How Are Bipolar And Schizophrenia Related?
Although bipolar and schizophrenia are still, for the most part, thought to be two distinct psychiatric diseases, they are related in many ways. Both diseases usually develop in late adolescence or early adulthood. The genetic causal factors have been found to be highly similar in the two brain diseases; both disorders often appear in the same families. Some people are diagnosed with symptoms of both diseases. Schizophrenia and bipolar, or manic-depressive, disorder also share common symptoms and treatments. Some medications prescribed for both bipolar and schizophrenia lower levels of protein kinase C (PKC) in the brain. High levels of this brain protein are thought to increase the severity of symptoms related to both diseases such as hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, having racing thoughts and experiencing grandiose, or false beliefs, relating to one’s personal power. In what is called the dysphoric mood in schizophrenia, schizophrenics often experience severe irritability,
