Mental Illness

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

I think I remember hearing that dental disease is related to heart disease. Don't forget to brush AND floss after meals.

It can also cause nervous system problems and actually NGO's go to Morocco because there is little in the way of dental care because of the fact that its not a covered service. Dental problems, abscesses can cause alot of things.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

No, No & No. Pretty simple, I guess Adam is normal! Yay for me!

although I did just ask him if he's experienced any signs of mental illness and he said, what the heck is that!?

Edited May 19, 2011 by ~PalmTreeGurl~

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

... so I told him where he's been depressed and going to go physco... he said (with raising his eyebrows up and down & a cute smile!) oh yah.... haven't you!?

He's a doll!

[sandinista! 1,816]

a lot of mentally ill people do suffer from poor dental health, but it's usually associated with being a marginalized member of society without adequate access to any resources, as opposed to being the source of their mental illness, which arise from organic causes completely unrelated to teeth. bad teeth do not cause chemical imbalances of the brain. some psych medications can also cause dental issues, tooth erosion, etc. people from impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds can have bad teeth that are untreated. they can also have untreated/diagnosed mental health issues. but the two are not related in the way posited by the op, at all. gum disease can cause inflammation in other parts of the body, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks and vascular disease, but it does not cause mental illness, at least not in any currently accepted biopsychiatric theories. only the op could make such serious issues such a joke and wealth of misinformation though.

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

a lot of mentally ill people do suffer from poor dental health, but it's usually associated with being a marginalized member of society without adequate access to any resources, as opposed to being the source of their mental illness, which arise from organic causes completely unrelated to teeth. bad teeth do not cause chemical imbalances of the brain. some psych medications can also cause dental issues, tooth erosion, etc. people from impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds can have bad teeth that are untreated. they can also have untreated/diagnosed mental health issues. but the two are not related in the way posited by the op, at all. gum disease can cause inflammation in other parts of the body, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks and vascular disease, but it does not cause mental illness, at least not in any currently accepted biopsychiatric theories. only the op could make such serious issues such a joke and wealth of misinformation though.

People who have severe mental illness may not care for their teeth like they are supposed to either. The dentist told me that the multiple abscesses caused alot of nerve damage, leading to headaches and yes it may not be directly connected but untreated dental disease can cause horrible medical problems that lend itself to depression.

I dont think it was a joke whatsover. I think the whole situation has been heartbreaking .

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

a lot of mentally ill people do suffer from poor dental health, but it's usually associated with being a marginalized member of society without adequate access to any resources, as opposed to being the source of their mental illness, which arise from organic causes completely unrelated to teeth. bad teeth do not cause chemical imbalances of the brain. some psych medications can also cause dental issues, tooth erosion, etc. people from impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds can have bad teeth that are untreated. they can also have untreated/diagnosed mental health issues. but the two are not related in the way posited by the op, at all. gum disease can cause inflammation in other parts of the body, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks and vascular disease, but it does not cause mental illness, at least not in any currently accepted biopsychiatric theories. only the op could make such serious issues such a joke and wealth of misinformation though.

Here is a good article on the role of serious infection and its affect on mental health.

Articles

The Role of Infections in Mental Illness

by Frank Strick, Clinical Research Director

THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR INFECTIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS (RIIMI)

Call 1800 6992466 then press pound (#) 8314255555

E-mail: riimiusa@gmail.com

San Francisco, USA

Other Notes: They serve clients world-wide via phone consultations.

In considering an infectious etiology to any chronic mental illness there are at least four categories to consider. First are those infections already recognized to induce psychiatric symptoms. These include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, malaria, Legionnaire's disease, syphilis, typhoid, diphtheria, HIV, rheumatic fever and herpes. (Ref: Chuang)

While the psychiatric effects of these infections are known to the medical field, they are rarely screened for if the initial presentation is made to a mental health professional. Moreover, the significance of some of these infections may date back to prenatal development. Research done at the John Hopkins Children's Center and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2001 found that mothers with evidence of Herpes Simplex Type 2 infection at the time of pregnancy had children almost six times more likely to later develop schizophrenia. And in the US, Europe and Japan, birth clusters of individuals who develop schizophrenia later in life closely mirror the seasonal distribution of Ixodes ticks at the time of conception (Lyme disease).

