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Editor's e-Note
What’s wisdom got to do with wellness? A recent study published in Schizophrenia Research found that wisdom buffers the impact of life’s difficulties, and, in individuals with schizophrenia, can increase happiness and the ability to function in society. Researchers discovered that higher scores in wisdom were linked with better results in neurocognitive and functional assessments. And while people with schizophrenia generally had lower scores in wisdom assessments, the study demonstrates that wisdom can be increased and that there’s value in making that one of the goals of management.

In addition to reading our e-newsletter, be sure to visit Today’s Geriatric Medicine’s website at www.TodaysGeriatricMedicine.com, where you’ll find news and information that’s relevant and reliable. We welcome your feedback at TGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too.

— Kate Jackson, editor
e-News Exclusive
The Ways of Wisdom in Schizophrenia

While wisdom is closely linked to improved health and well-being, its role and impact among people with schizophrenia—possibly the most devastating of mental illnesses—is not known.

In a new paper, recently published in Schizophrenia Research, researchers at University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine report that, on average, persons with schizophrenia (PWS) obtained lower scores on a wisdom assessment than nonpsychiatric comparison participants (NPCPs), but that there was considerable variability in levels of wisdom. Nearly one-third of PWS had scores in the “normal” range, and these PWS with higher levels of wisdom displayed fewer psychotic symptoms as well as better cognitive performance and everyday functioning.

“Taken together, our findings argue for the value of assessing wisdom in persons with schizophrenia because increasing wisdom may help improve their social and neuro-cognition, and vice versa,” says senior author Dilip Jeste, MD, distinguished professor of psychiatry and neurosciences and director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at UCSD School of Medicine.

“There is a concept of ‘wellness within illness,’” Jeste says. “Our findings support the hypothesis that wisdom and schizophrenia coexist in a proportion of these patients, specifically those functioning at a higher level. Furthermore, the data suggest that treatments that enhance positive psychological traits, such as wisdom, may promote health and well-being in persons with schizophrenia.

Full story »
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