- Home
-
Are you a healthcare professional? CLICK HERE TO LOGIN
Causes
Causes
It is not clear what exactly causes schizophrenia. Yet it is a treatable disease, with early intervention leading to a better long-term outcome.
Although research is still ongoing, there is general agreement that schizophrenia is not caused by one single factor but rather by a combination of factors. Experts state that schizophrenia is caused by the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. This is called the bio-psycho-social model of schizophrenia.
Biological factors mainly refer to genetics and are commonly opposed to "environmental" factors. Environmental factors refer to everything that is not related to genetics. This can range from the environment in the womb during pregnancy to the social dynamics of a person, including stressful life events, street drug use, education, virus exposure and much more.
1. Genetic factors
Twin, family and adoption studies indicate that schizophrenia tends to run in families. The risk of developing schizophrenia is about 10% if a first-degree relative (parent, brother or sister) has the disorder. By comparison, the risk in the general population is about 1%. In identical twins, there is a 50% chance that both twins will have schizophrenia. Even though this represents an important risk, this indicates that other causes apart from genetics play a role in the development of schizophrenia.
2. Environmental factors
Neurodevelopmental factors
Research in this area focuses on brain development and suggests that people with schizophrenia have experienced a disorder in the development of their brain while in the womb. Following factors can affect the brain development and thus may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia: complications during pregnancy, traumatic head injury and viral infections.
Biochemical factors
Imbalance in the complex, interrelated chemical reactions in the brain is believed to play a role in the development of schizophrenia. In particular, neurotransmitters (substances that allow brain cells to communicate with one another) constitute a promising area of research.
Psychological Factors
Stressful life events can trigger a psychotic episode. Examples of life events include having a child, losing a job, moving or the death of a relative or friend. Yet everyone is not equal when facing stressful events and some individuals can better cope with these events than others. The brain of a child or teenager is 5 to 10 times more sensitive to stress than the brain of an adult and can be damaged by frequent stress.
Social Factors
Recent research amongst the African Caribbean population in the UK suggests that social factors, such as social isolation, low employment level, poor housing, lack of cultural identity, or stress caused by racism may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia.
Drug abuse
The use of street drug, such as marijuana or cannabis, amphetamines, or LSD, has often been related to mental illness. Studies indicate that people who use cannabis have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia than people who do not. This risk is particularly high for people under the age of 21, when the brain is still developing and vulnerable.
A study in Sweden found that people who were heavy consumers of cannabis at age 18 were over 600% more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia over the next 15 years than those not taking cannabis (see figure below).
 |
Cannabis does not directly cause schizophrenia. Street drugs cause disturbances in the brain that can trigger a psychotic episode. Moreover, it can lead to further episodes if the cannabis use is not stopped. Finally, street drugs often reduce the efficacy of the treatment of schizophrenia, hereby complicating and delaying the healing process.
Whatever the reasons are that a person has developed schizophrenia, early diagnosis and intervention are very important for the long-term outcome of the disorder.
 |
What causes schizophrenia?
Prevention
The course of schizophrenia is often characterised by acute psychotic episodes, between periods of more stability. Although the disorder itself cannot be prevented, the number of psychotic episodes can be controlled by taking the proper medication regularly.
 |
Schizophrenia is often marked by the occurrence of such acute psychotic episodes, which are very damaging, between periods of stability. Completely preventing these psychotic periods is not possible but they can be significantly reduced in frequency by proper therapy.
| Rate: | |
Impact of schizophrenia on family / friends and Day to day challenges of schizophrenia
