Scientists zap 'voices' from schizophrenia sufferers

[humble3d]

Scientists zap 'voices' from schizophrenia sufferers

 

[PARIS] Scientists have pinpointed a part of the brain where "voices" torment schizophrenia sufferers, and partially muted them with magnetic pulse treatment, a team reported on Tuesday.

 

More than a third of sufferers treated with magnetic pulses in a patient trial experienced "significant" relief, the scientists said in a statement.

 

"We can now say with some certainty that we have found a specific anatomical area of the brain associated with auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia," the team said.

 

"Secondly, we have shown that treatment with high frequency TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) makes a difference to at least some sufferers."

 

Further research must be done to confirm the usefulness of TMS as a treatment in the longer term.

 

The results of the trial, not yet published in a scientific journal, were presented in Paris at a conference of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

 

The trial compared 26 schizophrenic patients who received active TMS to 33 patients who received dummy or placebo treatment.

 

The first group was given a series of magnetic pulses over two sessions a day for two days to the part of the brain's temporal lobe associated with language.

 

Two weeks later, participants were evaluated on the voices they were hearing. Nearly 35 per cent of the TMS patients reported a "significant" improvement.

 

"Hearing voices" can be one of the most disturbing symptoms for people with schizophrenia and those close to them.

 

According to the World Health Organization, schizophrenia affects more than 21 million people worldwide.

 

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/scientists-zap-voices-from-schizophrenia-sufferers

 

[JimmySvert]

These auditory verbal hallucinations are the most dangerous symptom of schizophrenia - maybe directly connected to the subconscious. The cause of murderous intent in most sufferers. Glad they found a way to mute them.

[12stones]

I suffer from schizophrenia my life is a hell
Sometimes I want to die from so much suffering that I feel
even taking medicines with side effects I do not have a day of peace
the pain is hellish
I spend money on medicine sometimes there is no stopping
It hurts like hell
I have nightmares every day
and there are people who talk about religion
I do not have a minute of peace
Now I'm on new medicine, the voices have stopped.
but I am facing several side effects that are nothing compared to the effects of the other remedy that did not work anymore

[jtmulc]

6 hours ago, 12stones said:

I suffer from schizophrenia my life is a hell

 

I am very sorry for your suffering.  I wish there was a way to alleviate it without side effects.

[hullboy]

14 hours ago, 12stones said:

I suffer from schizophrenia my life is a hell
Sometimes I want to die from so much suffering that I feel
even taking medicines with side effects I do not have a day of peace
the pain is hellish
I spend money on medicine sometimes there is no stopping
It hurts like hell
I have nightmares every day
and there are people who talk about religion
I do not have a minute of peace
Now I'm on new medicine, the voices have stopped.
but I am facing several side effects that are nothing compared to the effects of the other remedy that did not work anymore

 

There is a book, written by Julian Jaynes (an American Psychologist) that I read some time ago titled "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind"

In  the book, which is maybe a bit too long, he explains that voices in our heads were normal until some thousands years ago, then at a certain point those voices disappeared

 

See here for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology)

Quote

Bicameralism (the philosophy of "two-chamberedness") is a hypothesis in psychology that argues that the human mind once assumed a state in which cognitive functions were divided between one part of the brain which appears to be "speaking", and a second part which listens and obeys—a bicameral mind. The term was coined by Julian Jaynes, who presented the idea in his 1976 book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, wherein he made the case that a bicameral mentality was the normal and ubiquitous state of the human mind as recently as 3000 years ago. The hypothesis is generally not accepted by mainstream psychologists.

 

Quote

Breakdown of bicameralism[edit]

Jaynes theorized that a shift from bicameralism marked the beginning of introspection and consciousness as we know it today. According to Jaynes, this bicameral mentality began malfunctioning or "breaking down" during the 2nd millennium BCE. He speculates that primitive ancient societies tended to collapse periodically (e.g., Egypt's Intermediate Periods, as well as the periodically vanishing cities of the Mayas) as changes in the environment strained the socio-cultural equilibria sustained by this bicameral mindset. The Bronze age collapse of the 2nd millennium BCE led to mass migrations and created a rash of unexpected situations and stresses which required ancient minds to become more flexible and creative. Self-awareness, or consciousness, was the culturally evolved solution to this problem. This necessity of communicating commonly observed phenomena among individuals who shared no common language or cultural upbringing encouraged those communities to become self-aware to survive in a new environment. Thus consciousness, like bicamerality, emerged as a neurological adaptation to social complexity in a changing world.^{[citation needed]}

Jaynes further argues that divination, prayer, and oracles arose during this breakdown period, in an attempt to summon instructions from the "gods" whose voices could no longer be heard.^[2] The consultation of special bicamerally operative individuals, or of divination by casting lots and so forth, was a response to this loss, a transitional era depicted, for example, in the book of 1 Samuel. It was also evidenced in children who could communicate with the gods, but as their neurology was set by language and society they gradually lost that ability. Those who continued prophesying, being bicameral according to Jaynes, could be killed.^[6][7] Leftovers of the bicameral mind today, according to Jaynes, include religion, hypnosis, possession, schizophrenia, and the general sense of need for external authority in decision-making.^[citation

 

[12stones]

On 07/09/2017 at 1:03 PM, hullboy said:

 

There is a book, written by Julian Jaynes (an American Psychologist) that I read some time ago titled "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind"

In  the book, which is maybe a bit too long, he explains that voices in our heads were normal until some thousands years ago, then at a certain point those voices disappeared

 

See here for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicameralism_(psychology)

 

 

 

thanks for the information but I had very bad experiences with doctors trained in psychology

[KRS]

Admirable what happens, every time health situations. To each problem there is a solution, being thus with medicines.