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Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses. ...
The behavior of people with schizophrenia is very strange and shocking. ...
Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Schizophrenia, severe ... or multiple personality. To
observers, schizophrenia may seem like madness or insanity. ...
Schizophrenia. There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. ... Is Schizophrenia
Inherited? It has long been known that schizophrenia runs in families. ...
Schizophrenia: Disease of the Brain. Schizophrenia is a complex brain
disorder. ... Schizophrenia is a complex and puzzling illness. ...
Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a cruel disease. The lives of ... There is no
known single cause of schizophrenia. Many diseases, such ...
Submitted by mb7090 on April 10, 2007
Category: Psychology
Words: 671 | Pages: 3
Views: 298
Popularity Rank: 32,226
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There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. Many diseases, such as heart disease, result from an interplay of genetic, behavioral, and other factors; and this may be the case for schizophrenia as well.
Is Schizophrenia Inherited?
It has long been known that schizophrenia runs in families. People who have a close relative with schizophrenia are more likely to develop the disorder than are people who have no relatives with the illness. For example, an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia a has the highest risk – 40 to 50 percent – of developing the illness. A child whose parent has schizophrenia has about a 10 percent chance. By comparison, the risk of schizophrenia in the general population is about 1 percent.
Scientists are studying genetic factors in schizophrenia. It appears likely that multiple genes are involved in creating a predisposition to develop the disorder. In addition, factors such as prenatal difficulties like intrauterine starvation or viral infections, perinatal complications, and various nonspecific stressors, seem to influence the development of schizophrenia. However, it is not yet understood how the genetic predisposition is transmitted, and it cannot yet be accurately predicted whether a given person will or will not develop the disorder.
Several regions of the human genome are being investigated to identify genes that may confer susceptibility for schizophrenia. The strongest evidence to date leads to chromosomes 13 and 6 but remains unconfirmed. Identification of specific genes involved in the development of schizophrenia will provide important clues into what goes wrong in the brain to produce and sustain the illness and will guide the development of new and better treatments. To learn more about the genetic basis for schizophrenia, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has established a Schizophrenia Genetics Initiative that is gathering data from a large...
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