"Jumping Genes" Linked To Schizophrenia 77
sciencehabit writes "Roaming bits of DNA that can relocate and proliferate throughout the genome, called 'jumping genes,' may contribute to schizophrenia, a new study suggests (abstract). These rogue genetic elements pepper the brain tissue of deceased people with the disorder and multiply in response to stressful events, such as infection during pregnancy, which increase the risk of the disease. The study could help explain how genes and environment work together to produce the complex disorder and may even point to ways of lowering the risk of the disease, researchers say."
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
UGH.
Sorry, but, please, can we stop this? Schizophrenia is not a "Hi I'm me. 'And I am me too!'" kind of deal. At all. Period. It's not Multiple Personality Disorder, in fact it usually doesn't involve anything like what any media portrayal has ever been. It's more of an intrusive pattern. You know who you are, but there are people whispering, singing, yelling, in your ears - outside your window - in the bathroom - anywhere around you. Telling you to do things? Maybe. Probably not. More like being annoying. But one turns into two turns into many turns into noise and chatter and intense periods of thoughts you can't escape, you can't focus on, and you can't stop. It's incredibly debilitating, but more often than not you have no problem understanding it's not "you" that's in those voices and thoughts - the real problem is understanding that those voices and thoughts are indeed coming FROM you.
The idea that schizophrenia is akin to what you see in Sybil or the media in general is usually wrong. I've yet to see any good reporting on the topic, but people throw it around plenty. "Oh, the market was up, the market was down: it's being schizophrenic." No, if the market was "schizophrenic" it would have trouble concentrating and possibly hallucinate while being extremely paranoid. At times. For the most part it would keep to itself and try to read or at least talk to someone else because it's going through something terribly difficult that no one takes the time to understand.