Schizophrenia is genetic, should you be worried? Updated
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Should you worry about the hereditary nature of the disorder? This is a question healthcare professionals have faced for years, and studies show that it comes down to the genetic make-up of a person living with the disorder.
Schizophrenia is known to be passed down through generations, but no single gene is responsible. Instead, it is a combination of genes that make people vulnerable and doesn’t always result in the onset of schizophrenia.
The shared genetics of family members
The risk of schizophrenia is that 1% of the general population may show symptoms. However, if a person has a First Degree Relative (FDR) such as a parent or sibling, the risk of developing schizophrenia rises to 10%. What’s more, if both parents were diagnosed with schizophrenia, the risk increases to 50%.
Delhi govt. and AIIMS asked to respond on plea of woman
The Delhi High Court has asked the AAP government and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to give a list of facilities in and around the Capital which provide care and treatment to patients suffering from schizophrenia.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh asked the Delhi government and AIIMS to give a list of such facilities before the next date of hearing on April 27.
The High Court also directed the lawyer appearing for a woman who has sought various reliefs, including assistance from the government and the AIIMS in treating her 32-year-old son, in view of his mental condition and his resultant aggressive behaviour.
Recovery Rate Six Times Higher For Those Who Stop Antipsychotics Within Two Years
New research finds that people with serious mental illness who stop taking antipsychotics after initial treatment are more likely to recover, even accounting for baseline severity.
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A new study by Martin Harrow, Thomas Jobe, and Liping Tong found that odds of recovery from “serious mental illness” were six times greater if the patient discontinued antipsychotics within two years. The study followed patients with schizophrenia and affective psychosis (bipolar and depression with psychotic features) diagnoses for 20 years. The study was published in
Psychological Medicine.
Specifically, the researchers found that those who