Is it possible that schizophrenia and deep depressions are caused by a flu to the brain?

I have noticed that when the schizophrenia or the depression is not familial that the person exhibits flu like symptoms before the onset. Perhaps we are missing something important here. Perhaps these problems are in the same catagory as ulcers which research now indicates is a bacterial problem in the stomach.

I work in the mental health field, and I have seen plenty of evidence that both depression and schizophrenia are genetic. I have seen many people from the same family who have the same mental illnesses. And it's not just my opinion, research has shown this to be true. I have never heard of people with depression or schizophrenia necessarily having flu like symptoms; I don't know where you got your information. However, it is a fact that diseases that affect the brain can cause mental illness that resemble schizophrenia or mood disorders. Meningitis is an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord, and encephalitis is an infection of the brain; other disease like tuberous sclerosis, multiple sclerosis or lupus erythematosis can cause psychotic or mood disorders. They wouldn't call it schizophrenia though,.it would be called "psychotic disorder due to general medical condition" or "mood disorder due to general medical condition." Sometimes the mental symptoms go away after the disease is treated, sometimes they don't. Some people also get a brain injury and wind up with a mental illness; epilepsy can cause hallucinations too. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementia also have hallucinations or mood disorders. Source(s): Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Edition IV (DSM-IV)

I think most of the latest research is pointing towards a link with a deficiency's of omega 3 fatty acids and mental illness (depressions, ADD, schizophrenia, etc.)
BS Exercise Science
IFPA Certified Master Trainer
25+ years of resistance training experience
17 years of martial arts training
I wondered that also. I suffered from depresion a couple of years ago and I will tell you the things that helped me most were behavioral therapy and excercise. Yup, those did the trick AND relocating to the southern US, that's helped also because of the shorter winters.
life
not usually its caused either trauma abuse in childhood adult life heredity and imbalance in the brain and neurlogical issues developmental issues and mental illness