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So what does that imply? That visual sensory input might trigger schizophrenia? But that would imply that blind people have diminished sensory input. I just don

So what does that imply? That visual sensory input might trigger schizophrenia? But that would imply that blind people have diminished sensory input. I just don't buy that. They have a lot of sensory input, perhaps as much as seeing people. It's just delivered differently. Try an isolation tank. I can totally imagine someone going crazy in one of those. The original title was even more click-bait. I'm glad it was changed before posted here.

mennis16 7y ago
Hallucinations are much more commonly auditory in Scz, and often language based (deaf Schizophrenic people report hallucinating disembodied hands doing sign language). If it is a real effect it could possibly have the opposite explanation- blind people tend to have compensatory improvements in other senses like hearing, so perhaps developmental auditory hyposensitivity is a causal factor. But yeah, while I think the observation is interesting, it is hard to conclude much of anything from it.
- Jupe 7y ago
  Interesting: https://gizmodo.com/can-deaf-people-hear-voices-1675963437 https://gizmodo.com/can-deaf-people-hear-voices-1675963437 Apparently, deaf people do get Scz, and some even hear voices.
  - Forgivenessizer 7y ago
    But deaf people born blind don't. I'm blaming tinky winky. That creature is horrifying.
pazimzadeh 7y ago
Light inhibits melatonin release. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Circadian_rhythm.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Circadian_rhythm.svg Low melatonin levels are correlated with many diseases, including cancer and schizophrenia. > The results indicated that blind women had a 35% reduced risk of developing breast cancer. Moreover, women who became totally blind prior to age 65 had a 50% reduced risk https://news.cancerconnect.com/breast-cancer/blind-women-have-lower-risk-for-breast-cancer-NpAaFuxgUE2jHxY1UxDiJw https://news.cancerconnect.com/breast-cancer/blind-women-hav... Role of Melatonin in Schizophrenia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676771/ Disappointing that the article doesn't mention melatonin once.
- 6nf 7y ago
  Do blind people get less light?
  - pazimzadeh 7y ago
    Less light in the retina, yes. But there are different types of "blind."
    - 6nf 7y ago
      So at least some blind people would be unaffected by melatonin differences which means you should still be able to find blind schizophrenia cases if the melanonin hypothesis is true
      - pazimzadeh 7y ago
        No, they specifically only mentioned people that were "born blind." I was answering your question: > Do blind people get less light? Yes, in their retina. But if you want to be technical, blind people 'get' as much light as anyone else on the rest of their body.
        6nf 7y ago
        Some people born blind will still get the same amount of melatonin as sighted people. Therefore you should still see born blind schitzos. But we do not. The melatonin hypothesis is bunk.

mennis16 7y ago

Hallucinations are much more commonly auditory in Scz, and often language based (deaf Schizophrenic people report hallucinating disembodied hands doing sign language). If it is a real effect it could possibly have the opposite explanation- blind people tend to have compensatory improvements in other senses like hearing, so perhaps developmental auditory hyposensitivity is a causal factor. But yeah, while I think the observation is interesting, it is hard to conclude much of anything from it.

Jupe 7y ago
Interesting: https://gizmodo.com/can-deaf-people-hear-voices-1675963437 https://gizmodo.com/can-deaf-people-hear-voices-1675963437 Apparently, deaf people do get Scz, and some even hear voices.
- Forgivenessizer 7y ago
  But deaf people born blind don't. I'm blaming tinky winky. That creature is horrifying.

pazimzadeh 7y ago

Light inhibits melatonin release. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Circadian_rhythm.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Circadian_rhythm.svg Low melatonin levels are correlated with many diseases, including cancer and schizophrenia. > The results indicated that blind women had a 35% reduced risk of developing breast cancer. Moreover, women who became totally blind prior to age 65 had a 50% reduced risk https://news.cancerconnect.com/breast-cancer/blind-women-have-lower-risk-for-breast-cancer-NpAaFuxgUE2jHxY1UxDiJw https://news.cancerconnect.com/breast-cancer/blind-women-hav... Role of Melatonin in Schizophrenia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676771/ Disappointing that the article doesn't mention melatonin once.

6nf 7y ago
Do blind people get less light?
- pazimzadeh 7y ago
  Less light in the retina, yes. But there are different types of "blind."
  - 6nf 7y ago
    So at least some blind people would be unaffected by melatonin differences which means you should still be able to find blind schizophrenia cases if the melanonin hypothesis is true
    - pazimzadeh 7y ago
      No, they specifically only mentioned people that were "born blind." I was answering your question: > Do blind people get less light? Yes, in their retina. But if you want to be technical, blind people 'get' as much light as anyone else on the rest of their body.
      - 6nf 7y ago
        Some people born blind will still get the same amount of melatonin as sighted people. Therefore you should still see born blind schitzos. But we do not. The melatonin hypothesis is bunk.