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posted by martyb on Friday October 25 2019, @06:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the didn't-see-that-one-coming dept.

A study carried out by The University of Western Australia has provided compelling evidence that congenital/early cortical blindness – that is when people are blind from birth or shortly after—is protective against schizophrenia.

The unusual discovery has fascinated scientists and may lead to a better understanding of what causes schizophrenia – a question that has baffled scientists for decades.

Schizophrenia is characterised by symptoms such as losing touch with reality, hearing voices and having visual hallucinations. However, despite numerous bodies of research, the exact cause still remains a mystery.

Lead author Professor Vera Morgan from the UWA Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Research Unit in the Schools of Population and Global Health and Medicine said they also found no one with congenital or early cortical blindness had developed any other psychotic illnesses.

Can being born blind protect people from schizophrenia?

British Psychological Society Digest Report

[Abstract]: Blindness, Psychosis, and the Visual Construction of the World

[Source]: The University of Western Australia

I didn't know about this nor did I make such a connection. Has anyone here observed this connection, that blindness prevents schizophrenia ??


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  • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday October 25 2019, @09:08PM

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Friday October 25 2019, @09:08PM (#911868) Journal

    No, schizophrenia is not "crazy thinking". Schizophrenia is when one has trouble processing what reality is.

    Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by abnormal behavior, strange speech, and a decreased ability to understand reality. Other symptoms may include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, hearing voices that do not exist, reduced social engagement and emotional expression, and lack of motivation. People with schizophrenia often have additional mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, or substance-use disorders. Symptoms typically come on gradually, begin in young adulthood, and, in many cases, never resolve.

    Does that mean people have trouble literally seeing what reality is? Well, auditory hallucinations are far more common than visual ones (outside of drug induced schizophrenia).

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