Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia

It is a frightening disorder that strikes about one percent of the world population. It surfaces most frequently during puberty and has the potential to forever destroy the lives of the people who are unfortunate enough to be its victim. The disorder is schizophrenia and it manifests itself by disturbing normal psychiatric behavior. The symptoms of schizophrenia are characterized by both positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and other unusual or disorganized behavior. Unresponsiveness, lack of activity, and loss of interest characterize negative symptoms. Though it is possible for doctors to diagnose and treat patients with schizophrenia, the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown. Much research has been done to further the understanding of the disorder, yet it seems that the causes of schizophrenia are still under debate. (1)

According to recent research there are several things that can cause schizophrenia. Genetic makeup among individuals affected by the disorder seems to be a significant factor. The probability of an offspring with two unaffected parents developing schizophrenia is only one percent, yet this probability increases to thirteen percent among people with one affected parent. Offspring that have two schizophrenic parents have a 35 percent chance of developing the disorder. (1)

The environment surrounding an individual also can trigger the onset of schizophrenia. It has been observed that family stress, trauma, and poor social interactions all have the tendency to promote schizophrenic behavior, though it does not necessarily cause it. Going along with this, it is also possible that prenatal conditions affect the development of schizophrenia...

... middle of paper ...

...he causes of schizophrenia. (3)

After researching schizophrenia, it is apparent that there is no clear answer to the question of what causes the psychiatric disorder. Rather, there is much debate about the four hypotheses that seem to dominate the scientific community as of late. Many researchers believe that schizophrenia may be a combination of all or some of the hypotheses. Whether these hypotheses are true or not, it is important that more research be done to become less wrong in the understanding of schizophrenia.

Sources Cited

1)"An Introduction to Schizophrenia",

http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/schizintro.html

2)"Ask the Experts",

http://www.sciam.com/missing.cfm

3)"The Role of Dopamine Receptors in Schizophrenia", http://wwwchem.csustan.edu/chem4400/sjbr/mann.htm

4)"Schizophrenia",

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/schiz.html

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