Schizophrenia

[AVR1962]

Does anyone know if a gluten-free diet can help patients with Schizophrenia? IN my Celiac book this is one of the other related health issues but there is no info whether a change in diet can help.

[mommida]

I have read some patient study reports that a gluten free diet was helping schizophrenia patients.

[ravenwoodglass]

It can help some folks. There have been some studies done if you do a search using celiac and schizophrenia you may be able to find some of them. Doing a search with the words neurological and celiac might have some studies come up also.

[April90]

You can try gluten free ans schizophrenia too. There is a really interesting case of a 70 year old woman in nc who was diagnosed schizophrenic in childhood, put on a ketogenic and gluten free diet to lose weight and her halllucinations stopped.

My own history is rather interesting. As a young teenager, about 14, I was having depression and some schizo symptoms. A teacher recommended that I see a counselor but the counselor said that "he couldn't do anything until I hit rock bottom." We didn't pursue it anymore and I muddled through High School. Things got a bit better by 10th grade. When I left for college I had trouble again. I came home on winter break and my mom and I discussed seeing someone again. She decided to take me to a nutritionist instead of a shrink and he put me on a gluten free diet. I went back to school and the worst things got better but I still struggled with depression. I left on medical leave the following Fall, came home and entered therapy still on the gluten free diet. I was very compliant, as much as was possible in that time. (1990). The psychiatrist I saw said something about schizotypal, but I don't think she ever firmed up a diagnosis. Still gluten freeI returned to school at a college closer to home. I was happier than I had ever been, and more interactive. I still struggled with depression at times, and the social world of college was overwhelming to someone who had basically missed out on that aspect of adolescence. That Spring I was hospitalized following an overdose of Advil. Diagnosis: atypical Bipolar, schizotypal thinking. Meds: Lithium and Stelazine. Still gluten free-the eval said I saw a "dramatic improvement" and I said "it helped me to trust a few people." I went back and graduated with my BA from that college. Having no symptoms, I went off gluten free in 1993 and then the meds as well. I was basically fine for 15 years, though I wonder how my life would have been different had I stayed on it. I never had a family of my own and my socialization is not normal. Too often I am the "target" at jobs and feel like I work for things but more savvy people take them. REcently due to workplace stress, I started having some issues again. U ended up leaving that job and returning to school. While here I was diagnosed Bipolar 1. Last month, despite being on 900 mg of lithium I had hallucinations. I thought I would have to withdraw from school but I recognized this from years ago and immediately went gluten free, and took whatever enzymes and vitamins that I remembered from the nutritionist and ate lots of quinoa-good source of amino acids. The symptoms stopped. I intend to stay gluten free from now on. The counselor here is going to work with me on the social skills that I missed from 14-20.

I question the Bipolar 1. I think I have Bipolar 2 with something in the schizo spectrum. I think putting me on the gluten free diet at 20 was the best decision anyone ever made on my behalf. If anyone had any real idea of what had been going on before they probably could have helped me more. That is the one problem with treating things before you have a diagnosis. I am hoping that being on it will eventually allow2 me to go off lithium. I think this is tied with immune strength. Both celiac and schizophrenia have autoimmune components and there is all kinds of autoimmune stuff happening in my family. I think being symptom free from age 23-38 was reflective of a fairly low stress level and that those are generally your strongest years.