Schizophrenia.

[maybenotcrazy]

What is the prevailing theory of how the frontal lobe dopamine levels are related to schizophrenia. Is there such a theory that has something to do with frontal lobe function being involved in generating personalities. Could it be that people who are upset with something about their selves cope with it by generating an alter ego which then takes on a mind of itself and eventually generates a whole new person or more persons in the brain that are independent in function which generate everything that a schizophrenic experiences as input from another being? Trust me, as a schizo I know that there is an overwhelming feeling that there is something that has knowledge of my memory base that is totally not me that hates my guts (usually) communicating with me on occasion through all kinds of means. By the way, is it usual for IQ to rise during schizophrenia. My verbal IQ rose from premorbid 126 to 149. Between the old wais 3 and wais 4. I know those scores are high but they don't mean much in terms of ability, I'm a ne'er do well no matter how you slice it but such a dramatic rise shouldn't occur when you have a debilitating mental illness. My performance IQ also rose significantly along with full scale, but I don't know the scores yet... nor do you have to know...

 

[Chesterton]

Trust me, as a schizo I know that there is an overwhelming feeling that there is something that has knowledge of my memory base that is totally not me that hates my guts (usually) communicating with me on occasion through all kinds of means.

I call that thing my "girlfriend".

 

[Hespera]

I call that thing my "girlfriend".

Why does she hate you so much?

 

[Chesterton]

Why does she hate you so much?

Something to do with stuff like "not listening" to her or something. I'm not really sure; I try not to listen to her.

 

[Bombila]

Something to do with stuff like "not listening" to her or something. I'm not really sure; I try not to listen to her.

She's imaginary, isn't she.

 

[Chesterton]

She's imaginary, isn't she.

She will be if she reads this thread.

 

[corvus_corax]

The OP said-

What is the prevailing theory of how the frontal lobe dopamine levels are related to schizophrenia. Is there such a theory that has something to do with frontal lobe function being involved in generating personalities. Could it be that people who are upset with something about their selves cope with it by generating an alter ego which then takes on a mind of itself and eventually generates a whole new person or more persons in the brain that are independent in function which generate everything that a schizophrenic experiences as input from another being? Trust me, as a schizo I know that there is an overwhelming feeling that there is something that has knowledge of my memory base that is totally not me that hates my guts (usually) communicating with me on occasion through all kinds of means.

(emphasis mine)
And then the "joke" started.

I call that thing my "girlfriend".

maybenotcrazy asked a serious question, and all we have are jokes about Chester's "girlfriend"?

I've worked with schizophrenics (when I was an intern years ago in a "psych ward") and quite frankly this IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER. It's painful enough to watch a schizophrenic in the throes of their illness......I can't even IMAGINE what it's like to go through that experience day after day.

Joke all you want guys, but don't expect your "contributions" to this thread to actually contribute anything.
Schizophrenia is about as funny as cancer

 

[lostaquarium]

There isn't a single 'prevailing' theory of schizophrenia, but there are a few current ideas which IMO make a lot of sense.

Evidence that dopamine might be involved:
1) Drugs that treat schizophrenia can block dopamine receptors. The effectiveness of the drug is linearly (inversely) related to the strength with which it blocks.
2) Drugs that increase dopamine make psychotic symptoms worse. They can even make healthy people psychotic if used a lot.

But dopamine is not the whole story:
1) The drugs only affect "positive symptoms" (e.g. hallucinations) not "negative symptoms" (e.g. poor speech). So something else must be going on.
2) Drugs have to be given for weeks before effects occur, even though the block of receptors is immediate. This suggests symptoms are caused by other gradual changes, not in levels of dopamine itself.
3) More recent drugs (e.g. clozapine, risperidone) affect glutamate and serotonin as well as dopamine. These work on both negative and positive symptoms.

In schizophrenia, there is also a loss of brain tissue in frontal cortex and temporal cortex. But I don't know how this relates to dopamine.

Two predominating theories about schizophrenia:

1) The "defective filter". Healthy people can filter information, paying attention to things that they want (e.g. listening to one person in a crowded room). Schizophrenics can't filter very well, so they're bombarded with irrelevant senses. The brain might decide that some irrelevant info is actually relevent (leading to delusions and hallucinations). As a form of coping, patients withdraw from social interactions, reducing speech and activity.

