There are many complex causes of schizophrenia, which involve genetic, environmental, and neurological factors. A major cause of schizophrenia is inheritance; people with a family history of schizophrenia have an increased risk in proportion to their close relationship to a diagnosed family member. Another contributing factor is brain chemistry and brain structure; an imbalance in neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, can cause symptoms.
Stressful events in life, such as trauma or abuse, are believed to be triggering stressors for potential victims of said disorder. Prenatal infection or malnutrition of the mother can set the stage for the disorder to later manifest. Lastly, substance abuse, particularly the use of drugs like cannabis or hallucinogens, is believed to be one of the contributing causes of schizophrenia in individuals with a genetic predisposition.
What Are 5 Causes of Schizophrenia?
Understanding the causes of schizophrenia can help us be more aware and compassionate. Just like a house needs a strong foundation, our mental health also relies on many factors. If something weakens that foundation, problems can arise. Let’s explore five major causes of schizophrenia and how they impact the brain and mind.
1. Genetics
Genetics is one of the most potent causes of schizophrenia. If a member in a family has schizophrenia, then the probability increases for another family member to develop the disorder as well. Scientists have demonstrated the existence of some genes linked to the disorder. However, possessing these genes does not mean a person will become ill with schizophrenia; environmental factors also play their role.
Imagine genes like a recipe book. Just because a family shares the same recipe does not mean everyone will cook the same meal. In the same way, a person may inherit the genes linked to schizophrenia, but that alone is not enough to cause the disorder. Other ingredients like the environment and life experiences also matter.
2. Brain Chemistry and Structure
In a simple analogy, the human brain is just like a vast electrical system consisting of billions of nerve cells sending messages to and fro. If anything goes wrong in this system, a mental health disorder such as schizophrenia might intervene. Scientists theorized that for some reason, a person suffering from schizophrenia experiences abnormal balances of the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate, which relay messages between the brain cells.
To put it in a simple way: when on the call, mixed-up or delayed signals will lead to nonsensical conversations. In the same way, when brain chemicals find themselves in an unbalanced state, a person may hallucinate, feel confused, or find it very hard to think straight.
3. Environmental Triggers
Ophelia is an event of stressful life, trauma, or a particular type of virus during the time of pregnancy. All these factors could increase chances of development of schizophrenia. Extreme stress may act as trigger in a person who has the genetic predisposition to develop schizophrenia.
Visualize a glass filling slowly with water. It begins to fill with each little stressor in life. After a while, too much water fills the glass, then it overflows. It is like the way too much stress can push us toward schizophrenia. Stress alone is not sufficient to cause the disorder but can be a significant causative factor in the presence of multiple other risk factors.
4. Substance Abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse can also be one of the causes of schizophrenia. Different substances – marijuana, LSD, or methamphetamine – can reveal symptoms among those already vulnerable to the condition, whereas research has demonstrated that heavy users, particularly young ones, are susceptible to developing schizophrenia.
It’s like a fragile machine, the brain. In this sense, it would be like pouring sugar into the gas tank-internal disruption and horrible consequences. Not everyone who ultimately becomes a drug abuser will become schizophrenic but should be extra careful if the person has a family history of such an ailment or some other risk factors.
“Schizophrenia cannot be understood without understanding despair.”
— R.D. Laing, The Divided Self (1960)
5. Complications Before and After Birth
Problems during pregnancy or birth can also be causes of schizophrenia.Poor oxygenation during the process of birth or infections in utero might interfere with brain development; hence the possibility of developing schizophrenia in that individual increases greatly.
Conversely, if the tree grows through a storm, its roots may not be strong enough to keep it from growing properly. The metaphors used here express that if the brain cannot develop properly at any time from the earliest, then the chances for an array of mental health disorders, including, but not limited to, schizophrenia, increase.
Bringing It All Together
Some may say that schizophrenia has many causes. Still, in its true essence, schizophrenia is multifactorial and includes underlying genetic causes, altered brain chemistry, environmental triggers, substance abuse, and complications during birth. Assisting healthy environments for living with these causes may assist in finding those suffering from schizophrenia.
Just as a strong house cannot stand without a strong foundation, a balance of many forces is needed to maintain mental health. If we can keep our stress under control, stay away from harmful substances, and build environment buffers, we can reduce the degree of risk. Schizophrenia can be treated and understood; hence, life is worthwhile for those who suffer from the disorder. The more we can understand the causes of schizophrenia, the more we can assist the people.
