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A Closer Look into the Main Causes of Schizophrenia

Jessie Matney

LAS 13525

Ottawa University
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ABSTRACT

Schizophrenia is a difficult mental disease to understand because scientist and

psychologists cannot come to a common ground on what actually causes the disease. The

onset of the disease and a cure is also unknown. There are three common theories

associated with the onset of Schizophrenia. The theories include genetics, biology, and

viral infections or immune disorders. Each theory suggests different reasons for why

Schizophrenia can be found in one person compared to the other. Scientists have not

found one specific cause for this crippling disease but there are treatment options such as

finding a case manager, a drop-in center, and even antipsychotic drugs.

Running head: SCHIZOPHRENIA

According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Schizophrenia is

defined as, a psychotic disorder or group of disorders marked by disturbances in

thinking, emotional responsiveness, and behavior (2014). Schizophrenia is considered to

be one of the most chronic and disabling of all mental illnesses. There are many reasons

for this illness being so severe, some of those reasons include, abnormalities of brain

structure and function, disorganized speech and behavior delusions, and

hallucinations (Ford-Martin, 2014). Schizophrenia is a very complicated mental

illness to understand and more research needs to be done to figure out a specific cause for

the disease. That is the focus of this research, to get a closer look into the main causes of

the disease, to help answer the question; is there a specific cause of Schizophrenia?

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

About one in 100 Americans are diagnosed with schizophrenia (American

Psychological Association, 2017). The onset of this disease typically starts in late teens

and early twenties and is less likely to develop later in life. Some early signs and

symptoms of Schizophrenia according to the American Psychological Association are;

hallucinations (hearing voices/seeing things), trouble thinking, lack of emotion, difficulty

paying attention, and problems with working memory (2016). Not all people with

Schizophrenia experience the same symptoms and all of these symptoms associated with

Schizophrenia can be divided into two major categories; positive symptoms and negative

symptoms.

POSITIVE SYMPTOMS

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), which is a

manual that includes criteria for the classification of mental disorders, defines positive
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symptoms of Schizophrenia as, excesses or distortions of normal mental functions

(Gale Encyclopedia, 2014). . Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include: delusions,

somatic hallucinations, hearing voices, and thought insertion of withdrawal. Delusions

and hallucinations tend to result from a Schizophrenics inability to separate real from

unreal events.

NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS

The DSM-V defines negative symptoms of Schizophrenia as, the lack or

absence of behaviors (Gale Encyclopedia, 2014). Some of these symptoms include:

blunted or flattened affect, Alogia (not being able to expand on statements), Abolition

(unable to conduct goal-directed activities), and Anhedonia, (loss of enjoyment/pleasure).

These negative symptoms are more difficult for professionals such as doctors to

understand because when compared to positive symptoms because they may be

influenced by an already existing depressive disorder (Gale Encyclopedia, 2014).

CAUSES

Answering the question, is there a specific cause for Schizophrenia was much

more difficult to answer than originally thought. Even after conducting a lot of research it

has been determined that there is no one specific cause for Schizophrenia. So because

there is no specific cause for the disease of Schizophrenia scientists and/or psychologists

have narrowed down the list of what may contribute to the cause of Schizophrenia.

Some theories about the cause of Schizophrenia include: genetics (heredity), biology

(abnormalities in the brains chemistry and/or structure), and possibly viral infections and

immune disorders (Mental Health America, 2016). Scientists and psychologists have
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done a lot of research with these three theories of what might cause Schizophrenia, what

follows is an in depth look into each theory.

GENETICS

Scientists recognize that the disorder tends to run in families and that a person

inherits a tendency to develop the diseaseschizophrenia may appear when the body

undergoes hormonal and physical changesor after dealing with highly stressful

situations (Mental Health America, 2016). Many twin/family studies have been

conducted to better understand Schizophrenia because of this genetics theory. A study

published by The New England Journal of Medicine entitled, Effects of Family History

and Place Season of Birth on the Risk of Schizophrenia found that Schizophrenia in a

parent or sibling was associated with the highest risk of schizophrenia in this study

(1999). The National Institute of Mental Health reports that, The illness occurs in less

than 1 percent of the general population, but it occurs in 10 percent of people who have a

first-degree relative with the disorder, such as a parent, brother, or sister (2017).

Besides heredity and genetics, Schizophrenia is also associated with hormones

and stress. Some scientists and psychologists believe that the reason Schizophrenia tends

to show signs and symptoms around late teens and early twenties is because most people

in that age range is graduating high school and making the change to college. Some

people can find that move from high school to college or just college overall to be a very

stressful event. Other stressful events around this age range can also include situations

such as military training or marriage. These stress-inducing events can then result in the

onset of Schizophrenia.

BIOLOGY
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It is believed that the overall structure and set up of a persons brain with

Schizophrenia is extremely different when compared to brains without Schizophrenia.

For example, fluid-filled ventricles are larger in some people with Schizophrenia (NIMH,

2017).Scientists believe that people with schizophrenia have an imbalance of the brain

chemicals or neurotransmitters: dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin. These

neurotransmitters allow nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other. The

imbalance of these chemicals affects the way a persons brain reacts to stimuli

(Mental Health America, 2016). Not being able to react correctly to stimuli can lead to

the conclusion as to why people with Schizophrenia become overwhelmed by sensory

information (loud music or bright lights) which other people can easily handle (Mental

Health America, 2016). These physical differences in brain structure and slight chemical

imbalances can result in the on-set of Schizophrenia.

