Community
About Schizophrenia
- Introduction to Schizophrenia
- Diagnosing Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Prognosis
- Effects and Complications
- Can Schizophrenia be Prevented?
- Schizophrenia Risk Factors
- What Causes Schizophrenia?
- History of Schizophrenia
- Childhood Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Statistics
Schizophrenia Symptoms
- Hallucinations
- Hearing Voices
- Managing Symptoms
- Movement Disorders
- Schizophrenia Delusions
- Schizophrenia and Suicide
Schizophrenia Treatment
Drugs for Schizophrenia Treatment
- Conventional Antipsychotics
- Atypical Antipsychotics
- Supplements
Schizophrenia Types
- Residual Schizophrenia
- Hebephrenic Schizophrenia
- Disorganized Schizophrenia
- Paranoid Schizophrenia
- Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
- Catatonic Schizophrenia
Related Conditions
- Split Personality
- Anxiety and Schizophrenia
- Depression and Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Shared Psychotic Disorder
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder
- Schizophreniform Disorder
- Schizoid Personality
- Delusional Disorder
- Substance Abuse
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia and Self Injury
Living With Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Risk Factors
Scientists have been studying schizophrenia for a long time, trying to determine what causes this complex and challenging psychiatric disorder. While a specific cause has not yet been determined, most believe that schizophrenia is caused by a combination of things, including genetics and environmental factors.
Family History
With regards to risk factors for developing schizophrenia, a family history of the disorder still ranks highest 1. Although schizophrenia develops in only about 1% of the population, having a parent with schizophrenia increases the risk to 10% 2. The odds increase to 30% to 40% if both parents are schizophrenic 3. Having an identical twin with schizophrenia makes the risk quite high at 40% to 50% 2
Environment
There are many environmental factors which have been linked to the development of schizophrenia, although none is considered a “cause” of the disorder. These include, but are not limited to:
- Traumatic or highly stressful events in childhood
- Drug use
- Maternal complications or illnesses during pregnancy
- Malnutrition during pregnancy
- Maternal exposure to the toxoplasmosis parasite 3
- Complications during birth
- Living in the city
- Being born during winter months
- Living in a more developed country
Abnormalities in the brain
Many individuals with schizophrenia have structural or functional anomalies in their brain. These include things such as enlarged ventricles, metabolic differences, and differences in size of certain areas of the brain.
Other potential risk factors
Other potential risk factors for schizophrenia include a drop in childhood IQ scores, having OCD, being left-handed, having an older father, or the presence of epilepsy in one’s family history 4.
- Schizophrenia: A Review
- What Causes Schizophrenia?
- Toxoplasmosis Parasite May Trigger Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorders
- Schizophrenia Risk Factors
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