Find out more about Schizophrenia: Take the Schizophrenia Quiz
This short quiz is useful to help educate the public and help develop awareness on a diverse array of facts about schizophrenia with attention to an eclectic viewpoint on biochemical subtypes, statistics, risk factors, treatment options, treatment outcomes, and family dynamics.
Other Quizs: What about the Brain Nutrition Quiz?
The Brain Nutrition Quiz (call the clinic at 1-877-876-4871 for a copy) was designed by the Naturopathic Medical Research Clinic (NMRC) clinic director, Ray Pataracchia ND. This quiz is formatted to help identify distinct biochemical-nutrient tendencies specific to over-all well-being and mental health conditions. The clustering of symptoms into distinct categories is done more formally under a Targeted Lab Testing and Treatment Service, the standard of care protocol at the Toronto-based NMRC. In some cases, targeted treatment can help address schizophrenia symptoms before they progress.
Schizophrenia Quiz
[All answers are explained below the question set.]
Questions
1. Schizophrenia one of the most disabling mental illnesses known? True / False
2. There are reports of clinical symptom reversals? True / False
3. People with First-Episode Schizophrenia (FES) are the most treatment responsive group? [First-episode schizophrenia (FES) is a schizophrenia diagnosis given to patients that have had consistant psychotic symptoms for 6 months and are not considered chronic schizophrenics until 24 months have elapsed.] True / False
4. Schizophrenia causes brain cell degeneration? True / False
5. Psychosis is a lapse from reality? True / False
6. Globally, there are about 40,000,000+ schizophrenics in the world? True / False
7. The exact cause of schizophrenia is known? True / False
8. Schizophrenia is caused by street drugs? True / False
9. The first symptoms of schizophrenia commonly seen in the pre-schizophrenic stages include anger/irritability, sound sensitivity, social withdrawal, and poor motivation and performance in academics, athletics and vocational pursuits? True / False
10. The majority of schizophrenics achieve only 20% or less improvement with conventional drug (neuroleptic) treatment when switched over from older to newer anti-psychotics? True / False
Answers
1. True. In society today, schizophrenia is one of the most disabling of the major mental illnesses. It is a lifelong illness that many believe cannot be cured.
2. True. There are documented cases in anecdotal reports and six double blind trials worth of information on niacin therapy and its ability to extend significant symptom alleviation. Please refer to the Clinical Review on Schizophrenia and the Treatment Response Case Study Article .
3. True. First-episode schizophrenics are considered the most treatment responsive group. Please refer to the Review and Case Study articles above.
4. True. This brain degeneration occurs progressively as an oxidative process and can be fairly extensive. Brain tissue compromise is thought to be proportional to the severity and duration of the psychosis. Brain tissue compromise is a factor that needs to be addressed in a comprehensive treatment program. We recommend high EPA treatment to address this component.
5. True. Reality takes on a new meaning when you receive misinformation from the world in the form of distorted sensory input (hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, i.e. hallucinations). The result of a misinformation input is a distorted thought output called a delusion or thought disorder. There are various types of delusions; for example, a belief that others are out to harm you, or that you can communicate with God or the devil. Psychosis is analogous to an imaginary world that can not be distinguished from reality.
6. True. This is based on a world population of 7 billion and the percentage of the population that has schizophrenia (i.e. 1% of adults over 18 years old). There is an even distribution of schizophrenics all over the world as schizophrenia hits all races of people. More men are affected than women and the average age of onset for men is late teens to early twenties. Men often have more severe symptoms than women. Women are generally affected in late twenties.
7. False. The direct physiological mechanism that causes schizophrenia is unknown. However, despite the multitude of theoretical and risk factor research, a few key mechanisms are worth mentioning. Niacin deficiency, for example, offers society a major causative mechanism for schizophrenia. Restoring niacin as a nutrient has profound effect and the mechanism (ie niacin’s ability to neutralize toxic hallucinatory indoles) has an obvious tie to the time of onset of schizophrenia. That is, if adrenaline is not removed efficiently when it is high during times of stress in the late teens and 20’s, it oxidizes (breaks down) into endogenous hallucinogens. Other secondary causative factors contributing to schizophrenia include under-methylation, heavy metal toxicity, and inefficient thyroid metabolism. Niacin deficiency and secondary mechanisms are explained in evidence-based detail in the Naturopathic Medical Research Clinic’s Review on Schizophrenia.
8. False. It is not certain if street drugs can cause schizophrenia but it is associated with triggering psychosis. There are also many predisposing factors among which street drug use is included. Street drug contaminants and newer manufacturing methods make street drugs more potent triggers for schizophrenia. Other predisposing factors include a close relative affected by schizophrenia and viral triggers (Epstein Barr Virus for example).
9. True.
10. True. Generally speaking, the evidence-based research clearly mentions that with newer nueroleptics, symptoms can be improved somewhat but with typically less than 20% improvement in a minority (generally less than 20%) of chronic cases switched over from older typical neuroleptics (see results from the NIH endorsed CATIE Trials for chronic patient responses).