Posts by Former NIMH Director Thomas Insel about Schizophrenia

Dr. Insel discusses how the Precision Medicine Initiative will create a new kind of patient-driven research, which is similar to how innovative companies have created a new share economy based on trust.

In his blog, Dr. Insel discusses the need for early and accurate prediction of psychosis risk and for effective preventive treatments.

In this blog, Dr. Insel describes the results of two new genetics studies and why they are milestones in our understanding of the genetics of autism and schizophrenia.

At a recent awards dinner, Research!America honored patients who worked with researchers to find cures for disease; Dr. Insel shows what we can learn from these collaborations and gives an example of how genetic research can lead to effective treatment.

Antipsychotics help people through the crisis of acute psychosis, but the long-term management of chronic mental illness is another matter. It appears that what we currently call “schizophrenia” may comprise disorders with quite different trajectories. For some people, remaining on medication long-term might impede a full return to wellness. For others, discontinuing medication can be disastrous.

Dr. Insel reports in his blog about intriguing findings published this summer on the genes and disruptions in brain circuitry involved in schizophrenia.

Dr. Insel explains the nuances of the term, “serious mental illness.”

Dr. Insel blogs about what epidemiological research in Sweden tells us about premature mortality experienced by people with serious mental illness and what we need to do to change that.

Dr. Insel’s blog makes the link between neuroscience and the national conversation on mental illness and gun violence; neuroscience research is the key to our being able to identify psychosis risk early and preempt the development of serious mental illness.

Dr. Insel talks about how NIMH’s RAISE study is exploring an integrated, multi-component approach to health care for schizophrenia.

Dr. Insel talks about the importance of developing ways to identify individuals at high risk of mental disorders before they develop symptoms, making it possible to intervene early and prevent serious illness.

Numerous provocative advances in neuroscience were reported during the summer of 2012.

Dr. Insel shares NIMH’s Top 10 Research Advances for 2011.

Results of the two largest studies of their kind, to date, have identified new common gene variants associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The results implicate specific pathways and hold promise for development of new treatments.

An emerging research technology using Induced pluripotent stem cells holds promise as a window into the developing brain in mental illness.

As we mark the 10th anniversary of the human genome’s sequencing, the heightening pace of progress promises to a bright future for psychiatric genetics.

Rapid progress in understanding how memory works – from the molecular to the behavioral level – holds promise for improved treatment of memory components of mental disorders.

10 breakthroughs and events of 2010 which are changing the way we approach mental disorders.

This blog outlines recent progress in schizophrenia research, citing a special issue of the journal Nature focusing on schizophrenia.

Despite promising advances as a research tool, brain imaging is not quite ripe for clinical application in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.

May is Mental Health Month and this year NIMH teams up with SAMHSA to celebrate and promote Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 6th. Dr. Insel talks about how mental illnesses are the chronic diseases of the young.