A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

Efforts to help people understand the nature of mental health difficulties and of the services available to assist them are crucial aspects of modern efforts within the professional community. Though increasing numbers of people are beginning to accept mental issues as health difficulties and are relying less on social prejudice and stigma, such blocks to understanding are still prevalent in much of the world, and may contribute to the prolonged suffering of clients and their families. A great number of efforts have been made to illustrate mental health and related issues to the public, but on Wednesday, an illustration of a much more straightforward sort was announced. The launch of “the road to god knows…,” a graphic novel by Von Allan, is taking place both on and offline to provide a range of formats and accessibility for those interested in the subject.

Raised by a mother who suffered from schizophrenia and often finding himself without context or reason with which to understand his mother’s behavior, Von Allen has incorporated his life experience into the graphic novel, which seeks to help explain mental health difficulties to readers. The comic-like format is likely to interest a younger crowd, and may perhaps appeal to those uninterested in learning about mental illness from traditional non-fiction manuals or textbooks. “the road to god knows…” will be carried in a number of comic shops, and can also be purchased online, though readers can download and share freely-distributed copies of the work in PDF format, a measure Von Allen hopes will help his graphic novel reach a wider audience. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Colorado Springs Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

Schizophrenia is a mental health concern that impacts the lives of people in various walks of life, and which is also responsible for creating turmoil within families. Though many advances have been made in the treatment of schizophrenia, the issue is greatly in need of more research and development, and society as a whole could stand to learn much more about this debilitating yet manageable difficulty. To meet these ends, the Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference will be held on the thirteenth of November this year. The conference will showcase the latest academic and clinical work in this critical mental health field, and will be attended by professionals and clients alike.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Beverly Hills Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

The name of a new movie launched online in an effort to counteract popular stereotypes about mental health services and those who receive them, “Schizo,” may not seem like the brightest way of removing such terms from the collective consciousness. But the film, along with a sister flick with the seemingly innocent name of “Kid’s Party,” is aimed at educating the public about the difficulties faced by those diagnosed with a mental illness like schizophrenia, and the decidedly upfront and strong way in which the knowledge is presented is likely to make a significant impact. The short movies, produced by mental health advocacy group Time to Change, have been released for use with other current media pieces as trailers and short clips, hoping to take advantage of the modern trend in viral videos to reach a wide internet audience. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Encino Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

A recent edition of the popular science and technology publication Scientific American begins its in-depth article on the possibility of a link between mental health concerns and biological agents with a fairly simple observation: “Schizophrenia is a devastating illness.” What the article fails to introduce as readily is the fact that this mental health concern, which does indeed present a challenge for many people around the world, is also one of the least understood mental difficulties ever studied. Nevertheless, the article goes on to present what it calls a growing body of research suggesting that the common flu may be responsible for the appearance and spread of schizophrenia.

Psychologists and other mental health care professionals with an interest in schizophrenia may be hotly divided as to the potential of such a claim to hold true, and may also contend amongst themselves as to the possibility of mental health concerns stemming from purely biological causes. The article suggests that it is not a biological agent itself that might hold the power to generate mental health concerns in people, but rather the precise response of the immune system. While bodies of evidence supporting such theories may indeed seem to link rates of pregnant mothers afflicted with agents such as the flu and the subsequent emergence of schizophrenia in their children, conclusive support is far from being provided. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist San Jose Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update Presented by Jolyn Wells-Moran, PhD, MSW

Persuasive evidence of the same genetic cause for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia was published this month in Lancet, January 16, 2009. The study, conducted by medical scientists in the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet, a Swedish university medical center, included two million families. There has been a growing body of evidence that suggests a link between the disorders, but the researchers claim this study shows positive proof, according to a press release from Karolinska Instituet.

Karolinska’s researchers looked at records of 35,985 people with schizophrenia, 40,487 people with bipolar disorder and their relatives. Both genetic and environmental factors were considered and they found that genes played a remarkably larger part in determining incidence of both disorders than did environmental factors. They concluded that: 1) people with a relative who has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are at greater risk of developing one of the disorders; 2) people with a relative who has one of the disorders are likely to have another relative with either one of the disorders and; 3) people with schizophrenia are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than others. The study found that sisters and brothers of people with either disorder were nine times more likely to develop bipolar or schizophrenic disorders.

This news is important to researchers who, for decades, have studied the disorders independently of each other. Bipolar disorder is classified as a mood disorder and schizophrenia as a psychotic disorder in the current and previous DSM, the most commonly used diagnostic manual in North America. This information is also likely to be of interest to genetics counselors and families in which one or more members have or had either or both of the disorders.

©Copyright 2009 by GoodTherapy.org All Rights Reserved. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Jolyn and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile.