30th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

The 30^th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference is scheduled to take place Friday, November 15 at the Sheraton Station Square and is the nation’s longest running scientific meeting devoted to exploring the latest research findings related to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. 

 

Each year, internationally recognized experts provide comprehensive reviews of advances in their areas and emphasize the clinical relevance of the research.  This year’s meeting will cover a range of topics, including studies of children and adolescents who may turn out to have psychotic disorders in later life, problems with cognitive impairments and how these can impact day to day functioning in schizophrenia, and the role that viruses and infections may play in schizophrenia. 

 

A presentation by the faculty awardee of the 2013 Gerard Hogarty Research Excellence Prize focusing on the treatment of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia will also take place during the meeting. 

 

In addition, there will be a panel of persons with schizophrenia, their family members and others addressing the issues of symptom management, staying the course, hope, resilience and recovery.

 

Details and registration information can be found on the website or this registration form. If you have questions, contact Nancy Mundy at mundynl@upmc.edu or (412) 802-9090.

Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

The 28th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference is being held on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Sheraton Station Square. This conference is the longest running scientific meeting devoted to exploring the latest research findings related to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Each year, internationally recognized experts provide comprehensive reviews of advances in their areas and emphasize the clinical relevance of the research. 

This year's meeting will cover a range of topics, including the neurophysiology of schizophrenia as well as the the significance of inflammation and the role of pharmacogenetics in the treatment of schizophrenia. It will also examine the possible connection between infection, cognitive functioning and schizophrenia.

Presentations by the faculty awarded the two 2011 Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference Awards and the Gerard Hogarty Research Excellence Prize will also take place during the meeting. In addition, there will be a panel addressing issues related to the closing of a state hospital.

Details can be found at this website. For additional information, contact Maria Pena-Jordan at penajordanmi@upmc.edu or (412) 802-6917.

Conference Alert: 27th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

27th Annual Schizophrenia Conference
Friday, December 10, 2010

Sheraton Station Square Hotel

Pittsburgh, PA

Course Director:
K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD

The Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference is an annual meeting at which the advances in schizophrenia research are reviewed by leading international experts in the field. This year's meeting will cover a range of topics, including the associations between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia and impairments in the brain circuits that are associated with auditory processes relevant to schizophrenia. The concept of preventing schizophrenia has brought up several several controversial but innovative ideas, and the 2010 Schizophrenia Conference Award Lecturer will address this issue. A leading expert who will be awarded the Gerard E. Hogarty Research Excellence Award in Schizophrenia will present his research to the audience. The lecture will focus on the pharmacological treatment of cognitive impairments in people with schizophrenia. The patient and family perspective will also be presented in a panel format.

Who Should Attend:
The conference is designed to disseminate the latest research findings to a wide audience: psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians, including nurses, social workers, psychologists, service coordinators, researchers, patients and their relatives, mental health policy administrators and others who wish to keep abreast of etiologic and treatment research in schizophrenia.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the program, participants should be able to:

• Describe the association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia.
  
• Consider impairments in brain circuits associated with the auditory cortex and how this relates to schizophrenia.
  
• Review the current knowledge on prevention and early intervention in schizophrenia.
• Discuss the effect of antipsychotic medications on cognitive function.
• Discuss the rationale for the selection of potential targets for the treatment of cognitive impairments.
  
• Consider a first-person account of schizophrenia from a patient and/or family perspective.
  

Presented by:
UPMC Health System Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic; Services and Research for Recovery in Serious Mental Illness; Mental Health Conference Planning; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences


Details and registration information can be found at the conference website. For additional information or to receive a brochure, please contact Kyessa Brian at briankl@upmc.edu or via phone at 412-802-6905.

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Photo: Pittsburgh Skyline from Station Square, Some rights reserved by jmd41280

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Schizophrenia and Caregiving

If you are caring for an individual with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, you are not alone. Resources and community services are available to support you and the recovery of your loved one. Helpguide offers tips and information on successful care-giving in their online article, "Helping a Schizophrenic Person: Coping with Symptoms, Supporting Treatment, and Finding Services" by Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. and Melinda Smith, M.A.

For more information about mental health and wellness, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

Photo: Butterfly in Hand, Some rights reserved by DigiDragon

Friday Five: Facts About Schizophrenia

Some rights reserved by Stuck in Customs

- Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. About one percent of Americans have this illness.

- People with the disorder may have a variety of symptoms, including hearing voices, paranoid thoughts, hallucinations and/or disordered thinking.  Symptoms vary from person to person. 

- Schizophrenia affects men and women equally. It occurs at similar rates in all ethnic groups around the world. Symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions usually start between ages 16 and 30. Men tend to experience symptoms a little earlier than women. Most of the time, people do not get schizophrenia after age 45. Schizophrenia rarely occurs in children, but awareness of childhood-onset schizophrenia is increasing.

- Experts think schizophrenia is caused by genetic and environmental factors.  Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, treatments focus on eliminating the symptoms of the disease. Treatments include antipsychotic medications and various psychosocial treatments.

- The outlook for people with schizophrenia continues to improve. Although there is not yet a cure for schizophrenia, treatments that work well are available. Many people with schizophrenia lead meaningful lives in recovery.

(This week's Friday Five facts are taken from the National Institute of Mental Health's Schizophrenia booklet. For more information about Schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.)