Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This report describes two cases of schizophrenia inpatients with polydipsia, intermittent hyponatremia, and water intoxication. Case 1, a 38 year-old male, developed polydipsia after seven years duration of schizophrenia, with a daily intake of water of more than 10 liters as a result of auditory hallucination suggestion. Nocturnal hyponatremia, agitation and exacerbation of psychosis were noted during admission. After 12 treatments of electroconvulsive therapy, the symptoms of psychosis and polydipsia declined. Case 2, a 42 year-old male, had also been a case of schizophrenia for about twenty years, and developed polydipsia with more than 5 liters of daily water intake in a chronic psychiatric hospital for a period of 5 years schizophrenia. He claimed that he enjoyed the pleasure of drinking water. The symptom of water intoxication had been noted intermittently in the past year, leading to at least two seizures. Finally the patient was transferred to our ward due to agitated mood, self-destructive behavior, consciousness loss, and motor weakness. The clinical features, differential diagnosis and treatment concept of polydipsia and water intoxication were also discussed in context.
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PMID:[Polydipsia and water intoxication in schizophrenia patients: report of two cases]. 881 59

Suicide is a major cause of death among patients with schizophrenia. Research indicates that at least 5-13% of schizophrenic patients die by suicide, and it is likely that the higher end of range is the most accurate estimate. There is almost total agreement that the schizophrenic patient who is more likely to commit suicide is young, male, white and never married, with good premorbid function, post-psychotic depression and a history of substance abuse and suicide attempts. Hopelessness, social isolation, hospitalization, deteriorating health after a high level of premorbid functioning, recent loss or rejection, limited external support, and family stress or instability are risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia. Suicidal schizophrenics usually fear further mental deterioration, and they experience either excessive treatment dependence or loss of faith in treatment. Awareness of illness has been reported as a major issue among suicidal schizophrenic patients, yet some researchers argue that insight into the illness does not increase suicide risk. Protective factors play also an important role in assessing suicide risk and should also be carefully evaluated. The neurobiological perspective offers a new approach for understanding self-destructive behavior among patients with schizophrenia and may improve the accuracy of screening schizophrenics for suicide. Although, there is general consensus on the risk factors, accurate knowledge as well as early recognition of patients at risk is still lacking in everyday clinical practice. Better knowledge may help clinicians and caretakers to implement preventive measures. This review paper is the result of a joint effort between researchers in the field of suicide in schizophrenia. Each expert provided a brief essay on one specific aspect of the problem. This is the first attempt to present a consensus report as well as the development of a set of guidelines for reducing suicide risk among schizophrenia patients.
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PMID:Suicide risk in schizophrenia: learning from the past to change the future. 1736 24

Self-mutilation, the deliberate destruction occurs in a variety of psychiatric disorders.Many methods of self-destructive behavior have been described in literature. Patients of schizophrenia are known to attempt self-harm due to command hallucination, catatonic excitement or because of associated depression, however severe glossal injury by biting has not been reported so far.Authors report case of self-harm of glossal injury by biting in schizophrenia. Treatment and management issues are discussed.
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PMID:Self-harm by severe glossal injury in schizophrenia. 2327 70