According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness that makes it difficult to function and have normal relationships with others. Common symptoms of schizophrenia include hearing voices (auditory hallucinations), seeing things that others do not (visual hallucinations), unjust paranoia, delusions, agitation, isolation and depression. According to NIMH, the main causes of schizophrenia are genetics, environment or a combination of both.
Genetics
Schizophrenia, like most mental illnesses, runs in families. According to NIMH, scientists believe several genes play a role in the development of schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia tend to have higher rates of rare genetic mutations, which disrupt brain development.
The chemicals in the brain called dopamine and gluatmate also play a role in the development of the disease, NIMH explains. As with most mental illnesses, an imbalance of the chemicals in the brain can lead to mental illness. NIMH reports that it has been shown that the brains of people with schizophrenia look different from those of normal individuals; individuals with the disease have larger ventricles and grey matter in their brains.
Pregnancy
According to Schizophrenia.com, pregnancy is a vital stage of the potential development of schizophrenia. The mother's exposure to certain viruses, delivery complications, STDs during pregnancy, drug use during pregnancy, malnutrition before birth, excessive body weight, lack of vitamin D or exposure to radiation are risk factors in the development of schizophrenia, according to Schizophrenia.com. It also reports that an older father and lower birth weight of the infant are risk factors.
Different Ages
Schizophrenia.com reports that individuals of various ages also have risk factors of developing schizophrenia. Using marijuana and other street drugs significantly increases the risk of developing the disease. Other risk factors include social stress, social adversity, social isolation during childhood, child abuse, fatty acid deficiency, exposure to some diseases, childhood exposure to radiation, and head injury, according to Schizophrenia.com. It is the general consensus that a combination of the above factors increases the risk of developing the disease, versus just one of the risk factors, according to NIMH.
