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E's linked to schizophrenia risk

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E's linked to schizophrenia risk

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No, not those "E's" that make you a little bit more chirpy and empathic when you're out at a club, but E grades at GCSE level...

BBC NEWS | Health | Low marks linked to schizophrenia

Low marks linked to schizophrenia A lack of diligence and attention at school could be early signs of illness Poor performance at school could indicate an increased risk of later developing schizophrenia, a study says. UK and Swedish researchers followed more than 900,000 children born between 1973 and 1983. The Psychological Medicine paper found getting an E grade in any GCSE-stage exam was linked to a doubling of the small risk of developing schizophrenia.

Interesting that getting a grade E may double the relatively tiny risk, while smoking skunk may increase it by less than half that. I suppose it is distinctly possible that all the Grade E students are perpetually on spliffs.

Personally I think both this research and the cannabis research are more on the "urban myth" front than good science but I'll bet we don't get some lurid headlines in the Express or Mail these next few weeks about all those just about to receive their GCSE grades and how half of them are doubling their risk of evil psychosis. I note also the last paragraph of the BBC article:

[Hilary Caprani of mental health charity Rethink] added: "The good news is that many people who have psychosis recover and go on to have challenging careers."

We don't hear that much in the scaremongering about dope, do we?

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Comments

Submitted by Jo (not verified) on August 10, 2008 - 07:28.

Jock! How unbelievable - pupils who are more likely to gain E grades are those from a lower socio-economic background and are therefore more at risk of mental illness anyway. There is a chart in 'Britain after Blair' that illustrates that perfectly. After you begin to earn 15k your chances of becoming mentally ill slope dramatically. Therefore that is the reason for it. It doesn't mean that mentally ill people are stupid at all. However, mental illness can make it hard to concentrate at school, of course. Consider yourself well and truly told off! :@)

Submitted by Jock on August 10, 2008 - 09:52.

I wasn't having a go at mental illness or poverty at all. I was having a go at the research that opens up this can of worms. Even the article mentions several times disbelieving opponents of the findings saying that schizophrenia is markedly more prevalent in people with above average intelligence. Now, if the article were to have said "poor educational attainment owing to the pressures of living on the poverty line" raises the risk (and perhaps then especially amongst kids with a higher intelligence from such households who may be doubly frustrated by the inability to escape and have their talent nurtured properly), then it would be a different finding and would make some sense.

From my own experience, however, whilst not poor by any means (away at boarding school in fact) I can see how there could be a correlation between *unexpectedly* poor attainment amongst children of above average intelligence could be a sign that their brains are not being "fed" enough and are getting "bored".

I notice the primary data for this research comes from Sweden, because they can track people via their ID numbers and compare adult hospital admissions with exam results from their childhood (a bit scary in itself!); I would have thought that such cross referencing could also be made to say benefits recipientsand have produced something useful proving something more along the lines you are talking of.

Submitted by Jo (not verified) on August 10, 2008 - 11:49.

Yes sorry Jock - sometimes I don't pay attention at the back of the class... I gained a grade E once for a module in the GCSE maths module I had to re-take twice. The first time I failed I gained a D!!! My IQ is, however, quite above average and I nearly gained a 1st for an element of my degree at university. I also grew up against a backdrop of relative poverty and the associated issues. I therefore did exceedingly well at primary and 'middle' school (9-13) but my attainment sunk when I went to secondary school. There were just too many issues at school and at home. Nick shouldn't be looking into social mobility at all. It's looking at the issue top down when it should be looked at from bottom up. The help needed is at home. It's where the hinderance comes from and where things like sure start mobile libraries (just called mobile libraries in my day - a godsend where we lived without a car) do help but are like an anonymous hand appearing and stabbing helplessly at the problem... Not getting at you at all, but I'm realising lately that feeling passionately about an issue usually comes about from experiencing a bit of the problem yourself. Sorry to get so serious...:@)