ESSAY ON THE CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

In line with this modern era, schizophrenia continues in imitation of originate challenges
nowadays and continues according to be a complicated mental illness. There had been a
misconception that Schizophrenia is a rare condition, but it is absolutely no longer rare since
each person has a risk of developing it within their lifetime. Schizophrenia is a serious mental
disease that influence how an individual thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia
may seem like they have lost touch with reality. They can hear voices other human cannot
hear. They may think that other people are trying to hurt them and sometimes they do not
make any sense when they talk. It is a brain disorder that can happen to anyone occurring in
any culture, affecting men and women. According to Winerip (28), the signs of Schizophrenia
usually emerge between the late teens and in middle twenties that also affects one percent of
the adult population. It is also uncommon to acquire schizophrenia after the age of thirty, but
it is too uncommon to obtain schizophrenia after the age of forty. Torrey (63) states that the
age of on set for men engage with this disorder is earlier than that of women. This evidence
would provide that there are more males as opposed to females with schizophrenia. The cause
of Schizophrenia is not fully known. However, it shows that there are several factors that may
cause a person experiencing Schizophrenia.

One possible cause of Schizophrenia might be heredity or genetics. Experts assume

that some individual inherit a tendency to Schizophrenia. In fact, the disease tends to continue
in generation, but only among blood relatives. Schizophrenia also may be more likely attack
people whose family members have suffering the disorder. According to Nader Bechara, there
is nearly a 40% chance that a child will get Schizophrenia ,if both biologic parents have the
disorder. This situation occurs even if the child is adopted and raised by mentally healthy
adults.At the same time, the chance of Schizophrenia developing is almost 50% in people who
have an identical twin with Schizophrenia disorder. In contrast, children whose biological
parents are mentally healthy, even if their adoptive parents suffer from Schizophrenia will have
about a 1% risk of getting the disease. Thus, schizophrenia has a strong genetic component.
Beebe (2003) point out that individuals whose their parents or sibling suffer from schizophrenia
will have a 10% chance of developing the disorder, as opposed to the 1% chance of the
general population.

Another causes for the development of Schizophrenia disorder is the brain chemical
imbalance. The dopamine that functions as neurotransmitter in human brain is responsible for
the on set of Schizophrenia as stated in Biopsychosocial theory. The research conducted by
Farmer and Pandurangi suggests that while dopamine may be a factor, there may be a
tendency to inherit the specific levels of dopamine and how they function in a person’s brain.
In other words, some people may be predisposed to chemical imbalances in the brain. The
two researchers state very clearly though that the disease itself is not inherited but the
vulnerability for the disease can be inherited. Besides that, experts have looked at brain
images of people with the disorder to see how they were different from ordinary brain images.
Researchers found spaces in the brain called ventricles were larger, parts of the brain that
deal with memory known as the medial temporal lobes were smaller and there were fewer
connections between brain cells in people with schizophrenia disorder. So, chemical
imbalance in human brain could be the factor that people suffering from schizophrenia disorder
as it integrates biological characteristics with psychological and social aspects of human
behavior, providing a biopsychosocial understanding of the variables that lead to this illness.

Twin and adoption studies suggest that inherited genes make a person vulnerable to
Schizophrenia and then environmental factors act on this vulnerability to trigger the disorder.
As for the environmental factors involved, more research is pointing to stress, either during
pregnancy or at a later stage of development. High levels of stress are believed to trigger
Schizophrenia by increasing the body’s production of the hormone cortisol. Research points
to several stress-inducing environmental factors that may be involved in Schizophrenia,
including prenatal exposure to a viral infection, low oxygen levels during birth (from prolonged
labor or premature birth), exposure to a virus during infancy, early parental loss or separation,
physical or sexual abuse in childhood. In addition, some research shown that influenza
infection and improper nutrition during pregnancy and complications during birth may increase
the risk that the baby will develop Schizophrenia later in life. After all, Schizophrenia may be
caused from the environment that trigger an individual to get the disorder.

Schizophrenia can be a bewildering and destructive force, not only to those who suffer from
it, but also to their friends and relatives. The families of people with schizophrenia often
struggle with a wide range of difficult emotions, including fear, guilt, anger, frustration, and
helplessness. Worried about the stigma of mental illness or confused and embarrassed by
strange behaviors they don’t understand, family members may also try to hide their loved
one’s illness from others. . Although schizophrenia is a brain disease that does not have any
cures, but it has many treatments. In my point of view, schizophrenic is also a human being
just like everyone else on this planet. They should be treated the same and accepted into
society and also helping them to overcome their mental illness. If one is ever faced with a
schizophrenic, do not shut them away, but rather see that they are well taken care of. After
all, the human race must do unto others as they would have done unto them if they are to
progress at all.