Schizophrenia was destroying Bill MacPhee—then he fought back

Sz Digest CEO/founder Bill MacPhee was recently featured on the front page of The Niagara Falls (Ontario) Review. The story allowed Bill to share his success story in the world of business, and detailed how he overcome a devastating mental illness to form his own publishing company.  For the full story, visit

http://www.nfreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1083375

Diabetes drug may cut medication-related weight gain

Improved diet, more exercise, and the diabetes medication metformin can help people with schizophrenia control the weight gain that typically accompanies their medications, a Chinese study suggests.

Three months of both medication and lifestyle change resulted in a loss of two centimetres around the waist as well as improvement in other health measures, such as insulin resistance, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year.

Metformin is typically prescribed to help control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Previous research has shown that metformin can prevent weight gain in people with diabetes and may help manage weight in some overweight people.

A team based at the Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangva Hospital, Central South University, China, tested the effect of metformin and lifestyle changes, together and separately, on the weight and insulin levels of 128 adults with schizophrenia. All of the participants had gained at least 10 percent of their body weight after starting antipsychotic medications.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups for 12 weeks, while continuing their medication. One group received a placebo; the second received 750 milligrams per day of metformin; the third received 750 milligrams per day of metformin and made lifestyle changes; and the fourth made only lifestyle changes, which focused on health education, diet, and exercise.

The participants who took metformin and changed their diet and exercise saw their body mass indexes drop by 1.8 points, their insulin resistance levels drop by 3.6 points, and they shaved two centimetres from their waist circumferences. Metformin alone resulted in an average decrease of 1.2 points in body-mass index, 3.5 points in insulin resistance, and a loss of 1.3 centimetres from the waist. Those who only exercised and changed their diet saw a very minimal change to their body mass indexes and insulin resistance levels, and no change to their waist circumferences. People who took the placebo continued to increase in body mass, waist circumference, and insulin resistance, the researchers said.

Real-world outcomes in sz are focus of NIMH grants

Two new National Institute of Mental Health grants are aimed at determining the most accurate methods of measuring how well community-dwelling people with schizophrenia are faring. Results of the project are meant to provide scientists who conduct future research on the effectiveness of treatments with tools that will reflect the truest possible picture of daily life outcomes.

The purpose of the study is not to provide or compare treatments or to interfere with treatments community clinicians have prescribed. Instead, the goal is to identify which existing measurement methods provide the most accurate assessment of participants’ skills and of their actual application of those skills in daily life situations.

Another goal is to determine who, in the participants’ everyday lives, are the most accurate informants of their ability to function in the real world; for example, family, friends, or residential center staff.

Phillip Harvey, PhD, of Emory University, and Thomas Patterson, PhD, of the University of California–San Diego, received the grants. The five-year study will include 200 community-dwelling people with schizophrenia, each of whom will participate for three months.

Twice during each person’s enrolment, several designated informants will fill out a questionnaire about factors that reflect a participant’s ability to function in daily life; for example, the ability to pay the correct bus fare and reach the intended destination. Patients will also report on their own functioning and perform several different assessments of their everyday living skills and cognitive abilities, such as judgment and decision making.

One of the researchers’ goals is to understand how to develop more user-friendly methods for assessing and reporting functional ability, both for people with schizophrenia and their informants. Scientists have attempted to correlate results from currently used neurocognitive tests, functional tests, and daily-life rating scales, but have questioned the validity of the correlations.

Stay Healthy During the Summer

Staying healthy during the summer requires more than just eating the right foods. Here’s a list of tips from www.mamashealth.com to help you stay cool and healthy during the hot summer months.

1. Drink plenty of water. Your body needs water to prevent dehydration. Take special care to make sure infants and toddlers drink enough water. They can become dehydrated much more easily than adults.
2. If you have asthma or other respiratory problems, keep a careful watch on the daily air quality reports. Also, don’t forget to take your inhaler or other medication with you when you go out.
3. Take a rest or nap. Don’t push yourself beyond your physical limits.
4. Wear sunscreen. Sunburn is painful and unhealthy. Use a sunscreen that is right for your skin.
5. Stay Cool. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing to help you stay cooler.
6. Wear Sunglasses. They protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
7. Maintain your energy level by limiting your intake of fat and sugar; focus on carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.
8. Keep the bugs away. Before leaving for vacation pack a few items (calamine lotion, baking soda) that will help with itchy or painful insect bites.
9. If you have allergies and plan to be traveling/vacationing, find out which plants will be pollinating in your vacation spot
10. Know your body. If you are feeling ill, see a doctor. On average, about 400 people die each year in the United States due to extreme heat.

In the next issue of Sz Digest:

Coming to terms with the diagnosis of a loved one can be difficult. And after the initial emotional response, acceptance, and the maintenance process begins, a new bump may appear on the road to recovery: How to share the diagnosis of schizophrenia with family, friends and, in some cases, the workplace. Find out how others have shared the news with their family and friends in the Summer 2008 issue of Schizophrenia Digest, available July 14 in the United States and July 28 in Canada.