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Causes of Schizophrenia: Is Schizophrenia Genetic?

Causes of Schizophrenia: Is Schizophrenia Genetic?

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Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic disorder that is caused by numerous factors including environmental, developmental, or genetic factors. The exact cause of schizophrenia is still unknown. Research has shown that there is no single cause for schizophrenia but a combination of factors leads to the development of schizophrenia. If you have a family member with schizophrenia, you might have it. Traumas, life events, or any incident may trigger schizophrenia in you. In this blog, we will see schizophrenia genetics, genetic factors of schizophrenia, and the other causes of schizophrenia.

What does Schizophrenia feel like?

In schizophrenia, your mind makes you see things and hear voices that are not real, it is called hallucinations. It makes it difficult to relate to friends and patients also become sluggish in schizophrenia. Unusual thoughts and ideas come to your mind all the time. There are also other indications of schizophrenia including confused thinking, extreme moodiness, extreme anxiety, and fearfulness.

Sometimes schizophrenia can also lead you to paranoia- a way of thinking that involves feelings of distrust and suspicions about others without a good reason. A person may experience delusions in schizophrenia. It is a process where you cannot tell the difference between reality and dreams.

Some of the signs of schizophrenia are the same for mood disorders but they are distinct mental illnesses.

Types of Schizophrenia

Before 2013, schizophrenia was divided into five different subtypes for the purpose of diagnosis. But now it is treated as one disease. The subtypes of schizophrenia include

  • Paranoid: including symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech.
  • Disorganized: including symptoms like disorganized thinking or speech disturbances, same as bipolar disorder.
  • Undifferentiated: showing symptoms of more than one type of mental illness.
  • Residual: the type whose symptoms decrease after the first diagnosis.
  • Catatonic: this type used to include the symptoms of immobility.

There used to be different types of schizophrenia but now it is treated as one disease. At that time, it was difficult to diagnose schizophrenia as one disease but now it is possible. As there is no treatment for schizophrenia we can use different strategies to cope with it.

Read More: Schizophrenia in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Causes of Schizophrenia

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, schizophrenia affects 1 percent of the population in America. It influences more males than females. In this section, you can get the genetic causes of schizophrenia and answers to all your questions: is schizophrenia genetic or environmental? Does schizophrenia run in families? Does schizophrenia skip a generation?

Schizophrenia tends to run in families but there is no single gene that is responsible for schizophrenia. It is more probable that a combination of different genes may lead you to schizophrenia. This is schizophrenia genetic risk that it is not sure whether it will be transmitted or not.

Let’s discuss the schizophrenia genetic inheritance with twin examples that were used for this theory.

If there are two identical twins and one of them is suffering from genetic schizophrenia. Then there is a 1 out of 2 chance that the other one will also have schizophrenia.

Read More: A Guide To Understand Catatonic Schizophrenia

If the twins are fraternal, with different genetic makeup and one of them has the genetics of schizophrenia, then there is 1 out of 8 chance that the other one will have it.

While it is still higher than the results for the general population. It has been observed that one out of 100 chances of getting schizophrenia from parents or family. It leads to the result that genetics is one factor but is not the cause of schizophrenia.

Pregnancy-Related Causes of Schizophrenia 

Research has shown that a person who develops schizophrenia is the one who experiences birth complications. Let’s see what type of birth-related issues can be the reason for schizophrenia. Low birth weight, a lack of oxygen during birth, and premature labor may lead a person to develop this mental disorder.

Environmental Factors

A person’s surroundings also affect this development. Being exposed to viruses and toxins can be the reason for developing schizophrenia. Other environmental factors include when a person experiences malnutrition before birth, it may also cause schizophrenia.

Brain Chemistry

It has been observed that schizophrenia patients have different brain structures, but it is not only a sign of this disease. It has been seen that they have a little change in their brain that affects their health. They have issues with brain chemicals including neurotransmitters dopamine, which leads them to develop this fatal illness.

Substance Use

Drug abuse also leads to schizophrenia. Research shows that schizophrenia patients are more lean towards substance use. However, it is still unclear whether it is drug use that causes schizophrenia or it is the behavioral changes in patients that lead them to use drugs. Research has shown that young people who use cannabis at an early age are more likely to develop schizophrenia in adulthood.

