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Mental Illness
Thought is an infection. In the
case of certain thoughts, it becomes an epidemic.
One of the reasons you are crazy is because people lie to you all the time. It's hard to make reasonable decisions when you don't have the right information. Another reason is because you are sick.
These are three forms of biologically
induced mental illness that I believe are extremely prevalent (and one
that isn't).
They all seem to have one thing in common-
acute presentations as well as slowly accumulating pathology.
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Viruses:
Yeah. so….this is what has
fueled most of the last two years of my life.
A
comment in an email I received from a retired doctor:
“There is enough research interest in
herpes virus antibodies in the brains of demented patients that I have
been taking acyclovir pills every day for years. “
Oh really…
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Not only that...
The documented evidence of herpes
viruses causing neurological and behavioral effects is
at least a hundred years old.
It has been mentioned in social literature since the Greeks.
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After all that and many more, this is
the article that freaked me out.
The one that sent me running from the computer.
The characteristics of progressive dementias in patients with herpetic
encephalitis
It was determined that progressive dementia is
one of the clinical forms of chronic herpetic infection.
I really didn’t want to know what else I
could find.
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However, while
I was obsessively copying all that information I had a nagging
thought: If microbes cause psychosis,
shouldn't anti-psychotic drugs have antimicrobial properties?
I had to know.
And Yes.
It was even obvious to the patients.
And then the bacteria took over my
skull.
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Bacteria
Lyme disease-
I am just putting this in here to show
there are bacteria with direct psychoactive effects.
These symptoms are very often mistaken
for depression or narcolepsy.
(for the time being, lifted
unceremoniously from
Wikipedia.
All Hail the Great and Glorious Wikipedia.)
Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of spiral bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus Ixodes ("hard ticks"). Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans.
Days to weeks following the tick bite, the spirochetes spread via the
bloodstream to joints, heart, nervous system, and distant skin sites,
where their presence gives rise to the variety of symptoms of
disseminated disease. After several months, untreated or inadequately
treated patients may go on to develop severe and chronic symptoms that
affect many parts of the body, including the brain, nerves, eyes, joints
and heart.
Chronic neurologic symptoms occur in up to 5% of untreated patients. A
neurologic syndrome called Lyme encephalopathy is associated with subtle
cognitive problems, such as difficulties with concentration and
short-term memory. These patients may also experience profound fatigue.
Chronic encephalomyelitis, which may be progressive, can involve
cognitive impairment, weakness in the legs, awkward gait, facial palsy,
bladder problems, vertigo, and back pain. In rare cases untreated Lyme
disease may cause psychosis, which has been mis-diagnosed as
schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Panic attack, anxiety and delusional
behavior can also occur.
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I really want to talk about
Our Good Buddy Streptococcus again...
This one is just fascinating.
The psychiatric symptoms aren't caused by the pathogens, but by
the antibodies.
Like Guillain-Barre syndrome is an "allergy" to flu-
this is an autoimmune reaction to strep.
Some people make cross-binding antibodies to streptococcus.
Except these bind to the brain instead.
There's a diabolical twist, though.
The aberrent portion of these
antibodies is a similar shape as dopamine.
So they fit into dopamine receptors.
So instead of suppressing brain function, it enhances it.
That has all kinds of interesting involuntary effects.
Sydenham's chorea
Tourette Syndrome - this disorder is similar to Sydenham's as the dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia are affected. However in this case the involuntary movements include vocalizations and motor tics in times of stress. These people are also affected with OCD.
PANDAS - Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. This is an even less drastic form of the above. These people show repetitive behaviors and OCD after a strep infection.
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Those are acute cases.
Sudden and obvious abberent behavior.
Easy to classify.
And they are strictly defined.
PANDAS is restricted to children with confirmed Strep A infection
within a certain time period.
It seems unlikely that the presentation
of this trait is quite so limited in actual humans though.
It is only logical to
think that acute incidents must have less drastic analogues.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health:
It is possible that adolescents and adults may have immune mediated
OCD. Although the research studies at the NIMH are restricted to PANDAS,
there are a number of reported cases in the medical literature of
adolescent and adult onset OCD and TICS with GABHS and even
non-Haemolitic streptococcus infections.
It is my belief that subclinical
cumulative cases of this are common.
Very common.
And the symptoms are
completely misinterpreted.
And this is why:
Nobody ever complains about a little
extra dopamine.
In addition, a slowly accumulating
bacterial burden would be expected to produce incremental mood
changes. Those can be
easily ascribed to other causes.
Like your annoying job or spouse.
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Streptomania
Dopamine is really nice. Dopamine is the definition of fun.
