A friend of mine is 18 and has a younger brother with schizophrenia. How likely is it that my friend will develop the illness later on in life? To the best of my knowledge, neither of his parents have it.
If a brother has the disorder, it significantly increases his risk for developing it. Most people don't show symptoms past the early twenties, and it would be highly unlikely to develop the illness later than that. Most research has demonstrated that stress in the environment increases the likelihood of developing schizophrenia within those with a genetic predisposition. Not everyone who is genetically predisposed ends up with the disorder, similar to medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. |
