Some effects of folate deficiency on mentals status in street dwelling homeless mentally ill (original) (raw)

A study was conducted on 63 homeless schizophrenic inpatients at NYU-Bellevue Medical Center to investigate the effects of folate deficiency on mental status. Results indicated a negative correlation between serum folate levels and negative symptoms such as apathy and asociality, while a positive correlation was noted between serum B12 levels and cognitive function as measured by Mini-Mental scores. These findings suggest that nutritional deficiencies may exacerbate mental illness, highlighting the need for nutritional assessments in psychotic patients.