mature answers only. This is a terrible disease.
What precisely causes schizophrenia is not known, but current research suggests a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. Fundamentally, however, it is a biologic problem, not one caused by poor parenting or a mentally unhealthy environment. People who have a parent or sibling with schizophrenia have about a 10% risk of developing the disorder, compared with a 1% risk among the general population. An identical twin whose co-twin has schizophrenia has about a 50% risk of developing schizophrenia. These statistics suggest a hereditary risk.
Other causes may include problems that occurred before, during, or after birth, such as influenza infection during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, oxygen deprivation at birth, low birth weight, and mother-infant blood type incompatibility. |