Second are those parasitic infections such as neurocysticercosis where the brain is directly invaded by the infective agent through a well-established, imageable (visible on brain scan) mechanism (cysts, lesions, cerebral swelling etc.) Signs of psychiatric disease (depression and psychosis) were found in over 65% of neurocysticercosis cases (caused by a tapeworm whose incidence in the US is rising due to demographic increases in foreign immigrant populations.) [Ref: Forlenza] While the mechanisms for psychiatric manifestations are easy to demonstrate when brain tissue is directly affected, there are also multiple documented reports in the literature of psychiatric symptoms associated with other parasites like giardiasis, ascaris (roundworm), trichinae (cause of trichinosis), and Lyme borrelia and viruses like borna virus. Documentation also exists of these psychiatric symptoms resolving when the underlying hidden infection is treated.

Dr. J. Packman of Yale University wrote over ten years ago that "Patients with parasitic loads are more likely to exhibit mental status changes and there is an improvement in mental status of a subset of psychiatric patients following treatment for parasites." In fact, a review of 1300 human cases of trichinosis in Germany found CNS (central nervous system) involvement in up to 24% of the cases (Menningeal inflamation or encephalitis). [Ref: Froscher]

Clinically, in cases like neurocysticercosis, the problem is not the lack of a well-defined mechanism but the lack of mental health practitioners qualified to make such a diagnosis or even suspect it. Even infectious disease specialists tend to underestimate the scope of the problem, in part due to underreporting (neurocysticercosis is not a reportable condition in most states and the incidence of trichinosis is, we believe, vastly underestimated according to newly developed antibody assays only made available in 2003).

Next are those parasitic, bacterial and viral infections like toxoplasmosis and strep where a strong statistical link to mental illness has been demonstrated but research is underway to establish a causal connection. In humans acute infection with toxoplasmosis gondii can cause brain lesions, changes in personality and symptoms of psychosis including delusions and auditory hallucinations. Researchers at Rockefeller University and NIMH have suggested that after streptococcal infection some children may be at increased risk for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Toxoplasma gondii can alter behavior and neurotransmitter function. Since 1953, eighteen out of nineteen studies of T. gondii antibodies in persons with schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric disorders have reported a higher percentage of T. gondii antibodies in the affected persons. (For example, in one large study toxoplasmosis infection was twice as common in mentally handicapped patients as in healthy controls and in a recent German study of "individuals with first episode schizophrenia compared to matched controls, 42% of the former compared to just 11% of the latter had antibodies to toxoplasma").

Two other studies found that exposure to cats (the primary carrier for toxoplasmosis transmission) in childhood is a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. Furthermore, certain antipsychotic and mood-stabilizer drugs such as Halperidol and Valproic acid inhibited this parasite in vitro at a concentration below that found in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood of individuals being treated with this medication, suggesting that some medications used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may actually work by inhibiting the replication of toxoplasmosis gondii. (Ref: Jones-Brando, Torrey, Yolken)

Other studies have shown that antipsychotic drugs like Thorazine, Haldol and Clozapine inhibit viral replication and that the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with recent-onset schizophrenia shows a significant increase in reverse transcriptase (an enzyme) activity - which is an important component of infectious retroviruses (a type of virus). Furthermore, when the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) from these patients was used to inoculate a New World monkey cell line there was a tenfold increase in reverse transcriptase activity which suggests the presence of a replicating virus. Malhotra has demonstrated the absence of CCR5-32 homozygotes (specific matching genetic codes) in over 200 schizophrenic patients - which dramatically increases susceptibility to retroviral infection. (Ref: F.Yee).

It is research like this that has led Johns Hopkins virologist Robert Yolken and psychiatry professor and former special assistant to the Director of the National Institute for Mental Health Dr. E. Fuller Torrey to believe that toxoplasmosis is one of several infectious agents that causes most cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The idea is not new. In fact, as far back as 1922 the famous psychiatrist Karl Menninger hypothesized that schizophrenia was "in most instances the byproduct of viral encephalitis." Torrey notes that in the late nineteenth century schizophrenia and bipolar disorder went from being rare diseases to relatively common ones at the same time that cat ownership became popular. And Yolken designed a retrospective study of twenty-five hundred families showing that mothers of children who later developed psychoses were 4.5 times more likely to have antibodies to toxoplasmosis than the mothers of healthy controls. Due to the frequency of cat ownership, a large percentage of the US population (up to 50%) has been exposed to toxoplasmosis but most immunocompetent carriers remain asymptomatic until another immunological burden such as HIV or a separate parasite weakens the host defenses and precipitates pathogenic expression. That is what makes interpretation of the chronic state so tricky and at the Research Institute for Infectious Mental Illness we make sure to try to identify any parasitic coinfections before deciding on an appropriate course of treatment.

