Brain Health: Omega-3 Fatty Acids ("Fish Oil")

Most people who have been researching how to help a child’s brain develop healthily, have read a lot about essential fatty acids (EFAs), specifically, Omega-3 fatty acids. They are essential to the proper development and functioning of our nervous system, including brain and vision, as well as the cardiovascular system.

Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia Has High Rates of Comorbid Diagnoses Including Autism and ADHD

Research backs up what some parents of children with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) have observed. They have noticed that COS, which is characterized by an onset of psychosis prior to age thirteen, seems to have many overlapping symptoms of autistic-spectrum disorders, sensory issues and attentional problems.

Specific Genes Inherited from Both Parents May Lead to Type of "Schizophrenia"

Some families have noticed a form of schizophrenia that runs in their particular family which seems to "skip" a generation. What that indicates is that there may be recessive genes involved in one parent's "schizophrenia". (That's what happened in my own family, but at least in the younger generation, we were able to beat that "genetic curse").

Genetic Links to “Developmental”, “Mental”, “Auto-Immune” and other Medical Disorders

The United States National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) refers to Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Extensive genetic research of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders has linked it to many other genetically complex medical and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Viral Infections and Schizophrenia

Even as far back as 100 years ago, scientists perceived a connection between viral infections and "non-affective" psychosis. One of the leading schizophrenia researchers of the time, Kraepelin, proposed that such an infection may be a cause of "dementia praecox" (now called "schizophrenia"). An epidemic of "schizophrenic-syndrome" occurred following the devastating 1918 influenza pandemic.

Sets of Symptoms--Not the Cause–Get Diagnostic Labels

When medical science does not know the specific cause of a set of symptoms, it provides a diagnostic label that encompasses the set of symptoms even if it really says nothing about the cause of the symptoms.

Solving the Puzzle of "Schizophrenia" and "Bipolar Disorder"

I have always thought of all the symptoms my daughter has had as pieces of a "puzzle". It turns out that there were more pieces than I initially thought—I didn’t even recognize small pieces here and there as part of the puzzle.