SF Gate
http://www.sfgate.com Return to regular view Mother believed to be schizophrenic, off drugs
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Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer
Friday, October 21, 2005
It is surely an act of madness for a mother to throw her three young children into San Francisco Bay. In this case, that madness has a name: schizophrenia.
Reports from relatives of La-shuan Harris are that the 23-year-old Oakland woman had been treated for schizophrenia and had stopped taking the medication that had kept her mental illness under control. She told investigators she was hearing voices before she allegedly hurled her three sons into the water off Pier 7 in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The term "schizophrenia" was coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911 and means "split mind.'' It was perhaps a poor choice of words, which has led to nearly a century of confusion about this treatable mental illness. Schizophrenia is not the same as "split personality" disorder -- in which one person seems to be ruled by two different minds, like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The split mind of the schizophrenic is one where the person's mind has separated from what the rest of us call reality. It is characterized by delusions, hallucinations and disorganization of ordinarily structured behaviors such as speech.
"Schizophrenia is one of many psychotic disorders,'' said Dr. Renee Binder, director of UCSF's psychiatry and law department. "A psychotic disorder is one where you cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not.''
Each year, about 1 in 10,000 Americans is diagnosed as schizophrenic, and the lifetime risk of the disease is estimated to be about 1 in 100, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Among the more common symptoms of schizophrenia are auditory hallucinations, such as the voices Harris reportedly heard, commanding her to drown her children.
Schizophrenics may also develop what doctors call a "flattening of affect," a seeming lack of emotion or connection to those around them. Harris was described by a witness as acting "blank" after police arrived and attempted to rescue her children.
Schizophrenics may also freeze up in a catatonic state, where they may put their hands in a certain position and be unable to move them.
Although schizophrenics are not by nature violent, and most pose no threat to others, the combination of detachment from reality and fearful delusions can be dangerous if left untreated.
"Violence is not part of the diagnosis,'' Binder said. "But if you see someone acting very agitated, you don't go over and do anything that might seem provocative.''
What distinguishes schizophrenia from other psychotic conditions is that the patient suffers from several different symptoms of psychotic behavior, over a period lasting more than a month. Its cause remains a mystery, although a constellation of genetic, biochemical and behavior factors may come into play.
Many psychotic disorders are transient, such as the hallucinations of someone on drugs, or of an alcoholic in detox. They can be triggered by an illness that causes hormonal imbalances, such as thyroid disease.
Schizophrenia is a long-term disorder, causing immense suffering for a patient and those who live around him or her. But psychiatrists say it is treatable with older anti-psychotic drugs such as Haldol (haloperidol), or newer "atypical anti-psychotic" medications such as Clozaril (clozapine), Zyprexa (olanzapine) or Risperdal (risperidone).
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