Finally, while toxoplasmosis gets a lot of attention due to Torrey's and Yolken's pioneering studies and the known mechanism of brain lesions, there are many other infective agents that may not target the brain specifically but can severely affect mental function through the cumulative downstream consequences of chronic infection. While the importance of this link in the etiopathogenesis of mental illness is rarely recognized, these focal and systemic infections are very common and their psychiatric effects often severe. (Parasites are the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in the world.) In this nonspecific category are scores of parasites, protozoa, helminths, bacteria, fungi and viruses which, if not directly invading and disabling brain tissue and neurotransmitter function, do so indirectly by depleting the host of essential nutrients, interfering with enzyme functions, and releasing a massive load of waste products - enteric poisons and toxins which disrupt brain metabolism. (A single mature adult tapeworm can lay a million eggs a day and roundworms, which infect about twenty-five per cent of the world's population, lay 200,000 daily).

Remember, the brain is your body's most energy-intensive organ. It represents only three percent of your body weight but utilizes twenty-five percent of your body's oxygen, nutrients and circulating glucose. Therefore any significant metabolic disruptions can impact brain function first. This link is borne out statistically. Mental patients have much higher rates of parasitic infection than the general population. Between 1995 and 1996 researchers at the University of Ancona did stool tests on 238 residents of four Italian psychiatric institutions and found parasites in 53.8 percent of the residents including all of those residents with behavioral aberrations(Ref: Giacometti). In our experience parasites are often implicated in cognitive dysfunction and chronic emotional stress disorders and, to the untrained eye, classic symptoms like apathy, exhaustion, confusion, appetite and memory loss, "nervous stomach," social withdrawal, lethargy and loss of sex drive and motivation are frequently assumed to signal a depressive disorder without an adequate differential diagnosis being made or even attempted. Adding to the confusion, classic indicators of acute infection such as fever or elevated antibodies often reverse themselves in chronic cases due to secondary hypothyroidism and immunodepression. Unfortunately, until Western psychiatry further recognizes that the mind/body connection goes in both directions patients will continue to suffer from a de facto lack of differential diagnostic criteria in clinically identical syndromes.

Even for those clinicians who recognize the devastating psychological effects that chronic intestinal, focal and even dental infections can have on normal brain function, accurate diagnosis presents formidable challenges. In fact some standard parasite stool test procedures identify less than ten percent of active infections and even the "politically correct" holistic specialty labs miss many infections that are nondetectable in fecal specimens, have inconsistent shedding patterns, are extra intestinal or otherwise hard to identify. For example, according to the World Health Organization, over two billion people are infected with worms, yet rarely will they show up in stool assays.

(These numbers are not surprising once you realize that the exposure vectors are potentially everything you eat, drink, breathe and touch. If you think you have to leave the country to be exposed to exotic parasites, think again. In fact, try walking into the kitchen of your favorite restaurant and see if the cook speaks English.)

At the Research Institute for Infectious Mental Illness we use multiple labs with complementary strengths and a combination of advanced scientific diagnostic procedures including O & P microscopy, multifluid antigen and antibody detection, stool cultures, enzyme immunoassay, mucosal markers, inflammation assays, imaging techniques and other indirect laboratory indicators combined with extensive historical and clinical evaluations to identify chronic infectious stressors. (Patients previously diagnosed with "Chronic Candidiasis" often find that Candida was merely a cofactor or consequence of more significant infections and infestations which created obstacles to long-term cure.) "Mental" symptoms often improve dramatically when hidden neuroimmune infections are treated successfully and normal brain metabolism resumes, especially in "sudden-onset" syndromes. After identifying and treating the primary infections we focus on rebuilding the host's immunological defenses and mucosal integrity to prevent relapse. Premature nutritional supplementation, even in frank anemia, can be counterproductive since some vitamins and minerals (e.g., iron) can be growth factors for microorganisms which the body intentionally downregulates the uptake of during active infection. But individually formulated subsequent nutritional supplementation is usually essential for full recovery. We also screen patients for heavy metals, environmental chemicals, molds and electromagnetic stressors, "Brain allergies," food sensitivities, hormone disorders, diet and numerous other variables which can influence cognitive and affective function. To speed recovery, our evidence-based Integral Medicine approach may include appropriate treatments from consulting nutritionists, homeopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists and bodyworkers.

The erosion or loss of brain function is arguably the most frightening and disabling experience a person can have. Almost by definition, standard psychological or psychiatric intervention postulates a dichotomy between disorders of the body and those of the mind and has a long way to go in recognizing the importance of infectious etiologies in mental health care. The Research Institute for Infectious Mental Illness provides testing, clinical and consulting services to clients from all over the world and educates professionals in this critical area. Long distance phone consultations are also available.

This article may be reprinted by anyone if the RIIMI clinic contact info is listed.

[Ban Hammer 13,293]

one post removed - don't bring drama from other forums into this regional please.

yes, i read p&r too.

