COMT, Schizophrenia and Dr. Fred Frese

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Today’s Blog Post

COMT, Schizophrenia and Dr. Fred Frese
I was spellbound as I listened to Fred Frese. He had to be the most unusual speaker that I have ever listened to – EVER! And I have listened to thousands of speakers.

I am a speaker, professionally, and I know how to speak. I know how to hold an audience’s attention, capture and retain it. But I doubt that I could be as effective as Fred Frese was and is. I highly doubt it.

The first thing that struck me was that he knew what he was talking about. In fact what he was talking about was himself – so he definitely knew about it. No one could speak about it better than he. I can speak about him – but I have no idea what I am really talking about.

Now that I have your attention span up I am sure that you would like to meet Fred Frese too.

He is actually Dr. Fred Frese, a noted and well known Psychologist in the USA. He perhaps knows more about Schizophrenia than any one else. How can anyone know more than others? How can I cay that about Fred? Well Dr. Fred Frese is person with Schizophrenia and lives with it daily for the last 25 years.

On his Web Site I gleaned this information..
Quote
About Fred Frese
Frederick J. Frese III, Ph.D. is a psychologist with over forty years experience in public mental health care and is presently coordinator of the Summit County Recovery Project, serving recovering consumers in the Akron area. For fifteen years, until his retirement in 1995, Fred was Director of Psychology at Western Reserve Psychiatric Hospital.


He is also a consumer, diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young Marine Corps officer. Despite his disability, he was able to gain a degree from the American Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix, AZ; and a doctorate in psychology from Ohio University.


Fred founded the Community and State Hospital Section of the American Psychological Association and is past president of the National Mental Health Consumers' Association. He currently holds a clinical faculty appointment in psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and is an associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM). He is Second Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and is also on the Board of Scientific
Advisors for Schizophrenia Bulletin.


He has authored many articles and book chapters and has lectured widely on the subject of schizophrenia.
End quote.

Last Friday I listened to, watched and was mesmerized by Fred’s presentation. His brilliance and his care and his ability and his Schizophrenia all came through. Fred was real in everyway.

Fred shared with a large group of people that came from all over Canada to the St. Leonard’s Society’s annual meeting in Toronto. I was given the wonderful opportunity to attend this happening. Fred was the keynote speaker. What a privilege to listen.

Fred talked about the recent research and new information on what scientists know about the COMT Factor in Schizophrenia. He touched lightly on the facts that they know and gave some shocking percentages about the facts.

It is unlikely that most of the readers that I have gleaned in this Blogging will have heard of this COMT Factor. That is why I write about it.

COMT is one of the Genes in Chromosome 22 that is possibly damaged or gets damaged. When it is damaged, “30% of those with a deletion at a location on chromosome 22 will develop schizophrenia or a similar mental disorder.” (quote from FuturePundit Web Site and Dr. Frese)

Fred said something that jumped out at me.
“30% of the Youth that use Marijuana between ages 15 to 18 have high possibility of showing signs of schizophrenia by age 25.”

His inference was that children with this COMT Gene damage will possibly do further damage to this Gene with the Marijuana use. This further damage to the COMT could possibly cause problems within the mind.

I know families that have young men and women showing signs of mental problems right about the age pointed out. I know schizophrenics that all seemed to come into this discovery stage at about the mid 20s.

Suddenly this topic has taken on a whole new light in my life. I have never known or cared to know much about this problem – except how to cope and care for the family. There was little that I could do to help the client.

At the moment that Fred spoke I came to a realization that has turned my life in a new direction. It has taken me a number days to process all that I have just heard. I know that I have to deal with this information in a new way – if I am to help in a better way.

In an odd way the picture that came to my mind was that of the Titanic in the movie. Everyone on the boat knew about Icebergs. They were kind of a beautiful novelty that they cruised by. Few would ever consider the destructive power of the big iceberg when they were riding on the biggest, safest and most beautiful boat ever designed… until ship hit the Iceberg and began to sink.

Few families will even consider schizophrenia until it comes their way.

Now with a little Googling of COMT and Schizophrenia – and the links between these two and the use of Marijuana, I came up with many sites that poo pooed the idea. They outright stated they could find no linkage at all.

But listening to Dr. Fred Frese and hearing what he said, I have to say I need to know more.

This simple testimony of my meeting Dr. Fred Frese was made all the more powerful after a letter appeared in our local newspaper expounding the use of Marijuana. The writer was stating that there was nothing wrong with the use, “come folks get with the program”, get a little ‘bud” and breakout the pipes, smoke up. Come on Government there is nothing to worry about! Get with the program!

It was at that moment that I had a shudder and the first big Iceberg slid by us on the right side.

I have 5 grandsons and one granddaughter that will be impacted by peer pressure. It will happen. One is at 15 years old now. He has a brilliant mind. I want him to stay clear of any danger at all. Naturally there will be enough come his way. He doesn’t need some idiot screaming from a fog filled room, “Come on get with the program!”

I have heard enough to now perk my interest and I need to know more!

Thanks Dr. Fred Frese. You made a difference in me.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/003088.html
http://fredfrese.com/node/13
http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/sbm019v1