Hi On Wed, 5 Nov 2003, Stephen Black wrote:
> On 5 Nov 2003, Jeffrey Nagelbush wrote: > > > The following quote, from Mirror, Mirror: A History of the Human Love > > Affair with Reflection by Mark Pendergrast, was sent to me by a > > colleague: > > Many schizophrenics rfeact oddly to mirrors, sometimes > > staring > > at them for hours. Curiously, there > > are no blind schizophrenics, and in the single known case > > where > > a long-term schizophrenic went > > blind, she went into remission within a few days. > > > > I was wondering if these facts are true and what my better informed > > colleagues make of thes observations, if anything. > > > > Bizarre. Perhaps what I've appended below was Pendergrast's source, > which seems a rather weak one. It appears there were some patients, > number unspecified, who were at least partially blind and > schizophrenic. Pendergrast's address shouldn't be hard to find. Why > not ask him directly? > > Med Hypotheses. 1980 Dec;6(12):1327-8. > Blindness and schizophrenia. Some relevant info can be found at: http://members.optushome.com.au/drgg/gg/sensory.htm It is a case study of late-onset psychosis associated with progressive blindness. Reviews other similar studies indicating some positive association of psychosis with Usher's syndrome, which I gather involves progressive loss of vision. There appears to be some difficulty with diagnosis as Schizophrenia vs. unspecified Psychosis because of exclusionary criteria (i.e., not due to other medical condition). Cites a study stating that there was no elevated risk of psychosis in early-onset deafness or blindness. Presumably would have mentioned a marked decreased risk (i.e., p = 0), as implied by original post. At http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon971128/skinnyon.html there is an assertion by a psychologist (I think deaf) that deaf schizophrenics experience auditory hallucinations and blind schizophrenics visual hallucinations. No evidence given. And finally, Sanders, G.S., Platek, S.M., & Gallup, G.G., Jr. (in press). No blind schizophrenics: Are NMDA receptor dynamics involved? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Best wishes Jim ============================================================================ James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology (204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark ============================================================================ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
