Biological Causes Of Schizophrenia Essay

Adoption studies support the genetic theory that schizophrenia can be inherited as they provide evidence that the environment does not affect inheritance rate. The supporting study was carried out by Tienari in Finland. He investigated 164 adoptees that biological mothers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and found 6.7% also received a diagnosis, compared to 2% of the control group of adoptees. This means that that there is a genetic liability to schizophrenia, as more of

There was a large difference in the incidence of schizophrenia when they were adults between the two groups. The group with schizophrenic mothers were found to have a 10.3% chance of being schizophrenic and the group with non-schizophrenic mothers were found to have only a 1.1% chance of being schizophrenic.

Two Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia There are many biological explanations of schizophrenia. In this essay I will concentrate on the genetic explanation and biochemical explanation of the disorder. There are many studies that look in to genetics and the link to schizophrenia. This is dues to an original finding that schizophrenia runs in families and therefore suggests that genes are responsible for the disorder.

Biological theorists believe that individuals may have a genetic predisposition for the schizophrenia if a close family member has been diagnosed with the disorder. Stress during adolescent years seems to provoke the disorder among individuals who have a family history of the disorder. In addition, this theory suggests biochemical abnormalities related to the dopamine neurotransmitters may also contribute to the illness as the brains neurotransmission of the dopamine is too frequent in occurrence (Comer, 2005). CAT and MRI scans have also indicated that abnormal brain structuring may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia due to a common occurrence of enlarged ventricles within schizophrenia sufferers (Comer, 2005). Various parts of the brain may not develop for function properly which seems lead to Type II schizophrenia. Studies have also pointed towards the idea that exposure to certain viruses before birth may lead to the eventual development of schizophrenia (Comer, 2005).

Genetics play a role in the development of schizophrenia. When looking closer at the brain chemistry between a person with schizophrenia and a person with out schizophrenia there are

One of the main differences between an individual affected by schizophrenia and an individual who isn't, would be enlarged ventricles in the brain. Enlarged ventricles indicate that the brain is detoriating, particularly in areas of the brain affected by thought disorder. One of the other indicators that schizophrenia is a brain disorder, would be the increase in the size of sulci of the brain. This increase of the sulci is directly related to a

Researchers favouring the biological explanation look at genetic factors, brain structure and biochemical explanations. Many researchers would suggest that the debate over whether schizophrenia is passed down through genetics is no longer a

This paper defines schizophrenia from a biological and psychological perspective and also provides treatment to help combat symptoms of schizophrenia. This paper has three important contributions. First, by defining and expanding on schizophrenia from a biological perspective, I can identify the nature related predispositions. After expanding from a biological approach, secondly, I will analyze schizophrenia from a psychological aspect by determining if there is any environment or nurturing externals that can result to schizophrenia. Lastly, I will provide treatment details and also reveal early signs to schizophrenia. This paper is important because schizophrenia is an epic mental disease and it is crucially important to bring awareness to the public of how we can limit the illness. It is unclear whether schizophrenia have only a biological background or psychological background, but what was discovered is that both contribute to schizophrenia. Positive and negative treatment can be combatted undergoing pharmaceutical and psychotherapy,

Schizophrenia is quite possible the most dreaded psychological disorder there is. It is also one of the most heavily researched (Myers, 477). Unfortunately there is no certain cause of this disease. Researched show that genetic predisposition enhances the probability of schizophrenia. A child who has a biological parent that has been diagnosed with schizophrenia has approximately a one in eight chance of developing this dreaded disorder (Berger, 407). In a study this is evaultion

Schizophrenia is an illness that affects the brain chemistry and structure in such a way that they experience changes in how they think, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others. An individual with schizophrenia may experience psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized sleep, flat affect, loss of interest in life and activities, trouble organizing thoughts and remembering things, etc. Current treatment options may include medication, therapy, and psychosocial rehabilitation. (NAMI, 2015)

While there is no cure for schizophrenia, research is leading to new, safer treatments. Experts also are unraveling the causes of the disease by studying genetics, conducting behavioral research, and by using advanced imaging to look at the brain’s structure and function. These novel approaches hold the promise of new, more effective therapies.

“A long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014).

Schizophrenia is a disorder that is characterized by incredibly impaired cognitive processes, personality disintegration, mood disturbances, and a withdrawal from society (Sue et al., 2014). There are many different causes for this disorder, and research has been done to support these claims over time.

There are many causes to Schizophrenia. Many causes are genetics, brain chemistry and structure, and the environment of a human being. Genetically Schizophrenia can run through a family and can be passed on generations at a time. “Individuals with a first degree relative (parent or sibling) who has schizophrenia have a 10 percent chance of developing the disorder, as opposed to the 1 percent chance of the general population.” (Helpguide.org) Identical twins are a good example of this. “If an identical twin is diagnosed with Schizophrenia the other twin is 50 percent more likely to also be diagnosed with the mental disorder (psychcentral.com).” Brain chemistry and structure is another big factor in the cause of Schizophrenia. Neurotransmitters-

In the beginnings of structural imaging research, CT scanning revealed reduced cerebral ventricle sizes in schizophrenia (Johnstone et al., 1976). Current MRI studies adopt either a region of interest (ROI) technique or a whole brain approach. In chronic SCH sufferers, structural ROI research has identified physiological abnormalities of the limbic and paralimbic system (Tomasino et al., 2011; Levitt et al., 2010) and volumetric reductions of several brain areas such as; the superior temporal gyrus (Tosato et al., 2012), the insula (Saze et al., 2007) and the basal ganglia (Levitt et al., 2010). The research has provided valuable insight into the progression of schizophrenia and is a valuable measure at detecting early brain structure alterations. Meta-analyses of structural imaging studies have strongly suggested that volumetric and brain regional anomalies present at the initial phase of the illness, progress over time with the influence of age of onset, illness duration, pharmacological treatment, and clinical outcome (Olabi et al.,