Experiences of Persons With Serious Mental Illness During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the experiences of persons with serious mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, or no psychiatric disorder (N=195) were interviewed between July 2020 and January 2021. All were previously enrolled in a cohort study.

Risk factors for natural cause mortality in a cohort of 1494 persons with serious mental illness.

Persons with serious mental illness die on average more than 10 years younger than those in the overall population, mostly due to natural causes. Previous studies have identified predictors of natural cause mortality in this population but few have been prospective studies using clinical variables from in-person evaluations. A cohort of 1494 individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder were assessed at baseline and mortality status was determined from the US National Death Index after up to 20 years of follow-up.

Exposure to Epstein Barr virus and cognitive functioning in individuals with schizophrenia.

Cognitive deficits are a central feature of schizophrenia whose etiology is not fully understood. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is a potentially neurotropic infectious agent that can generate persistent infections with immunomodulatory effects. Previous studies have found an association between EBV antibodies and cognitive functioning in different populations, but there has been limited investigation in schizophrenia.

Atypical immune response to Epstein-Barr virus in major depressive disorder.

Background: An atypical immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been associated with several complex diseases including schizophrenia. The etiology of MDD is unclear; host immune response to EBV infection could play a role.

Methods: We utilized solid phase immunoassays and western blots to measure antibodies to EBV virions, specific viral proteins, and 5 other herpesviruses in 87 individuals with MDD and 312 control individuals.

Exposure to household pet cats and dogs in childhood and risk of subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Background: Serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been associated with environmental exposures in early life. Contact with household pets such as cats and dogs can serve as a source of environmental exposure during these time periods.

Methods: We investigated the relationship between exposure to a household pet cat or dog during the first 12 years of life and having a subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.