精神分裂症
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a relatively uncommon neurological brain
disorder, affecting approximately one per cent of people.
It is a severe and disabling condition, which can affect anyone
at any age but most cases develop between the ages of 16 and
30. Whilst awareness about schizophrenia is growing, its sufferers
remain vastly misunderstood by society at large. It remains
difficult to detect, with matters made only worse due to the
slow onset of this disease.
No single cause has been identified, although biological,
behavioural and social research suggest a complex interplay
between different factors. It may be the case that some people
have an inherited tendency towards schizophrenia that is triggered
by environmental circumstances. Studies suggest that schizophrenia
tends to run in families, further supporting arguments for
a genetic disposition. Recent research links abnormalities
in fatty acid metabolism with schizophrenia. There is strong
evidence to suggest that with natural EPA supplements like
omega product, you can lessen and manage psychotic symptoms associated
with this illness.
Definition of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a major disorder affecting thoughts, perceptions
and behaviour. It manifests itself in a variety of symptoms;
classification is broken down into three sub-categories of
positive, disorganized, and negative symptoms - positive and
negative symptoms are the most common types.
- Positive symptoms refer to thoughts, perceptions, and behaviours
that are ordinarily absent in people in the general population,
but are present in persons with schizoaffective disorder.
The severity of symptoms often varies over time, and may be
absent for long periods in some patients. Positive symptoms
are characterised by abnormality of thought, including delusions
and hallucinations.
- Negative symptoms are the absence of thoughts, perceptions,
or behaviours that are ordinarily present in people in the
general population. These symptoms are often stable throughout
much of the patient's life. Negative symptoms, on the other
hand, tend to be reflected in withdrawn behaviour; sufferers
may be apathetic, have impaired attention, speech is likely
to be poor, and they may remain motionless for hours on end,
termed "catatonic stupor".
A feature of all types of schizophrenia, it interferes with
a person"s ability to think clearly, manage emotions,
make decisions, and relate to others. Specifically, it may
result in alteration of the senses, problems sorting and interpreting
incoming sensations, and an inability therefore to respond
appropriately. Particularly noticeable may be difficulty in
ability to communicate. It may also result in an altered sense
of self, with sufferers experiencing dramatic changes in emotions,
movements and behaviour.
Biological evidence suggests that schizophrenia is closely
related to levels of fatty acids in the brain. Supplementation
with long-chain fatty acids - contained in ultra-pure form
in omega product - may reduce the severity of symptoms for many sufferers.
How Fatty Acids Help Schizophrenia
There is strong evidence which now suggests that there is
an association between schizophrenia and abnormal metabolism
of phospholipids, confirming that it is a biochemical, neurological
disorder. Evidence suggests that this disorder is closely
related to levels of fatty acids in the brain, affecting the
levels of neurotransmitters, essential in the communication
of messages between brain cells.
Specifically, scientists have found reductions of lipids
in the brains of patients with schizophrenia. The consequences
of this are significant, as this decreases the ability of
brain cells to communicate. Professor Puri and colleagues
found that EPA reversed the phospholipid abnormalities associated
with schizophrenia, which resulted in a dramatic and sustained
clinical improvement in both positive and negative symptoms.
Further corroborating the use of EPA in alleviating symptoms
of schizophrenia, brain scans reveal a correlation between
lateral ventricle size and psychoses; specifically, schizophrenics
often have enlarged ventricles (spaces) in the brain, thus
representing a reduction in "grey matter" or brain
tissue. When Professor Puri used EPA to treat a patient with
schizophrenia, he discovered, to his surprise, that the patient's
brain size had actually increased (the size of the ventricles
in the brain had decreased).
Omega product is now successfully used by Diane Le Fevre of the
Mental Health Unit at Basildon Hospital for patients with
Schizophrenia.
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