[R and F 34]

No, No & No. Pretty simple, I guess Adam is normal! Yay for me!

although I did just ask him if he's experienced any signs of mental illness and he said, what the heck is that!?

I asked Farid if he had every experienced mental illnesses and he said, "What are you crazy?".

[Beauty for Ashes 257]

I asked Farid if he had every experienced mental illnesses and he said, "What are you crazy?".

thats funny

[msheesha 548]

Silence from all the negative posters about their pre-mena relationships????

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Well Im not one of the negative posters, however ... I was abused physically by my biological father, I was abused sexually by a biological grandfather and I watched my biological mother beat constantly, prostituted out in front of me as a child then at almost the age of 6 watched her beat to a pulp, broken bones and shot in the head 2-3 times in front of me by my biological father.

I was adopted, had a great home... my adopted dad died in front of me when I was 16 - he had cancer.

I never got close to any guys other than just friends -until Adam. I would never settle for one who hurts me, abuses me phsically or sexually or cheats even though I've been through hell as child. I never wanted what became of my biological mother to continue in my life. I choose well when I chose Adam. He's a great soul mate for me and my love of my life.

[Gugusitolindo 32]

Well Im not one of the negative posters, however ... I was abused physically by my biological father, I was abused sexually by a biological grandfather and I watched my biological mother beat constantly, prostituted out in front of me as a child then at almost the age of 6 watched her beat to a pulp, broken bones and shot in the head 2-3 times in front of me by my biological father.

I was adopted, had a great home... my adopted dad died in front of me when I was 16 - he had cancer.

I never got close to any guys other than just friends -until Adam. I would never settle for one who hurts me, abuses me phsically or sexually or cheats even though I've been through hell as child. I never wanted what became of my biological mother to continue in my life. I choose well when I chose Adam. He's a great soul mate for me and my love of my life.

T- Sorry you had to go through all this in your life, and still I have not seen a negative post from you...I admire you overcoming

the facts of life, and the decision taken by the adult care taker when you were young. I feel much Peace from your words, and

although I do not know you personally, I am proud of you for not using the past to dictate your future.

[msheesha 548]

I agree that it's always great when someone breaks the cycle of abuse and dysfunction. It's a wonderful accomplishment?

Where are all the negative posters to regale us with the stories of all the wonderful, functional, non-abusive, pro-social, beneficial relationships you had before you were ruined by the visa-scamming, abusive MENA person in your life? Is that crickets I hear?

[Jenn! 918]

Where are all the negative posters to regale us with the stories of all the wonderful, functional, non-abusive, pro-social, beneficial relationships you had before you were ruined by the visa-scamming, abusive MENA person in your life? Is that crickets I hear?

I think this statement was directed at Kat, but I don't know how fair it is. I know of many, many failed MENA relationships, many of which involved abuse. While some of the women involved might have a history of this sort of relationship, not all do - at least not to my knowledge. And even if every single one of them had an abusive past, I don't think it's right to mock the situation. I feel for every woman that has gotten scammed, regardless of whether she has fallen into a cycle of victimhood.

I agree that this thread is OTT, and that Kat has some issues to work out (which I think she would agree with), but we shouldn't paint every woman who has had a bad experience on this visa journey with the same brush.

[msheesha 548]

I think this statement was directed at Kat, but I don't know how fair it is. I know of many, many failed MENA relationships, many of which involved abuse. While some of the women involved might have a history of this sort of relationship, not all do - at least not to my knowledge. And even if every single one of them had an abusive past, I don't think it's right to mock the situation. I feel for every woman that has gotten scammed, regardless of whether she has fallen into a cycle of victimhood.

I agree that this thread is OTT, and that Kat has some issues to work out (which I think she would agree with), but we shouldn't paint every woman who has had a bad experience on this visa journey with the same brush.

Your thought that this was directed at Kat is incorrect. If I wanted to direct something to her alone, I would have no problem doing that, and would have done it. It was directed, quite clearly, I think, to people who post about their relationships in the context that what went wrong in their marriage was based on a MENA/visa/scam issue.

Also, I did not say that all the women who became involved in negative, abusive relationships with MENA men had these types of relationships in the past. I don't presume to have those statistics, which is why I asked about it. As I said, though, I don't imagine that the women who post about the horrors of MENA men in their lives, had great, productive relationships in the past, and their relationship with the MENA men is some anomaly in their romantic relationship pattern.

And, btw, isn't Kat who paints all of us and our husbands with the same brush repeatedly? I asked the question specifically for people who come on looking for constructive, useful information and are confronted with Kat's and others' rants about every relationship with a MENA man being a scam, or some other negative variation of that.