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Richard Jed Wyatt

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Richard Jed Wyatt
Born(1939-06-05)June 5, 1939
DiedJune 7, 2002(2002-06-07) (aged 63)
Alma materJohns Hopkins University
Spouses
Children3
Scientific career
FieldsPsychiatry
InstitutionsNational Institute of Mental Health

Richard Jed Wyatt (June 5, 1939[1] – 7 June 2002) was an American psychiatrist and schizophrenia researcher.[2]

Career and Research

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Wyatt was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Johns Hopkins University Medical School[2] and joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1967, where he established a schizophrenia research program. In 1972 he became chief of the neuropsychiatry branch at the NIH.[1] He was one of the early pioneers who studied the biological basis of schizophrenia in the lab.[2] His research led to the first evidence that monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) suppressed REM sleep and could treat narcolepsy.[2]

He was a prolific writer, educator and teacher, having authored over 800 research articles and 6 books and he has trained many of today's leading neuroscientists.[1][2] The "Richard J. Wyatt Award" from the International Association for Early Intervention in Mental Health is named after him to honor his efforts regarding early interventions in schizophrenia.

He was married to Rollyn Simon Wyatt and later to clinical psychologist and author Kay Redfield Jamison.[1][3] He had three children.[1][4] With Jamison he co-produced several films about manic depressive illness.[2] Wyatt died of lung cancer on 7 June 2002 at the age of 63 in Washington, D.C.[1][4][3] Jamison authored a 2009 book, Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir, recounting her relationship with Wyatt and the process of grieving after his death.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f O'Connor, Anahad (June 12, 2002). "Richard J. Wyatt, 63, is Dead; Led Studies of Schizophrenia". The New York Times. pp. A27. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Richard Jed Wyatt (1937-2002)" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b Zielinkski, Graeme (June 12, 2002). "Schizophrenia Expert Richard J. Wyatt Dies". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  4. ^ a b Weinberger, Daniel R. (October 2002). "Richard Jed Wyatt, 1939–2002". Neuropsychopharmacology. 27 (4): 687–689. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(02)00414-1. S2CID 11537467.
  5. ^ Lindbergh, Reeve (October 16, 2009). "'Nothing Was the Same': Kay Redfield Jamison's memoir of love and grief". The Seattle Times. ISSN 0745-9696.

Further reading

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