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> 1998
> July
> July 31, 1998:
Hour One: Schizophrenia
Last Friday, 41-year-old Russell Eugene Weston, Jr. pulled out a gun in the Capitol Building and began shooting, killing two members of the Capitol Police force and wounding a tourist before being shot himself. In the days that have followed, a picture has emerged of Weston as a man plagued by paranoid schizophrenia, a condition that, left largely untreated, filled his mind with suspicious fantasies. Weston is said to have believed that he was President Clinton's clone, that the CIA had tried to assassinate him, and that the government was spying on him through his neighbor's satellite dish.
While violent outbursts from schizophrenics may be rare, Weston is certainly not alone with his condition. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over two million Americans are affected by schizophrenia in any given year. It's a very complex condition, made up of so many different aspects that it is sometimes difficult to diagnose -- and even more difficult to treat. | There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. Recent research indicates that there may be a genetic component, accounting for the fact that schizophrenia often tends to run in families -- but no single gene has been identified as the source of the condition. Scientists generally agree that a tendency towards schizophrenia can be inherited, but that environmental factors also play a part.
Researchers are using various brian imaging techniques to study the condition. PET (positron emission tomography) studies have shown that in some cases, there is unusual brain activity in people with schizophrenia. CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans show that schizophrenic patients are more likely to have subtly abnormal brain structures.
Neither of these techniques has found any marker that is present in all schizophrenic people and not present in people without schizophrenia, however, leaving much work to be done in the field. | 
above: PET imaging showing areas of brain activity in twins - one schizophrenic, one not. (image courtesy Dr. Karen Berman, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, NIMH, NIH) | 
above, bottom: MRI imaging showing differences in brain ventricle size in twins - one schizophrenic, one not. (image courtesy NIH - Dr. Daniel Weinberger, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch) | There are a number of different treatments and treatment combinations available for people with schizophrenia, though none offers a complete cure. Antipsychotic drugs allow people with schizophrenia to function more appropriately, without suffering from extreme delusions. Various forms of psychotherapy may also be used to help people acknowledge their condition and deal with it effectively. However, the medications involved often carry unpleasant side effects. Keeping people with schizophrenia on medication voluntarily can sometimes be a difficult process.
Join guest host Joanne Silberner on this hour of Science Friday for a look at schizophrenia - what it is, how it affects people's lives, and at the delicate matter of treatment.
Guests:
Laurie Flynn
Executive Director
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Arlington, VA
Steve Potkin
Director, Psychiatric Research
Director, Brain Imaging Center
University of California at Irvine Medical Center
Irvine, CA
Joseph Rogers
Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Paul Appelbaum
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry
University of Massachusetts Medical Center
Worcester, MA
Books/Articles Discussed:
Patterns of Usual Care for Schizophrenia: Initial Results from the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) Client Survey, Schizophrenia Bulletin, National Institute of Mental Health, Vol. 24, No. 1, 1998.
Related Links:
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
National Mental Health Association
Schizophrenia Q&A from the National Institute of Mental Health
American Psychiatric Association: What is Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Home Page - info and chat rooms
Mentalhealth.com
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