Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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People born blind are mysteriously protected from schizophrenia- article (vice.com)
submitted by awesomesaucesaywhat
JackEsq 21 points 3y ago
Interesting article. I have worked with mentally ill patients and there seems to be some link with vision and schizophrenia. There is a phenomena were some severely schizophrenic patients will intentionally blind themselves. The theory was that the visual input was too overwhelming.
awesomesaucesaywhat [OP] 9 points 3y ago
That’s fascinating. I have a friend with schizophrenia and she closes her eyes a lot when she’s afraid she’s hallucinating
KillerLag 4 points 3y ago
One of my clients attempted this, unfortunately. He believed an angel told him to pluck out his eye (Matthew 5:29).
He decided to use a fork :(
He decided to use a fork :(
WiggleBooks 3 points 3y ago
How did you client feel afterwards? Was it painful?
Did becoming blind feel like a relief?
Did becoming blind feel like a relief?
KillerLag 2 points 3y ago
It seemed painful, I didn't ask. In terms of a relief, he was not too coherent, so I can not say. During my visit, he was still highly obsessed with angels, which I tried to steer away from to avoid further self-harm.
JackEsq 2 points 3y ago
Patient I know of made a makeshift blowtorch and burned his eyes out.
KillerLag 2 points 3y ago
At least got to give them credit for doing it in a creative manner :O
Serious_Guy_ 1 points 3y ago
A guy I used to live with did this to. His delusions had a religious motif as well. He was locked up when he tried to remove someone else's eye.
admittedly-paranoid 1 points 3y ago
this is so upsetting
KillerLag 1 points 3y ago
Mental health issues can, unfortunately, have tragic consequences.
FrankenGretchen 11 points 3y ago
Seeing as (visual) hallucinations are a cornerstone of a schizophrenia diagnosis and blind people cannot visually hallucinate, I can see where some would say this excludes them from such a diagnosis. That logic chain is wholly inadequate and does an injustice to blind or otherwise sensory-limited patients who would otherwise benefit from accurate diagnosis and treatment.
I have known a few blind people who have had hallucinations via other sensoria which lend credence to a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
I have known a few blind people who have had hallucinations via other sensoria which lend credence to a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
KillerLag 4 points 3y ago
Not necessarily a visual hallucination. Major symptoms can also be auditory hallucinations and delusions. I've met clients who have just had auditory or tactile hallucinations without any visual.
razzretina 3 points 3y ago
This is what I was thinking about with my concerns over the study. A lot of mental illnesses among the blind get ignored, misdiagnosed, and essentially "blamed" as being just a side effect of blindness. So I wonder if there are congenitally blind schizophrenics out there who just aren't presenting the expected visual symptoms and whose presenting symptoms are being mislabeled as something else. If we know the cause of schizophrenia, it would be easier to sort this out, but if I remember right, it's still not known except for a possible genetic link in families, right?
FrankenGretchen 1 points 3y ago
I agree completely and don't consider lack of a sersory modality or exclusion of a modality in someone's hallucination spectrum to be an exclusive for a schizophrenia diagnosis. I have seen colleagues who would.
Edit : my statement about cornerstone traits for a particular diagnosis was the criteria I've seen others argue as reasoning to support the idea that blind people (from birth or later) don't/can't have schizophrenia. It's not my opinion or criteria for the diagnosis.
Edit : my statement about cornerstone traits for a particular diagnosis was the criteria I've seen others argue as reasoning to support the idea that blind people (from birth or later) don't/can't have schizophrenia. It's not my opinion or criteria for the diagnosis.
Oedil 1 points 3y ago
actually, visual hallucinations arent as common as you might think in schizophrenics. in terms of prominent schizophrenic symptoms visual hallucinatioms are probably nearer the bottom than topm
AllHarlowsEve 6 points 3y ago
This is interesting, but I'm wondering about its legitimacy. I have met a couple blind people that definitely have dealt with symptoms similar to schizophrenia, but I'm not a professional.
KillerLag 4 points 3y ago
Did they lose their vision later in life, or significantly earlier? It seems being born blind is the factor they were looking at.
