The town of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. When she had her first psychotic break, Murry went into her bathroom and took a bottle of pills. The daughter saved her mother's life by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Dante Murry lost touch with reality and contemplated suicide around that same time.
They both had different illnesses that led them down the same path.
A growing body of research shows that the symptoms and signs of schizoaffective disorder are similar to those of the other two disorders.
They can be considered as part of a spectrum.
Extreme mood swings can be caused by a mental illness. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. Symptoms of both are included in schizoaffective disorder.
The theory that they exist on a continuum has gained ground as more and more studies show that variations in some of the same genes affect how susceptible people are. In research published in the journal Nature Genetics this year, scientists at Broad and elsewhere found that the AKAP11 gene was a strong risk factor for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Doctors will be able to better understand what drives the illnesses, how they affect the body's most confusing organ and what more can be done to help people. Research could help guide treatment and lead to better drugs in the future. They hope that it will reinforce the idea that such disorders are biologically based and not caused by moral failures.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, there are genetic markers and risk factors for mental illness.
The Murrys, who met through the alliance and married in 2020, hope the research will provide answers for them and other people with mental illness. They are keeping their disorders under control thanks to the help of doctors and one another.
They are perfect partners according to Chastity Murry.
Dante Murry smiled and said yes. She is more sweet than I am.
There are passing down tendencies.
Both of their families have suffered from mental illness.
Knowing this made me understand why this is happening to me. There was always a chance.
Genetics plays a big part in mental illnesses. Experience and environment interact in subtle ways. Everyone with risk genes is not going to get sick.
The chance of getting the disease 10-fold may be increased by a severe risk genes. The population-wide risk of developing the illness is 1%. There is a chance that parents with the gene won't have a child with the illness.
There will be a number of cases if you take a whole extended family that has that risk genes. There is a roll of the dice.
According to experts, other illnesses are more likely. If you have a family member with a mental illness, you are more likely to have it as well.
Studies show that the same thing happens for schizoaffective disorder.
Around 9 million U.S. adults are affected by these conditions, and there are no tests for them. All three illnesses can cause psychosis.
It can be hard to diagnose this. Sally Littlefield of Oakland, California, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after she went into a psychotic state during a work meeting. She thought a team of psychologists had taken control of her life and were experimenting on her against her will.
During a manic episode, Littlefield broke into houses and cars, stole and jumped from one car rooftop to another. She was taken to the hospital. When her delusions got so high she thought she was the president of the United States, she realized she was sick.
She said she's willing to tell her story in order to help break down stigma, discrimination and shame, which prevent a lot of us from recovery.
It is a very long journey.
As doctors learn more about how mental illnesses arise and affect the brain, people with mental illness hope stigma disappears.
According to a study, a growing number of experts now recognize that schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar not only share common genetic risk factors and symptoms but also look similar in neuroimaging and may have common treatment regimen. Mood stabilizers are often used to treat mental illnesses. The recent Broad Institute research may show how the drug works.
More than one of the illnesses can be treated with other drugs. Several of the same medications are taken by the Murrys.
Doctors might be able to intervene earlier in the disease process with the help of genetics. Scientists said that genetic testing could change in the future, even though it's rare now. If people knew their genetics and family history, they could seek help if they got sick.
Some scientists don't think it's a good idea to frame schizoaffective disorder as a psychosis continuum if that leads to changing categories for people with each disorder. The current criteria are useful in making treatment decisions.
More research is needed by scientists. The first step in the development of new medicines is finding new illness risk genes. Researchers need to figure out how the genes function, understand disease mechanisms and identify targets for the drugs, according to a Broad road map.
It could take 5 to 50 years for genetic findings to change clinical practice. It is a very lengthy journey.
Peer support is important for people living with mental illness. Each day, the Murrys check on one another.
I know when he is having a bad day. He is able to tell when I am having a bad day. He will ask me if I have taken my medication. I know he has my best interests in mind, so I don't get offended.
They learned and grew from volunteering. They have been trained to help people who are suicidal and facilitate support groups twice a week.
It's my path in life and his path as well. They are helping us as well.
That's right.
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