2) "Self-monitoring". When healthy people speak/think/act, they know that they themselves have spoken/thought/acted. Schizophrenics may mis-attribute their own words/thoughts/actions to some other source - e.g. that someone else is inserting thoughts into their head. When a microphone was put against a patient's throat, they recorded very quite mutterings right before the patient experienced an auditory hallucination. Also, holding the mouth open (or humming) can suppress hallucinations.

These 2 models might both be true, or neither, or one of them. Currently no one really knows.

From your post, I think the "self-monitoring" theory is a closer fit. When you have an internal dialogue (which everyone does) you mis-attribute one of the voices to someone else, whereas in fact it's just you.

 

[Chesterton]

Sorry if I used bad judgment, but I've seen many of maybenotcrazy's posts, and we've chatted once or twice, and I've seen him talk jokingly before about his spiritual/mental state.​

I've never recall seeing you actually say you were in fact schizophrenic. maybenotcrazy, I'd like to remind you what the TAW folks have said to you before: that an internet forum such as this is not a place to get help for what may be a serious condition. But you were looking for serious responses, so I do apologize for being silly like that.​

 

[Maxwell511]

What is the prevailing theory of how the frontal lobe dopamine levels are related to schizophrenia.

I think that the prevailing theory is that we produce too much dopamine. As far as I know my medication is designed to reduce dopamine levels and stop the "crazy".

Is there such a theory that has something to do with frontal lobe function being involved in generating personalities. Could it be that people who are upset with something about their selves cope with it by generating an alter ego which then takes on a mind of itself and eventually generates a whole new person or more persons in the brain that are independent in function which generate everything that a schizophrenic experiences as input from another being?

As far as know there is not. In fairness though these diseases are poorly understund. My personal experience is that I did not have any real problems that I needed to cope with until I started on the prodormal stage of psychosis, looking back it seems that it could have been the disease that caused alot of my problems, both the real and imaginary ones. This thing runs in my family, I was quite happy and well adjusted two years ago. DAMN GENETICS.

Trust me, as a schizo I know that there is an overwhelming feeling that there is something that has knowledge of my memory base that is totally not me that hates my guts (usually) communicating with me on occasion through all kinds of means.

That stuff is fun in a weird way. How does this being communicate with you? Mine did through American dollar bills and names and by "changing" the essence of things. Never figured out what was being communicated before my family started bringing me to the doctors.

You do know that it is not real though? And please take your meds.

By the way, is it usual for IQ to rise during schizophrenia. My verbal IQ rose from premorbid 126 to 149. Between the old wais 3 and wais 4. I know those scores are high but they don't mean much in terms of ability, I'm a ne'er do well no matter how you slice it but such a dramatic rise shouldn't occur when you have a debilitating mental illness. My performance IQ also rose significantly along with full scale, but I don't know the scores yet... nor do you have to know...

I think that my reasoning has dropped alot since I got sick. I am still continuing with my PhD though which means that it can't have gone too low.

I hope.

 

[Maxwell511]

Schizophrenia is about as funny as cancer

My family make jokes about it all the time. We are Irish though and that is just our way of dealing with it.

 

[gaara4158]

Is there such a theory that has something to do with frontal lobe function being involved in generating personalities. Could it be that people who are upset with something about their selves cope with it by generating an alter ego which then takes on a mind of itself and eventually generates a whole new person or more persons in the brain that are independent in function which generate everything that a schizophrenic experiences as input from another being?

What you're describing here is closer to dissociative identity disorder... formerly known as multiple personality disorder. The ego and alter ego become so independent of each other that the ego doesn't even remember the things it does as the alter ego. As you can imagine, there are many people who falsely claim to have this disorder in order to get away with crimes committed by their "alter ego." For this reason, research on this disorder has been difficult. If you want more legitimate information, there's plenty of literature at the APA website.

 

[Thekla]

My family make jokes about it all the time. We are Irish though and that is just our way of dealing with it.

My son jokes about it, too
(not much if any Irish, though ... except his name; maybe thats why )

 

[corvus_corax]

My family make jokes about it all the time. We are Irish though and that is just our way of dealing with it.

I'm Irish as well
And jokes run rampant in our family (and even some VERY 'blue' non-politically correct jokes).
But the OP wasn't trying to joke around, and appeared (to me at least)) to be addressing a serious issue. Jokes were made. That's the only reason I got peeved off (the nicest term I can come up with right now )

Aaaaaaaaanyway, I'm very interested in seeing how this thread progresses (I'm still interested in Schizophrenia and Dissociative Disorder)