AllHarlowsEve 1 points 3y ago
One I know was born blind, but I'm not sure about the others.
razzretina 2 points 3y ago
I wouldn't take this at face value. What was the cause of blindness? What is the cause of schizophrenia? What was the sample size of blind people in the study (if it's less than 30, that's not enough people to make such a definitive statement)? Who did the research and is it peer reviewed? It's very likely there are congenitally (born) blind people with schizophrenia but they present different symptoms due to vision loss. Just based on the title alone, I can tell you this is click bait and unlikely.
rizlahh 3 points 3y ago
Did you read the article at all?
razzretina 0 points 3y ago
Yes. My questions still stand and the title is still misleading. Did you read my post at all?
KillerLag 2 points 3y ago
The sample size was 467,945, over 20 years. The actual article gives a bit more details (The Vice article does gloss over a few things). It also seems to be cortical blindness that was the major factor, while peripheral blindness did make it less likely someone would develop schizophrenia.
razzretina 1 points 3y ago
Thank you! That's very helpful to know. Of those people in the sample, was there a breakdown of how many were blind, or were all of them blind? I'm used to seeing studies where there are less than 50 blind people in a sample and that's determined to represent all blind people. It drives me crazy.
KillerLag 2 points 3y ago
It can be tricky, especially because they are looking at a relatively small sample size (children who are born blind). There was a link in the article that does take you to another article with more details, near the end.
razzretina 1 points 3y ago
That's basically the problem with all blindness research, heh. We're a very small set of the overall population with a huge range of diversity in the causes of blindness as well as other factors. The joys of researching a low incidence disability.
admittedly-paranoid 1 points 3y ago
what's the difference?
KillerLag 2 points 3y ago
Cortical blindness is damage to the brain, while peripheral vision loss isn't necessarily brain damage (it can also come from damage to the eyes or optic nerve, as well as the brain). More research would be necessary to try to find out what the link is.
impablomations 1 points 3y ago
> Just based on the title alone, I can tell you this is click bait and unlikely.
As a former mental health professional who worked in both medium and high security facilities specialising in forensic mental health, I can tell you that you don't have any idea what you're talking about.
As a former mental health professional who worked in both medium and high security facilities specialising in forensic mental health, I can tell you that you don't have any idea what you're talking about.
razzretina 3 points 3y ago
Thanks for ignoring my legitimate questions about the study's sources and research methodology to make a pithy dismissive remark, btw. Great way to show me your expertise and knowledge.
razzretina -1 points 3y ago
As a current blind person as well as teacher of the blind with an extensive knowledge of blindness, its causes, and how research studies are performed with the blind not often taking into account all the variance with blindness, I can assure you I know more than you assume friend.
impablomations 1 points 3y ago
I'm also blind, and before my sight loss I worked extensively with schizophrenia patients. I spent 5yrs at Broadmoor and 1yr at Rampton - both very well known high security psychiatric hospitals in the UK, as well as working is med security residential homes in the community.
If you'd actually bothered to read the article instead of pontificating based on the title alone, you'd see that not only were your questions answered, but the studies themselves were also linked in the text of the article.
>I can assure you I know more than you assume friend.
Doubtful, as anyone with even a modicum of knowledge would know not to dismiss something out of hand without bothering to read more than the title.
If you'd actually bothered to read the article instead of pontificating based on the title alone, you'd see that not only were your questions answered, but the studies themselves were also linked in the text of the article.
>I can assure you I know more than you assume friend.
Doubtful, as anyone with even a modicum of knowledge would know not to dismiss something out of hand without bothering to read more than the title.
razzretina 1 points 3y ago
Instead of being a jerk would you consider using your knowledge to have answered any of my questions? Your credentials mean nothing if you’re just using them as a bludgeon.
Another user was kind enough to address my concerns about the studies and pass on their knowledge of schizophrenia.
If you want to educate, your attitude is counterproductive. If you’re just being an ass on the internet for its own sake, carry on elsewhere.
Another user was kind enough to address my concerns about the studies and pass on their knowledge of schizophrenia.
If you want to educate, your attitude is counterproductive. If you’re just being an ass on the internet for its own sake, carry on elsewhere.
mod-mike15 1 points 3y ago
Would being blindfolded for 96 hours causes some sort of visual impairment after the study? Is this ethical?
[deleted] 1 points 3y ago
[deleted]
Abraxas_Infinitum 1 points 3y ago
I don't see how you can find a definitive correlation. You would have to break down the numbers people who are considered blind to those born blind and then also taking into account a disorder that effects only ~1% of the populus per country.
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