Abstract
Because of the potential adverse events and teratogenesis of antipsychotic drugs, it is important to find a safe and effective treatment for pregnant women with severe mental illness. The membrane hypothesis of schizophrenia provides a rationale to treat symptoms of schizophrenia with omega-3 PUFAs. We report a 30-year-old married woman with chronic schizophrenia, who experienced an episode of acute exacerbation of psychotic symptoms during pregnancy. After entering into an open trial of omega-3 PUFAs monotherapy, she showed a dramatic improvement in both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and a significant increase of omega-3 PUFA composition in erythrocyte membrane. There were no adverse effects in this treatment. Thus, omega-3 PUFAs could be both beneficial and therapeutic to pregnant schizophrenic women.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 295-299 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | European Neuropsychopharmacology |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2001 |
Keywords
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
- Ecosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
- Pregnancy
- Schizophrenia
- Teratogenesis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology
- Neurology
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
- Pharmacology (medical)