October 02, 2006

Genes and Schizophrenia: What is the Connection? (Video)

Dr. Daniel Weinberger's presentation on the genetics of schizophrenia and other brain disorders, which was given at the recent Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health, is available on the Internet.

We encourage you to watch the video if you have an interest in the genetics of schizophrenia -- this is a relatively easy to understand presentation done by one of the leading researchers in the field. To watch the video just click on the play button in the video window below. The slides of the presentation are difficult to see but what Dr. Weinberger has to say is very important and educational.

For a larger version of the video - click here.

For more information see our Schizophrenia Risk Genes - Interview with Dr. Daniel Weinberger

Indepth information: Schizophrenia causes and prevention.

We hope that other people will see what the Staglin family has achieved with their annual fund-raising music festival - and duplicate the effort in other cities around the world, so that even more money can be raised for schizophrenia research.

Last week the founders of the Staglin Family Music Festival for Mental Health, Garen and Shari Staglin, announced the event had raised an astonishing $3.8 million that will be dedicated to funding research for schizophrenia. In addition, Peter T. Paul, of Paul Financial Corporation was announced as the Festival's first Million Dollar Supporter, and was greeted with a sustained standing ovation. The record amount raised this year is more than double the total raised from the 2005 event, and Garen Staglin added that the Festival’s twelve-year total, including new grants from the National Institute for Mental Health, is almost $32 million.

“Our hope is that what we're accomplishing here motivates other individuals to get involved and to do the same thing," said Shari Staglin. “We'd love for our success to act as a catalyst for others to join in the search for the cure for mental illness.”

The record $3.8 million raised continues the Music Festival’s ongoing status as the highest grossing fund-raising event related to wine without an auction. With 100 percent of the expenses underwritten by its sponsors, all proceeds go directly to scientific research and treatment programs, including those at UCSF, Stanford University, UCLA, University of Southern Florida, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the Roskamp Institute studying Alzheimer’s, as well as research awards through NARSAD (National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) plus Aldea, Inc. of Napa and Sonoma.


Comments

I have been married to a man I have known since jr high, we have been married 29 years and four years ago i started to investigate depression in myself and when I did so, I also recognized much of the systoms in my husband. We have had a troubled marrage and my depression and his with his rages and unpredictable emotional state led me to this site and presentation about the possible comorbitity of Schizophrenia in my husband. I need to know how to talk intellegently with his group health doctors and have my husband's mere perscription of paxil up graded and or changed to better and more effective meds, he is treatening and intimidating in his aggitative states and in not recieving what is needed for his medical condition that is under diognosed as yet. He also has arthris and gout and diabetis as well, all of which ARE being adressed properly. We have to under age children yet to raise and he is on disability retirement from the
Federal Government, awaiting desision from Social Security about the start of benifits. I have found the information from the video helpful and wanted to learn more so I can understand and figure out a way through this difficulty for my children's sake and for mine and my husband's. I dont know how to go to the doctor at group health and get someone to listen and take seriously what I am saying, as i have had to do this before on other occations and they dont seem to consider a spouse much of an authority on the patient in question. Thank You for the chance to learn more about what goes on though and I do hope in a cure for this and or some better meds for this illness that hits us all where we live in the area of physical existance and relationship. sincerely Terie Carney, bipolar sufferer

Posted by: Teri Jean Carney at October 3, 2006 10:17 AM

my husband and i have been married for 15 year, have been jr high school sweet hearts since i was 14 years old. I have only been intimate with my husband ever in my life. he always has this fear that i am cheating on me, always asking if i am faithful, checking tire marks into our yard, leaving tape recorders in our home. we have 4 children. our oldest has adhd, mild aspergers syndrome and cannot yet be diagnosed schizophrenic but is taking medication for that, could my husband be schizophrenic???

Posted by: sandy at October 11, 2006 07:03 PM

it is possible, he could be starting to have schizophrenia and only have the paranoia right now, and get sicker later. or, this may be all the symptoms he gets. many people have very mild symptoms, or just a few symptoms of schizophrenia, i actually suspect that is fairly common.

Posted by: slc2 at October 12, 2006 03:09 PM

HI, If a son was under a lot of stress during their parents divorce, and if his grandmother had had it most of her life, is this a contributing factor to his development of schizophrenia? He was diagnosed last year and he is now 22, but he thinks he has had symtoms for about 5 years now.

Posted by: Laurie at October 18, 2007 01:16 PM

im 18 yrs old and i was DIAGNOSED with schizophrenia at the age of 16, however ive had symptoms of the brain disorder since about 5 (and im not sure but i believe if you have mental illness youre born with it because there was no reason for mine other than it runs in my family...) and it only became noticable at 14 when i stopped eating and lost 50 lbs in 4 months and thought it was just an eating disorder but, later, found out differently.... well anyways i thought i should get that out there about my story and for the parents of the children sooo young suffering from psychosis my heart goes out to you and ill pray for you everyday for the rest of my life

Posted by: cassandra paul at November 19, 2007 01:30 PM

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