VIRAL INFECTIONS AND IMMUNE DISORDERS

Recent studies have associated environmental events such as viral infections

and/or immune disorders to be a cause of Schizophrenia. This theory is relatively new,

but some research suggests that, viral infections of the hippocampus, a structure in the

brain that is associated with memory formation and the human stress response. It is

thought that damage to the hippocampus might account for the sensory disturbances

found in schizophrenia (Gale Encyclopedia, 2014). This is the only information about

this theory because it is so new to the theories that may cause Schizophrenia.

TREATMENT

Because there is no one specific cause for Schizophrenia, it is important to talk

about what treatment options are available for those diagnosed with Schizophrenia. It has
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been found that most treatment options for Schizophrenia will not cure the disease and

this is also due to the fact that there is no specific cause. Seeking help from a professional

is important in any mental health situation; Rehabilitation can help a person recover the

confidence and skills needed to live a productive and independent life in the community

(Mental Health America, 2016). There are many ways to treat a person diagnosed with

Schizophrenia that includes; getting a case manager, drop-in centers, and antipsychotic

drugs.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Case management could be considered one of the most popular ways in which a

person with Schizophrenia can deal with his or her symptoms. A case manager is

available to assist and/or help a client twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The

most common form of case management is Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and it

consists of a case manager, doctor, psychiatrist, and a nurse. This team of professionals is

able to provide an abundance of resources to a client. These resources include; delivering

medication, helping with social skills, school, and work, watch for potential problems

with mental/physical health, and help with day-to-day activities. A case manager will help

a client with Schizophrenia keep track of all of the different activities that need to be

done during one days time because it can become difficult to do it independently.

DROP-IN CENTERS

At a drop-in center, the goalis to help people with mental illnesses

reintegrate into their communitiesby offering a safe environment for people to

socialize, communicate, and participate in activities that support recover (Cynkar, 2007).

Different support group dynamics are offered at drop-in centers such as, peer-run support
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groups, member lead arts and crafts, and free phone services. It have been determined

that people who use the services provided by drop-in centers really enjoy the comfortable

and unstructured atmosphere. Drop-in centers allow mental health patients to interact

with other people who understand the same problems that are associated with specific

illnesses like Schizophrenia or even other mental health issues.

ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says, Patients with

schizophrenia taking antipsychotic medications experience a small improvement in

thinking and reasoning skills but no one medication appears to be better than the others in

improving these skills during the first two crucial months of treatment (2007). The

National Institute of Mental Health funded an experiment involving Schizophrenic

patients and the helpfulness of antipsychotic drugs titled Clinical Antipsychotic Trial for

Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). This experiment compared different antipsychotic

drugs and those drugs effectiveness with Schizophrenia symptoms. The results were

inconclusive because according to NIMH, They found a small rate of improvement

among all the treatment groups, but no treatment group appeared to benefit more than the

others (2007). The study concluded overall, that antipsychotic drugs are beneficial to

those suffering from Schizophrenia and there is not one drug that is more beneficial when

compared to the others.

CONCLUSION

Schizophrenia is a complicated mental illness to understand because there is no

specific cause that is associated with the onset of Schizophrenia. Scientists have done

much research and have narrowed down the list to three different factors that may cause
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Schizophrenia; genetics, biology, and viral infections and immune disorders. At this time

though, there is no one specific cause for the disease. Because there is no specific cause

for the disease, it was important to also look into treatment options for a person

diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

A person diagnosed with Schizophrenia has many treatment options; case

management, drop-in centers, and antipsychotic drugs to name a few. All of these

treatment options will help a person with Schizophrenia but will not cure a person of his

or her symptoms and overall disease. That is what makes Schizophrenia so complicated,

the fact that there is no specific cause of the disease leaves the door wide open.

Narrowing down the list of what might cause Schizophrenia is just the start.

REFERENCES
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A. (n.d.). Recognizing the Signs of Schizophrenia . Retrieved March 31, 2017, from

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recognizing-schizophrenia.aspx

Antipsychotic Medications for Schizophrenia on Equal Footing in Improving Patients

Thinking Skills. (2007). Retrieved March 31, 2017, from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2007/antipsychotic-medications-

for-schizophrenia-on-equal-footing-in-improving-patients-thinking-skills.shtml

Cynakr , A. (2007 , September). Dropping In, Climbing Back . Retrieved March 08,

2017, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep07/droppingin.aspx

Mortensen, P. B., Pedersen, C. B., Westergaard, T., Wolhfahrt, J., Ewald, H., Moris, O., .

. . Melbye, M. (1999, February 25). Effects of Family History and Place and

Season of Birth on the Risk of Schizophrenia NEJM. Retrieved March 08,

2017, from

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199902253400803#t=article

N. (2017). Schizophrenia . Retrieved March 08, 2017, from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-booklet/index.shtml

Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2016, from

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia

Ford-Martin, P., Odle, T. G., & Costello, A. M. (2014). Schizophrenia. In L. J. Fundukian

(Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (4th ed., Vol. 4, pp.

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