Insulin resistance in schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia and diabetes have been known to be linked disorders for decades. One reason is due to the fact that a major side effect of antipsychotic medication treatment is metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of the patients developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. However, signs of metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia patients were identified more than 100 years ago, even before the development of antipsychotic drugs. This suggests that schizophrenia itself predisposes towards diabetes and, in turn, insulin resistance may be a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. This review summarizes the findings surrounding this issue and places them into context with regards to increasing our understanding of the aetiology of schizophrenia and in support of biomarker and drug discovery efforts