For advertising information call 859.368.0778 or email [email protected] | March 2016
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Young brains
are where the
risk lies.
Could Schizophrenia Be
Linked to the Flu?
Author says infection causes mental illness
By Angela S. Hoover, Staff Writer
In her new book, Infectious
Madness, Harriet A. Washington,
an award-winning medical author
and editor, says mental illnesses are
caused by infection. Washington
believes schizophrenia and obsessivecompulsive disorder stem from strep,
influenza and herpes. Of course, she
is not the first person to posit this
idea; it is a long-standing theory that
has gained a lot of traction in the past
few years.
Through case studies, papers and
personal interviews, Washington
blurs the line between psychological
and physical illness. Some notewor-
thy examples in the book include
the connection between strep throat
and obsessive-compulsive disorder;
the link between gut bacteria in the
bloodstream and autism; and connecting the contraction of the flu in
utero with schizophrenia.
There is no question some diseases
are caused by mental illness, according to Washington. Two examples are
rabies and syphilis. But the question
remains as to whether other conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder or depression are also caused
by infections, she says.
Medicine has drawn a strict bound-
ary between physical and mental illnesses, Washington believes. She considers it an existential question: Did
we draw the line because we needed
to do so clinically or because it was
practical for doctors treating patients?
Now it has become a habit of thought
not necessarily supported by the
facts. There are cases of no dividing
line in disorders that have both psychological and mental symptoms. A
good example is “sickness behavior.”
These are a set of behaviors seen in
some people and animals. They tend
to do the same things: If you have an
infection you feel depressed and tend
to want to go to bed and shun social
contact. A sick animal will want to get
away from contact to avoid predators
until they’re feeling better. While
dividing symptoms into physical and
mental may be pragmatic, it doesn’t
mean this dividing line really exists.
Washington covers the latest
research in her book. Researchers
were all consistent in their estimations that 10 percent to15 percent of
mental diseases are caused by infection. It also seems unlikely for adults
to contract a mental illness later in
life. While it is not impossible for
adults to acquire a mental illness as
the result of an infection, it is less
likely because the immune system
becomes very experienced by adulthood. Young brains are where the risk
lies. The immune systems of fetuses
in utero, newborn babies and young
children are not mature so when they
encounter pathogens, their systems
have a strong, vigorous but inaccurate
response. Often, their young brains
are harmed by Z\