Schizophrenia
Cause
There are many theories about the cause of schizophrenia, but none have been proven. Scientists do know that schizophrenia is a disorder affecting the brain.
There is some evidence that genetics may play a role. Your chance of developing schizophrenia is 10 times greater if your parent or sibling has the disease.2 But having a relative with schizophrenia does not mean you will get this disease. Many people develop schizophrenia who do not have a relative with this condition.
Schizophrenia may also be related to problems experienced during pregnancy, including malnutrition or exposure to a viral infection, that can damage an unborn child's developing brain and nervous system.2 Recent evidence suggests that treating a pregnant woman who has high blood pressure with diuretics during the third trimester may put the baby at risk for later developing schizophrenia.3
Another recent study suggests that a child is at greater risk for developing schizophrenia if the father is older than age 50 when the child is conceived.4 Another possible cause is a head injury in a child who has a parent or sibling with schizophrenia—the head injury may trigger this brain disease if the child is genetically already at risk.5
There may also be a link between the use of illegal drugs and the development of schizophrenia.
More research is needed to understand the cause(s) of schizophrenia.
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| Author: | Jeannette Curtis | Last Updated: February 5, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry | |
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