What would it feel like to be yourself one day and the next, suddenly hearing voices in your head? To start feeling hopeless and scared with no clear reason why? While you may immediately jump to the conclusion of a mental illness like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, it could actually be an autoimmune medical problem. Such was the case with one Houston mom and her daughter.
Schizophrenia Symptoms… that Aren’t Schizophrenia?
Allow us to introduce you to Susan Baker and her daughter Tiffany. Tiffany was a healthy, likable 20-year-old who didn’t struggle with any known health conditions. Then suddenly, everything changed. For the next two years, Tiffany showed extremely distressing signs that something was wrong- and the transformation was almost immediate.
“She was literally trying to jump out of her skin. She couldn’t escape herself. There were tons of people where we were – as she did this – everybody knew something had happened, but nobody knew what. There was a bubble that formed around us and people just moved away,” said Susan, who is a psychotherapist by profession. (1)
Finding a New Solution
Tiffany’s doctors interpreted her symptoms as signs of schizophrenia, which tends to manifest in early adulthood. But after trying several treatments, nothing was making a difference. Susan and their psychiatrist began to wonder if something else was really at play. The Bakers have since met with a doctor who has experience treating mysterious conditions like this, and who suggested that Tiffany’s symptoms were actually tied to an autoimmune condition.
“When we block that receptor, people have hallucinations. They can have thoughts of people reading their minds and delusions and it can be bipolar – likely caused by an autoimmune attack,” says Dr. Joseph Masdeu, who is the Director of the Houston Methodist Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center. (1) Dr. Masdeu studies an autoimmune condition that mimics the symptoms of illnesses like schizophrenia. He says it can actually be treated by well-known methods for autoimmune disease, without need for antipsychotics.
Dr. Masdeu believes many people are wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disease who actually have this autoimmune condition, which interferes with important receptors in the brain. “When we block that receptor, people have hallucinations. They can have thoughts of people reading their minds and delusions and it can be bipolar – likely caused by an autoimmune attack,” he explains.
Susannah Cahalan: A Success Story
Below you can watch a 9 minute interview with Susannah Cahalan, who suffered a similar frightening condition, but was treated successfully in 2013:
What Does Schizophrenia Normally Look Like?
According to the National Institute for Mental Health (2), schizophrenia generally comes to light between the ages of 16 and 30, although children can be diagnosed too, much more rarely. Schizophrenia symptoms are categorized into 3 ways: positive, negative, and cognitive. The following is a brief explanation from the NIMH:
Positive symptoms: “Positive” symptoms are psychotic behaviors not generally seen in healthy people. People with positive symptoms may “lose touch” with some aspects of reality. Symptoms include:
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Thought disorders (unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking)
- Movement disorders (agitated body movements)
Negative symptoms: “Negative” symptoms are associated with disruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. Symptoms include:
- “Flat affect” (reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone)
- Reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life
- Difficulty beginning and sustaining activities
- Reduced speaking
Cognitive symptoms: For some patients, the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are subtle, but for others, they are more severe and patients may notice changes in their memory or other aspects of thinking. Symptoms include:
- Poor “executive functioning” (the ability to understand information and use it to make decisions)
- Trouble focusing or paying attention
- Problems with “working memory” (the ability to use information immediately after learning it)
What Does Bipolar Disorder Normally Look Like?
Otherwise known as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling between manic and depressive episodes. During mania, individuals will experience extremely high amounts of energy, insomnia, irritability, and risk-taking. Whereas, depressive episodes are characterized by low energy, depression, trouble concentrating, and fatigue. In some cases, both depressive and manic episodes can also trigger psychotic symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. (3)
Currently, doctors can test for the autoimmune condition via spinal fluid, however, Dr. Masdeu warns that this test often fails. He is currently conducting a study in Houston to find more accurate information about the condition. If you’d like more information, you can reach out to Jennifer Garrett with Dr. Masdeu’s research team at 713-441-9484.