If you were hooked up to a dopamine drip, you would press the button
until you died. Cocaine also fits into dopamine receptors,
that's why it's addictive. Dopamine mimicry also gives
you
that energy boost on cocaine.
If you produce these antibodies, you have the ability to produce your
own happy chemicals.
So if you get an infection, these symptoms are pleasant and rewarding,
and you ignore it. Play through
the pain. You ride the high
and start some massive, intricate project of *great* importance.
Finally, the
infection itself becomes problematic- goes systemic.
You begin to suffer the symptoms of the actual illness- fatigue
and depression.
And THEN you go to a psych
and since your symptoms are "behavioral" they never even think of
testing you for bacteria. They tell you to take prozac or xanax
or ritalin or whatever...
That pretty much describes half of
America.
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A subclinical infection can produce a
constant supply of antibodies.
And because the antibodies travel in the
bloodstream, the infection can be anywhere.
Don't fool yourself.
It's really easy to see, and fun to
watch this in other people.
<insert latest celebrity meltdown here>
You never recognize it in yourself until
it's too late.
Much like drugs-
this kind of insanity feels good and is addictive.
Here's a
couple
songs
about dopamine if you think I'm not talking about you.
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Immunity
Food intolerances and allergies are
associated with a number of mental illnesses.
Gluten and casein intolerance are
associated with schizophrenia.
Gluten intolerance is also associated with
many other
neurological symptoms.
The digestive system is run by the brain.
It is intricately connected to the reward centers of the limbic
sytem. Food stimulates the parts
of your brain which make you happy.
When you damage the nerves in your digestive tract you mess up
the circuits in your mood regulation center.
Remember orexin?
Orexin depletion results in lowered levels of serotonin and dopamine in
the brain.
Orexin depletion is strongly correlated
to Major Depressive Disorder and suicidal ideation.
Believe me- you do not want to end up with
narcolepsy-
it makes you
freaking crazy.
Other digestive nerves have similar connections to those areas.
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Diets very low in carbohydrates induce use of fat as an energy source,
this is known as ketosis.
Ketogenic diets are known to improve the symptoms of certain mental
illnesses: schizophrenia,
narcolepsy, epilepsy.
Ketogenic diets may lower symptoms by:
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This model also explains the waxing and
waning of symptoms.
I believe the interactions between food
and host and microbes are the underlying motivation for the
self-selected dietary restriction which is a common behavior among
mentally ill individuals.
Unfortunately, because of the insidious psychoactive effects, we
often choose things which accelerate the infection instead of suppress
it.
You can create a "perfect storm" in a
couple ways:
Unfortunately, neither one of those is
fun.
Conversely, you can inadvertantly ease
your symptoms.
If you change your diet, or get your
teeth cleaned, or take
antibiotics for some other reason, for example.
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You know it's odd-
if you have infection induced mania, and an allergy that
causes depression-
You get something that looks suspiciously similar to bipolar.
Go figure.
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FAIR WARNING.
Before anyone starts hyperventilating
over this idea and succumbs to the urge to declare some direct
relationship between microbes and immoral behavior-
go get some blood tests.
These pathogens are ubiquitous.
And self-righteousness is a sure symptom of well established
pathology affecting the amygdala.
Just trust me on that one.
I would like to point out here, that
unlike societal expectations and self-esteem problems, these conditions
can result in PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE.
OR WORSE.
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I do not have all the answers.
But these are four very real
illnesses that cause psychiatric symptoms-
headaches, dementia, psychosis, mania and depression.
That's four more than most
doctors will test you for.
I can imagine any number of other common
illnesses that might be causing similar or other mental disturbances.
And there are certainly more things going on than my tattered
brain can extrapolate. One of
them is probably taking over my head
as I type. That's why
the
thing I want you to take away from all this is:
You have something REAL wrong with you.
Psychological illnesses do NOT exist.
You cannot think yourself sick.
You cannot talk yourself well.
You would not treat a toothache with
therapy.
And there's a very good chance that's
exactly the problem.
Think about it:
crazy people invariably have bad teeth.
(see below)
If you have one of these immune
responses or infections and follow the proper protocol-
you may actually recover in less time than it takes to even
notice if Prozac is working.
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Digestive Problems Early in Life May Increase Risk for Depression
The findings suggest that some human psychological conditions may be the
result, rather than the cause, of gastrointestinal disorders such as
irritable bowel syndrome.
Type-2 diabetes, an increasingly common complication of obesity,
is associated with
poor impulse control. Researchers suggest that neurological changes
result in this inability to resist temptation, which may in turn
exacerbate diabetes.
A similar association has been linked to food
addiction, with a low availability of dopamine receptors present in
people with greater food intake.
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HIV is also extensively documented to cause cognitive and emotional
dysfunction.
