scientists and researchers looked to something called “neurotransmitters” in the brain as a potential cause. They came up with some potent medications that could at the very least, control schizophrenia. But, at that time unfortunately, the medications had some negative side effects- tremors, shaking, a slowness of reflexes and even seizures resembling Parkinson’s disease, were among the most serious.

Faustman lists some advances that have helped. He mentions: “The introduction of computerized tomography (CT) scanning in the 1970s allowed for the first high-quality imaging of the brain” (Faustman 2002 para. 15). He goes further to explain what some of these new brain scans showed: “These studies show that schizophrenic individuals as a group tend to have increases in the size of their ventricles—fluid-filled spaces that are found in the center of the brain” (Faustman 2002 para14). Water on the brain is too simplistic a term for determining one reason for schizophrenia. One thing, however, seems certain, unlike some other traumatic experienced for depression and other mental illness, schizophrenia has a biological not emotional cause.

While many other illnesses including mental illness may focus on risk factors, Faustman reveals that there is no definitive study which has provided positive information about risk factors. So, one simply cannot point at a given situation, age, gender, ethnic background, mental sharpness, or other illnesses, and claim that these (or some of these) may be risk factors for schizophrenia. However, there is one interesting point- schizophrenia sometimes has been known to run in families, so there is a valid suggestion that this illness could be a genetic disorder.

The article also states that there have been studies about adoptive children who grow up to be schizophrenic. However, the author cites a number of studies which clearly indicate that the adoption played no role. Relatives or parents were the cause.

Another possible cause of schizophrenia might be complications at birth. There are times when these complications cause the brain to stop functioning, even for a short period of time. That might- repeat might- end up making the child as he or she grows a possible risk for schizophrenia.

The author also pints to another research study that focuses on possible “at risk” individuals. There is a possibility of a link between influenza epidemics that affected pregnant women and schizophrenia.. Still, as Faustman explains, while prior studies employed general population statistics (for example, influenza epidemics and general schizophrenia birth rates) to seek associations, they did not examine whether a specific individual with schizophrenia who was in the second trimester of fetal development during the epidemic actually had a mother who suffered from influenza.

The article concludes with the observation, which is reinforced throughout, that research into the causes of schizophrenia is inherently difficult, for it appears to be a complex disorder with multiple factors that contribute to its etiology. Genetic factors certainly play a role in some cases, though the genetics of schizophrenia are probably quite complicated.
While the article contains many examples that are more medically-oriented than for the average reader, in general this is as good an explanation of what schizophrenia is and is NOT, and what research is being done to finally establish the causes and those at risk.

There is one possible caveat, though. The original article was written in 1995 and then updated for inclusion in this book, published in 2002. It might have been interesting to se what Dr. Faustman learned in the last six years. So, of the various articles researched, this is the one recommended if there is only time to read and absorb one.

An article last month from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, claims that gene mutations have been discovered in the brains of those suffering from the disease, and therefore may now be considered a possible cause for schizophrenia. As was found in the previous article, until now there have been little or new specifics found that can say for certain just what causes schizophrenia. The researchers used a novel method to study their sample, which included 418 individuals, 150 of whom had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. According to the article “The results were striking. Rare mutations showed up in only 5 percent of the healthy controls versus 15 percent of those with schizophrenia. The rate of rare mutation was higher still – 20 percent — among an “early-onset” subset of patients, who had developed schizophrenia before age 19” (NARSD 2008 para.5).

According to the article, finding the genes was only the first step of the research. The next step was to find what these so-called “irregular” genes do. And, again, the results were important and unexpected: “In people with schizophrenia, almost half the time, the disrupted genes were involved in pathways important in brain development” (para 6). In so-called “healthy” people, these genes were not over-represented and therefore did no damage.

What is really important with this “mutant gene” discovery by scientists and researchers is not that it solves anything, but it givers indications that can help find some of the causes for early onset schizophrenia. As the researchers put it:” The results are powerful because they link specific structural variation in genes with specific functions known to be important in the early years of life during which schizophrenia develops in many patients” (para. 8).

The article also provides the information that schizophrenia, unlike some other diseases, mental as well as physiological, starts early. Seldom, so it seems, does one “become” schizophrenic at a later age. And, of course, that is disheartening to find this illness afflicting younger people – where neither life style nor accident plays any role in this aberration from normalcy.

The idea that these mutant genes discovered may be considered “rare” is not as important as how these rare genes fit together. What was important about the study just published, the team writes in their paper, is the fact that “although each mutation discovered may be individually rare, collectively the total number of disease-causing variants in a gene [found to be] relevant to the disorder may explain a substantial number of cases” (para. 16). In short, the importance of this discovery may solve some of the mysteries surrounding how schizophrenia starts, in whom it begins, and if – with this discovery- there now might be an opportunity to develop some sort of medication either to slow the effects, or at least block some of the problems in the brain. For this, time will only tell.

WORKS CITED:
University of Michigan Stud (2007):. “STUDENTS WITH SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS OFTEN DON’T SEEK HELP’ Accessed via: Schizophrenia News Archive, (schizophrenia.com)

Faustman, W. O. (2002):: Examining the Causes of Schizophrenia.”
Contemporary Issues Companion: Schizophrenia. (Ed. Scott Barbour) San Diego: Greenhaven Press

“NARSAD Scientists Discover Role of Rare Gene Mutations in Schizophrenia”
March 31, 2008 www.narsad.org/

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Mental Illnesses by the Pasadena Villa Team