Researchers have traced a connection between some infections and mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. New research from Denmark bolsters that connection. The study, published Thursday in JAMA Psychiatry, shows that a wide variety of infections, even common ones like bronchitis, are linked to a higher risk of many mental illnesses in children and adolescents.
The findings support the idea that infections affect mental health, possibly by influencing the immune system.
“This idea that activation of the body’s immune inflammatory system as a causative factor in … select mental illnesses is one that has really caught on,” says Dr. Roger McIntyre, a professor of psychology and pharmacology at the University of Toronto, who wasn’t involved in the study. “This study adds to that generally, but builds the case further in a compelling way.”
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