I do not have enough brain cells to think about that right now though.
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There seems to be a zillion studies on the correlation between mental
illness and bad teeth.
They almost invariable take these
positions:
Everyone finds a HUGE correlation.
Nobody ever considers the reverse
causation.
They almost always assume that behavior
dysfunction leads to dental decay.
The frequency of patients with PD with untreated caries was high at
stage II and above, and frequency tended to increase in patients who had
low mental state examination scores.
Major depressive
disorder:
Psychopathology, medical management and dental implications
MDD may be associated with extensive dental
disease, and people may seek dental treatment before becoming
aware of their psychiatric illness. MDD frequently is
associated with a disinterest in performing appropriate oral
hygiene techniques, a cariogenic diet, diminished salivary
flow, rampant dental caries, advanced periodontal disease and
oral dysesthesias. Many medications used to treat the disease
magnify the xerostomia and increase the incidence of dental
disease. Appropriate dental management requires a vigorous
dental education program, the use of saliva substitutes and
anticaries agents containing fluoride, and special
precautions when prescribing or administering analgesics and
local anesthetics.
Depressive symptoms in individuals with idiopathic subjective dry mouth
It has been known for many centuries that there is a relationship
between saliva flow rate and emotional status.
(pardon me?) The
significance of psychological processes in the subjective sensation of a
dry mouth has been discussed earlier, and this study deals with the
presence of depressive symptoms in individuals with idiopathic
subjective sensation of a dry mouth. The subjects with a subjective dry
mouth condition were significantly more depressive and also had a
significantly higher frequency of depressive symptoms. Depression was
found in 21.3% of the individuals with a subjective dry mouth sensation
and in 3.2% of the controls. The results of this study indicate that, in
some cases, subjective dry mouth may be of psychological origin.
(pardon me??)
The CMI group had significantly higher incidence in the
following variables: self-reported dry mouth; consumption of carbonated
beverages ; mucosal, lip, and tongue lesions; coronal smooth surface
caries; severity of plaque and calculus; and salivary flow. No
significant differences were evident in the M and F components of DMFS,
in gingivitis or loss of attachment. The results indicate significant
increases in risk factors and increased oral pathosis in persons with
mental illness who live in community settings compared with a control
group that showed dental neglect.
Dental health among institutionalized psychiatric patients in Spain
These findings suggest that institutionalized patients with
mental illness in Spain have extensive untreated dental disease.
Oral health in
Veterans Affairs patients diagnosed with serious mental illness
Patients who were not employed, experiencing financial strain, who
smoked, who were prescribed tricyclic antidepressants, or prescribed
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were more likely to report poor
or fair dental health. These variables were also associated with having
tooth or mouth problems.
Tooth loss and periodontal disease predict poor cognitive function in
older men. Conclusion:
Risk of cognitive decline in older men increases as more teeth are lost.
Periodontal disease and caries, major reasons for tooth loss, are also
related to cognitive decline.
The dental health of people with schizophrenia.
Conclusion:
The dental health of people with schizophrenia is poor. Community mental
health teams should encourage them to attend their community dentist
regularly.
Factors which influence the oral condition of chronic schizophrenia
patients
This study demonstrated that inpatients had greater amounts of dental
disease than outpatients. The extent of dental disease among inpatients
was directly related to the intensity of schizophrenia, magnitue of
negative symptoms associated with schizophrenia, and length of
hospitalization.
Oral Health of Psychiatric In-Patients in Hong Kong
Conclusions: Oral health status of
chronic psychiatric patients seems to be considerably worse than that of
the general population. Mental health professionals should pay more
attention to preventive oral health habits of psychiatric patients.
Self-reported mental illness in a dental school clinic population
Mental illness may also affect dental treatment and patient management.
This study examined the degree to which patients seeking routine dental
care report these diagnoses. 26.77 percent reported at least one mental
illness. Of all diseases and disorders recorded in the medical history,
self-reported depression was second only to hypertension in frequency.
Substance abuse, anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, insomnia, bipolar disorder,
and post-traumatic stress disorder were also common findings. This study
establishes the need for training of dental students to recognize and
manage psychologically compromised patients.
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A recent study
found
no link between strep infections and OCD or Tourette syndrome.
I would like to address these results. I
do not believe they invalidate the hypothesis.
The study used existing medical records
from previous years with undisclosed diagnostic methods.
The lack of previous strep infection is assumed to be accurate.
It is completely possible that many of those included in the
study were asymptomatic or harboring non-strep A bacteria.
The tests are extremely specific and strep C and G are rarely
tested for. It is possible
other strep bacteria cause the same effect.
A further study with a more rigorous protocol is warranted.
I am quite sure I have this problem yet test negative for Streptolysin O. |