Scientists have started development of a bionic implant that will be geared towards alleviation the symptoms found in Schizophrenia. This innovation is based off of previously tested conductive organic polymers which have shown success in stimulating muscle and nerve tissue! Read more here:
http://www.iflscience.com/brain/bionic-implant-treat-mental-disorders-development For a brief synopsis of schizophrenia, including what it is, the basic facts about the disorder including onset, prevalence, and risk factors, as well as the common therapies utilized to aid in recovery and the key side effects to be aware of, check out the great infographic below from Global Medical Education (www.gmeded.com)!
In this must read three part series (links below), The Boston Globe provides an in-depth look at mental illness as readers meet Michael Bourne, a 33 year old man with a long history of mental health issues, as well as his loving mother Peggy Bourne who throughout the years still tirelessly continues to be his support and caregiver. In this powerful series, one gets a unique and important perspective, as you hear about a family desperately trying to navigate the mental health system and trying to accomplish the challenging task of getting their loved one proper treatment and keeping them safe and in recovery for more than a few weeks or months at a time ... it's a story that is all too common. "Mike was 33 years old. He’d been in and out of institutions for half his life, since he first got sick when he was 17. His diagnosis had changed over the years — it was #schizophrenia, then #bipolar disorder, then #schizoaffective disorder — and his medications were in constant flux. Things stayed good for a while, then went bad again. Now Mike’s medications seemed to be working, and he was saying that he wanted to stay on them — a view he didn’t always take. But there had been so many days like this, so many hopeful new beginnings. Often, when bringing him home from a hospital stay, Peggy saw again the man she knew: funny and charming, intelligent and sweet. And then she watched that man disappear, receding from her as though into the depths of a lake. He was replaced by someone else, whose thoughts she did not understand. Mike suffered at times from #delusions. His mother never feared him, but some of the neighbors did, interpreting his loudness and profanity as threatening. Peggy had lived for years with the constant worry. She had lived with the complaints from neighbors and the calls from the police in the middle of the night; she had coped with Mike giving all his money to strangers or throwing all their food away, believing it was poisoned. She had watched his friends grow up and get jobs and get married, while he remained trapped in place. Yet she still believed that one day, the right treatment would free them. Mike would stay well, and she would have her son back."
Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 34 year old man, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia a year earlier, and is involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital after assaulting both a family member and a police officer. He presents with auditory hallucinations, aggressive and threatening behaviour, and informs his healthcare team that he is a Christian Scientist and so his religion precludes him from taking any medications. The patient continues to refuse antipsychotic meds and believes his illness can be cured with prayer. Can you come up with a treatment plan? "Psychotic and needing prayer" by Alexander de Nesnera (Current Psychiatry) Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 19 year old man who presents with anxiety, agitation, isolation, social withdrawal, and paranoia. He is determined by the healthcare team to be experiencing his first psychotic break, is given the diagnosis of psychosis - not otherwise specified, and is treated first with risperidone and then haloperidol. A year later, the patient presents again to hospital with the same symptoms (as above), as well as a recent history of alcohol abuse. Several medications are tried, but his symptoms persist and he remains unable to resume his normal activities. Eventually, he is prescribed clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic approved for use in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. This new medication helps to relieve his psychotic symptoms, but his heart rate is persistently elevated. Can you determine the cause of this patient's tachycardia or come up with a management plan? "A young man with psychosis whose heart is racing" by Kim Brownell, Dana Sinopoli, Karlyn Huddy, and Amy Taylor (Current Psychiatry) Anderson Cooper recently took part in a schizophrenia simulation to better understand what it's like experiencing and living with a mental health condition. Check it out below! "Mental illness often makes headlines after tragedies like last week's deadly shooting at Seattle Pacific University. A number of mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, can cause auditory hallucinations. It's important to know that only a tiny number of people who hear voices engage in violence of any kind. Anderson took part in an experiment to help people understand what others living with mental illness experience everyday. Anderson wore headphones that simulate hearing voices while trying to do everything from puzzles to simply interacting with people in the street" (CNN.com). |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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