Researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, gave an estrogen patch to 56 women in addition to standard medications for one month. The women were all in the acute or chronic phase of schizophrenia, including 29 who were hospitalized for the condition.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1.1 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don't hear.
The scientists found that women with the estrogen patch had significantly fewer psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions and movement disorders, than the 46 women with a placebo patch.
Writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry Journal, lead author Jayashri Kulkarni said the hormone might be enhancing blood flow to the brain. The hormone could provide a new adjunctive therapeutic option for severe mental illness.
However, larger and longer studies are needed to confirm the benefits of estrogen, which is used to ease the symptoms of menopause and treat osteoporosis, the researchers said. Medication can control severe symptoms, such as hearing voices or angry or violent outbursts, although the drugs can cause serious side effects including weight gain, diabetes and movement problems.
