Causes of schizophrenia
Environmental factors or stressors influence onset of schizophrenia. Discussed below are some of these factors.
Genetic
Schizophrenia is a condition of complex inheritance, where several genes interact to produce this condition. Genes responsible for developing schizophrenia are not specific and there is always a possibility of developing other psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder (presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood).
Prenatal
Exposing to infections at early neurodevelopmental phase, including during pregnancy increase the risk of developing schizophrenia in the later ages.1
Substance Abuse
People suffering with schizophrenia use certain drugs to overcome negative feelings associated with it. Drugs like amphetamines bring about the release of dopamine and excessive dopamine function is believed to raise risk for schizophrenia (known as the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia).2 Hallucinogenic or stimulant drugs also triggers onset of schizophrenia when used in excess.
Psychological
Studies show that a number of factors like stress, confusing situations (attention to potential threats, jumping to conclusions, making external attributions, impaired reasoning about social situations and mental states), difficulties with early visual processing and maintaining concentration are psychological causes for this condition. The patients are highly responsive to stress or negative stimuli.
Childhood experiences of abuse or trauma and social disadvantages like poverty and migration, racial discrimination, family dysfunction, unemployment or poor housing conditions have found to be risk factors. There is also an increased risk when there are breakups in parental relationships.
Neural
Evidence shows that finding the drug group phenothiazines, helped in blocking the dopamine function thereby reducing the psychotic symptoms. An influential theory known as the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia, proposes that malfunction involving dopamine pathways was the cause of (the positive symptoms of) schizophrenia.
Studies have shown various differences in brain structure between people with and without diagnoses of schizophrenia. Many of these differences are detected when comparing groups of people. Brain structure changes have also been found out in patients suffering from schizophrenia after administration of antipsychotic drugs.
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date: Jan30th,09
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Related articles for schizophrenia