An understanding of the causes of schizophrenia will contribute greatly to our understanding of the disease. Unfortunately, there is no known single cause of schizophrenia, a disease characterized by the sensation of real and unreal experiences and the inability to differentiate between the two. People who have the disorder often have difficulty in thinking logically, and often do not display appropriate emotional responses to situations.
The reason why experts believe why the disorder may be rooted in the genes is the fact that a person who has a relative or family member with the disorder has a greater chance of developing the disorder himself. Certain environmental triggers may also trigger the condition in people who are already genetically predisposed to developing the illness. The illness affects both men and women and also occurs in children, usually in children beyond the age of five, although schizophrenia in children is often mistaken for other childhood onset disorders such as autism.
2 Causes of Schizophrenia, Genes and the Environment
Experts all agree that a genetic component contributes to the overall causes of schizophrenia. People who have immediate relatives with the illness are at a higher risk for developing the same illness themselves compared to the general population. However, studies have shown that genes may not have the same effect on a person if the person is not placed in the environment that can trigger the manifestation of a certain gene. This means, for example, that a person may be genetically predisposed to schizophrenia, but ultimately never develops the disease because his environment is not one that fosters the development of the illness.
The same is true for the environment. If the environment is one that in most people would trigger emotional or mental breakdowns, but the person is genetically not predisposed to the development of mental disorders, he or she may not develop any emotional problems at all. This means that the environment would not be one of causes of schizophrenia if the person in that environment lacks the gene that predisposes him to developing the illness.
A study that provides astounding support for this theory was reported in 2002 when scientists reported that boys that had the MAOA gene, a gene associated with aggression and criminality, only had a higher risk of displaying aggressive and criminal behavior if they were neglected or raised in violent families as children. Children who had the gene but were raised in non-violent, loving, and caring families often turned out to be normal, loving, caring, non-aggressive adults.
The Development of Schizophrenia in the Fetal Brain
Aside from genes and the environment, studies have also been done linking the development of the illness to fetal development. Although the signs and symptoms of the illness typically manifest once a person reaches early adulthood, studies are suggesting that the roots of the illness are sown in the fetal stages of development. This is when the brain is formed and the nerve cells are grown and wired. Scientists believe that during this time is when nerve cells are being wired, that wrong connections and the resulting miswiring will leave certain regions of the brain permanently impaired. These misconnections are believed to arise due to certain causes. Scientists believe that miswiring is caused when the mother catches a virus during pregnancy, while other studies link stress and the lack of essential vitamins and nutrients, such as folic acid, Vitamin D and essential fatty acids, to the development of conditions that predispose the child to schizophrenia.
One question that puzzles most experts is that if it is during the fetal stages when schizophrenia begins, why do the signs and symptoms only appear usually when the person reaches early adulthood? Researchers, however, say that there could be early signs and symptoms during early childhood that are easily missed or mistaken for other less sinister childhood disorders. In fact, studies have found that children who were predisposed to the illness showed a delayed maturation of their brains. For example, at-risk children showed a delay in manifesting normal developmental milestones as babies, such as sitting up or walking. Examination of home movies showing schizophrenic patients as children showed abnormalities in motor movements that an average parent would not see as abnormal, but could suggest an abnormality in motor development under the trained eye of researchers. Early detection is very important, since the earlier the disease develops, the more severe it becomes.
Prevention of Schizophrenia
A more detailed knowledge of the illness will provide a clear-cut way to prevent the disorder. Researchers are hopeful that once these causes of schizophrenia will be singled out and dissected, they can formulate treatments and preventive strategies to lessen or even eliminate a person’s risk of developing the disease. For example, if researchers can isolate the virus that can pass through placental barriers and cause the disruption in the arrangement of nerve cells in the fetal brain, they can perhaps start on developing a vaccine for the virus. It is a good thing to note, however, that environment plays a large role in the development of the illness. This means that even if a person is genetically predisposed, a healthy, nurturing environment can lessen a person’s risk for developing schizophrenia.
The causes of schizophrenia are varied and not yet clear-cut. Genes, the environment, and factors that affect fetal development during pregnancy are all interconnected and contribute to the development of the illness. The good news is that the absence of one of these factors can drastically reduce and even eliminate the risk, which means that the individual still has great degree of control over the development and progression of the illness. It is also important to note that medications are now available which help people diagnosed with the illness to live normal lives.
