I was kind of blown away today in my medical anthropology class when the teacher stated that the causes of schizophrenia aren't known (she dismissed genetics and the idea that it might be a brain disorder), and that the psychoanalytic theorys of lack of attachment of the mother to the child were still being debated...

Um, really? I thought it was pretty well settled that schizophrenia was a genetic disorder that can be exacerbated by stressful events and environment, but that psychotherapy wasn't effective.

She then went on to describe how many therapists and psychiatrists use holding therapy on schizophrenics. She described it as a rigid adherance to the timing of therapy, but my online search shows that this is a contraversial treatment for autistics whereby the pt. is held for prolonged periods of time.

I am really shocked. Is this lady cracked? Or is this really going on?

Nanon

Well, as far as I was aware, schizophrenia has been found to be caused by an oversupply of dopamine in certain brain pathways. Hence, the reason why schizophrenics on medication have parkison's like symptoms as side effects of the medication. Though I'm sure there are people still trying therapy, I'm sure its controversial and hardly mainstream as far as I know. It sounds like your professor is into the psychoanalytic perspective than the modern biopsychosocial theory. Though in her defense there is no definite answer that I'm aware of to the cause of schizophrenia, just the prevailing theory based on scientific evidence.

I was kind of blown away today in my medical anthropology class when the teacher stated that the causes of schizophrenia aren't known (she dismissed genetics and the idea that it might be a brain disorder), and that the psychoanalytic theorys of lack of attachment of the mother to the child were still being debated...

Um, really? I thought it was pretty well settled that schizophrenia was a genetic disorder that can be exacerbated by stressful events and environment, but that psychotherapy wasn't effective.

She then went on to describe how many therapists and psychiatrists use holding therapy on schizophrenics. She described it as a rigid adherance to the timing of therapy, but my online search shows that this is a contraversial treatment for autistics whereby the pt. is held for prolonged periods of time.

I am really shocked. Is this lady cracked? Or is this really going on?

Nanon


LOL. Thats why it's not really a science.

There's also the issue of whether schizophrenia is one disorder or a cluster of many disorders - we still don't know that. But do tell your prof that blaming the mother is out of date .... I hope she has nothing to do with real patients...

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2004 Mar;28(1):41-53.

Schizophrenia-an evolutionary enigma?

Brune M.

Centre for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bochum, Alexandrinenstr, Bochum, Germany. martin.bruene@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

The term 'schizophrenia' refers to a group of disorders that have been described in every human culture. Two apparently well established findings have corroborated the need for an evolutionary explanation of these disorders: (1) cross-culturally stable incidence rates and (2) decreased fecundity of the affected individuals. The rationale behind this relates to the evolutionary paradox that susceptibility genes for schizophrenia are obviously preserved in the human genepool, despite fundamental reproductive disadvantages associated with the disorders. Some researchers have therefore proposed that a compensatory advantage must exist in people who are carriers of these genes or in their first-degree relatives. Such advantages were hypothesised to be outside the brain (e.g. greater resistance against toxins or infectious diseases), or within the social domain (e.g. schizotypal shamans, creativity). More specifically, T.J. Crow has suggested an evolutionary theory of schizophrenia that relates the disorders to an extreme of variation of hemispheric specialisation and the evolution of language due to a single gene mutation located on homologous regions of the sex chromosomes. None of the evolutionary scenarios does, however, fully account for the diversity of the symptomatology, nor does any one hypothesis acknowledge the objection that the mere prevalence of a disorder must not be confused with adaptation. In the present article, I therefore discuss the evolutionary hypotheses of schizophrenia, arguing that a symptom-based approach to psychotic disorders in evolutionary perspective may improve upon the existing models of schizophrenia.

I was kind of blown away today in my medical anthropology class when the teacher stated that the causes of schizophrenia aren't known (she dismissed genetics and the idea that it might be a brain disorder), and that the psychoanalytic theorys of lack of attachment of the mother to the child were still being debated...

Um, really? I thought it was pretty well settled that schizophrenia was a genetic disorder that can be exacerbated by stressful events and environment, but that psychotherapy wasn't effective.

She then went on to describe how many therapists and psychiatrists use holding therapy on schizophrenics. She described it as a rigid adherance to the timing of therapy, but my online search shows that this is a contraversial treatment for autistics whereby the pt. is held for prolonged periods of time.

I am really shocked. Is this lady cracked? Or is this really going on?

Nanon


Do not be troubled. Science is not always the pursuit of truth.

While I know the title of this thread relates to the causes... Several of you alluded to ways of helping the disease slow.

If you ever have the time, Check out Dante's Cure by Doctor Daniel Dorman. Website: http://dantescure.com

The premise behind the book is of a late teens girl-Katherine Penney Dr.Dorman treats while a resident at UCLA and he forces her,the attendings,nurses..etc to take her off her meds and how it would be helpful much to their chagrin. She ends almost getting 'worse' for a long period. She does eventually get better,ends up becoming a strong mental health advocate as well as a succesful Psychiatric RN. Very fasicnating, well written book that I suggest all interested check out. It's obviously an isolated story and not all can or while work out in the way her's does. It gives those of you entering into practice a thing to think about however in this drug friendly enviorment -psychotheraputic talk, we call Psychiatric care.

And in his book Dr.Dorman does relate problems between Katherine and her mother as a contributing factor to her illness. Never does he specify one problem as the leading cause.

Good reading. :)