Causes Of Schizophrenia: Is It A Genetic Disorder?
You may know a lot about the symptoms of schizophrenia but… do you know its causes? Enter and discover what is behind this disorder and its treatment.
The schizophrenia It is a mental disorder that is characterized by the presence of a series of symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations that last for at least six months and that usually deteriorate the person’s functioning.
Currently it is estimated according to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) that between 0.3 and 0.7 of the population suffers from schizophrenia. It usually starts between the stage Teen and the middle of their thirties, varying slightly depending on sex and the childhood schizophrenia It is usually believed that it is a biological issue, of inheritance. However, is the cause of schizophrenia is genetic ?
As we have already mentioned, schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can vary in severity depending on the intensity of the symptoms that occur. The symptoms are characterized by the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior and/or speech that lead to a deterioration in the person’s functioning either in the social, work and/or academic sphere in comparison to their previous performance. Previously, they were classified into different subtypes such as paranoid schizophrenia characterized by the presence of delusional ideas and frequent auditory hallucinations, hebephrenic schizophrenia or disorganized characterized by the presence of disorganized thinking and behavior, among others.
When reading the schizophrenia symptoms It is common to think that the most disabling are those related to hallucinations and delusions. However, the reality is that those that end up being the most annoying for those who suffer from it are the so-called negative symptoms. Negative symptoms are those that involve loss of interest in things, inability to make plans, and lack of emotional expression. In fact, the presence of psychotic symptoms during the first weeks, together with good social functioning before the disorder, are usually characteristics that indicate a good prognosis.
Currently, it is difficult to determine what the causes of mental disorders are and this case is no exception. However, it is known that the weight of genetics in the case of schizophrenia is approximately between 40 and 70%. Therefore, we can say that biological factors play a great role in the development of this disorder. However, it is currently unknown which specific genes would be involved, but it is ruled out that it is due to a single gene. What is currently known is that it would be the set of certain genes, the environment and the interaction between genes and the environment that influence the development of schizophrenia.
Risk factor’s:
Although between 40 and 70% is due to genetics, the environment also influences the expression of these genes, apart from the fact that environmental factors themselves also play an important role in their appearance. Currently, it has been discovered that there are certain factors that predispose to the development of schizophrenia. However, presenting some factor does not mean that a person will suffer from schizophrenia, but rather it has been found that there are certain aspects that increase the probability of suffering from this disorder. The factors are:
Perinatal complications: When we talk about perinatal complications, we refer to the complications that can occur both during pregnancy, childbirth and fetal development. Suffering from any of the aforementioned complications would increase the vulnerability of presenting this disorder.
Birth season: It has been shown that those people born in the cold months of the year are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia. This may be related to the fact that in cold seasons it is more likely to catch infections.
Parents’ age: The age of both the mother and the father is a factor that can increase a person’s predisposition to suffer from schizophrenia. Studies have found that both elderly parents and young parents under 25 years of age are at greater risk of having a son or daughter with schizophrenia.
Infections: There are certain infections such as flu, chickenpox, rubella, etc. If they occur during pregnancy or in the first trimesters of life, they can increase the risk of suffering from this disorder. This is because it has been studied that certain infections could influence the development of the central nervous system. Another infection that has been shown to be related to the onset of schizophrenia is HIV infection at any stage of the life cycle. Specifically, between 0.5% and 15% of people with HIV infection present psychotic symptoms that can lead to schizophrenia, mood disorders, etc.
Cannabis use: It has been shown that the interaction between certain types of genes and the consumption of certain drugs such as cannabis, especially in the adolescent stage, can increase the risk of suffering from schizophrenia during adulthood.
Residing in urban areas: The exact reason why residing in large cities increases the predisposition is unknown. However, it is believed that it would be the interaction between genes and certain environmental factors that are more associated with cities than with rural areas such as pollution, cannabis consumption and social exclusion.
Low estrogen levels: Estrogens are a group of primarily female hormones that are produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands. Although it has been concluded that the probability of suffering from schizophrenia does not vary depending on sex, it has been shown that the onset of schizophrenia in women occurs later and usually has a less severe course. Related to this, it has been found that many women who have schizophrenia have lower levels of estrogen than those who do not have said disorder and that cases of schizophrenia in women increase after childbirth and during menopause, coinciding with the phases with higher levels. low estrogen. Therefore, the levels of these hormones could influence the onset of schizophrenia.
Currently there is no treatment that can cure schizophrenia and the intervention would rather be aimed at improving the quality of life of people who have this disorder. The psychological therapies that have been shown to be most effective for the treatment of schizophrenia are:
Psychoeducational family interventions: Many investigations have concluded the importance of the family context in the evolution of schizophrenia and it is for this reason that this intervention is intended to reduce feelings of guilt, develop educational guidelines for the management of the symptoms of the person with schizophrenia and increase knowledge. about the disorder.
Social skills training: Social skills are of great importance for our social functioning and performance and as we have already mentioned, some of the symptoms of schizophrenia negatively influence a person’s social functioning. For this reason, training in social skills is essential to improve social performance and, therefore, well-being and quality of life.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In the case of schizophrenia, cognitive-behavioral therapy is aimed at improving psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. Specifically, the person is helped through different techniques to manage their psychotic experiences by changing the beliefs they have around these symptoms.
Schizophrenia is a disorder that requires the help of a professional so that they can intervene to improve the quality of life of the person who suffers from it. If you present any of the symptoms mentioned, it is necessary that you ask for help so that a professional can determine what is happening to you and what is the best path to recover your well-being.
