Newsy article, but a useful kernel.....
In our recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, we tested whether supplementing standard treatment with taurine would improve cognition and other mental health symptoms in young people who had experienced their first psychotic episode.
Our results showed people given taurine had significantly improved overall mental health symptoms, including those of psychosis, compared to those given placebo. People given taurine also showed improvement in depression symptoms and overall social and occupational functioning.
People experiencing psychosis commonly have impairments in cognitive function including reduced concentration, memory, and problem solving ability. We found no difference in cognitive function between the group given taurine and placebo.
But taurine was found to be both safe and well tolerated.
Antipsychotic medication is the first line treatment for psychosis, but it is not always effective, with a proportion of patients experiencing ongoing symptoms or unwanted side effects. Because of this, complementary treatment options are greatly needed.