Positive thinking

Alexis E Cullen, King's College London   People with autoimmune disorders, a collection of diseases where the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, are more likely to have psychosis, according to our latest research . Previous research found that rates of rheumatoid arthritis were lower in people with psychosis than would be expected in the general population. But later studies showed that other autoimmune disorders, such as coeliac disease and autoimmune thyroid disorders , were more common in people with psychosis. This led scientists to the view that there is a connection between autoimmune disorders and psychosis. But conflicting findings meant that it was difficult to reach any conclusions about the relationship. Given the uncertainty about the relationship between these disorders and psychosis, and growing interest in this area, we decided to review the research and conduct a meta-analysis – a method in which data from several studies are combined and an...