Read More: Is Major Depressive Disorder The Same As Bipolar Disorder?

Triggers for Schizophrenia

Triggers are the reasons that cause the development of schizophrenia in people who are in danger. The main trigger that causes schizophrenia to develop is stress. Different types of causes lead to acute stress and ultimately to schizophrenia:

  • losing your job or home divorce
  • the end of a relationship
  • physical, sexual, or emotional abuse

Schizophrenia often leads you to other psychotic disorders some of them include anxiety disorder specifically GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and MDD (major depressive disorder).

Treatment for Schizophrenia

It is treated with a combination of medication and therapy. Medication management is really necessary because there are antipsychotics in its medicine. If it is not managed correctly, it can cause other problems.

If we talk about the therapies then the best therapy is psychotherapy. Talk therapy is beneficial but if we talk specifically then it is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is used for treating schizophrenia.

Other solutions to schizophrenia include changing your lifestyle. Medication, yoga, and running help in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia. Sleeping well and eating well helps in maintaining health.

Read More: Understanding ADHD Mood Swings: A Journey Through Emotional Waves

Orange Coast Psychiatry: Premium Center for Mental Illnesses 

At Orange Coast Psychiatry, we have experts who understand the genetic factors of schizophrenia and treat you with an evidence-based treatment approach. Our solutions are made to prioritize quality and the comfort of patients. Whether you need telehealth services for schizophrenia or clinical solutions for ADHD, we have got you covered.

Contact us now and take control of your health!

Final Thoughts

Is schizophrenia hereditary or genetic? Now we can answer this question. Yes, but it is not always because of genes. There is a very low chance for this to be the reason for schizophrenia. Other factors include environment, brain chemistry, and substance use. For the treatment of schizophrenia, Orange Coast Psychiatry is the best service provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Usually, schizophrenic people are harmless to people. They are more likely to hurt themselves than anyone else.

Schizophrenia tends to run through families, but no single gene is responsible for this illness, but a combination. Genetics may be one of the reasons for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia starts in the late teen years to early thirties. It can be found in children aged less than 13 but it is rare in children.

Reference and Footnotes
  1. What causes schizophrenia? (n.d.). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/what-causes-schizophrenia
  2. Salleh MR. The genetics of schizophrenia. Malays J Med Sci. 2004 Jul;11(2):3-11. PMID: 22973121; PMCID: PMC3433970.
  3. Frothingham, S. (2019b, May 23). Is schizophrenia inherited? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/is-schizophrenia-hereditary#other-causes
  4. Schizophrenia and your genes. (n.d.). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-and-your-genes

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May Faustino

Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

May Faustino, PMHNP-BC, is a compassionate and highly skilled psychiatric provider with over four years of nursing experience, including three years specializing in psychiatric care. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from West Coast University, where she received extensive training in managing the psychiatric needs of pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations, as well as providing therapy and counseling services.
May has worked in diverse mental health settings, including forensic psychiatry at the Department of State Hospitals and behavioral health services at Aliso Ridge Behavioral Health. Her clinical expertise spans psychiatric assessments, medication management, and trauma-informed care, with a strong focus on treating anxiety, depression, and trauma-related disorders.
Bilingual in English and Tagalog, May is dedicated to serving diverse patient populations with a culturally sensitive approach. She is trained in evidence-based therapeutic modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing and is well-versed in trauma-informed care and suicide prevention strategies.
May is passionate about promoting resilience and recovery through preventive mental health care and individualized, holistic treatment plans. Her commitment to excellence is reflected in her memberships in the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
In her personal time, May enjoys fostering mindfulness and well-being through activities she loves, such as spending time with her husband and their two beloved cats, Pippy and Eva.

Dr. Montgomery

M.D. – Psychiatrist

Dr. Torri Montgomery, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with a subspecialty board certification in forensic psychiatry. Dr. Montgomery is an integral part of our Management Team as a Psychiatrist and Supervising Psychiatrist for our Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners here at Orange Coast psychiatry.
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Dr. Ravi

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Dr. Irwin

M.D. , Ph.D – Psychiatrist

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