Omega-3 Supplementation May Reduce Symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder in Children

Community-dwelling children with schizotypal personality disorder may benefit from dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, according to areport inSchizophrenia Bulletin. Schizotypal personality disorder (or “schizotypy”) is marked by symptoms of aggression and interpersonal and cognitive problems that can be precursors to schizophrenia.“Poor nutrition has long been associated with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, including schizoid personality and schizotypal personality,” wrote Adrian Raine, D. Phil., of the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues. One of the researchers’ previous studies found that providing youth with a fish-rich dietary intervention could improve brain function and reduce schizotypy symptoms. “[W]e hypothesized that omega-3 could be the active ingredient in the enrichment that reduced schizotypy.”In the current study, 290 community-dwelling children aged 11 and 12 years were randomly assigned to receive three months of daily omega-3 supplementation alone, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone, or omega-3 supplementation plus CBT or were placed in a control group. All children met criteria for conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder or had higher-than-average scores on a standardized test for aggression.The omega-3 supplement consisted of a daily 200 ml fruit-flavored drink containing 1,000 mg of various omega-3 fatty acids along with two chewable multivitamin tablets. CBT was delivered in 12 weekly one-hour sessions...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Adrian Raine CBT conduct disorder omega 3 fatty acids oppositional defiant disorder schizotypal personality disorder schizotypy SPQ-C19 University of Pennsylvania Source Type: research