There is an mental illness that affects one percent of the worlds population, there are 17million sufferers worldwide but this mental illness is still the most misunderstood. Schizophrenia

Researchers have strong evidence relating the importance of excess levels of dopamine in the brain. The first of two sources is the use of  ‘antipsychotic drugs’. This type of treatment reduces levels of dopamine in the brain, by ‘blocking the dopamine receptors’ thus highly effective at reducing schizophrenic symptoms. (c handout) Additional evidence to support the dopamine theory comes from observation of amphetamine abuse. This particular drug releases dopamine, causing the user to have similar behavioural pattern of a schizophrenic. Thus, supporting levels of dopamine in the brain can have a significant affect on schizophrenic tendencies. Studies are also supported by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. A technique used to demonstrate detailed pictures of metabolic differences between the brain of a schizophrenic and of a normal person. The evidence from PET scans are substantial (see page 553).      

Development of schizophrenia is also linked to genetic perspective. The familial data recognizes relatives of  schizophrenics are more likely to develop the illness; identical twins are three times more susceptible than that of fraternal twins. The genetic relatedness for identical twins is one hundred percent and a risk factor of forty six percent. Moreover, identical twins are forty-six times more likely in developing schizophrenia than an unrelated person. Children of schizophrenic parents are also at great risk of developing schizophrenia-holding the same statistics as identical twins-even if fostered, it is highly likely the child will develop schizophrenia. Fueling further evidence of hereditary links to schizophrenia. See fig 15-1 page 552. ‘Genetic Relationships and Schizophrenia. The lifetime risk of developing schizophernia is largely a function of how closely an individual is genetically related to a schizophrenic and not a function of how much their environment is shared. Inthis case of an individual with two schizophrenic parents, genrtic relatedness cannot be expressed in terms of percentage, but the regression of the individual’s “genetic value” on that of the parents is 1, the same as it is for identical twins.(After Gottesman, 1991; Gottesman & Shields, 1982) See page 552.

Fortunately, with the development of science in recent years, it has become possible to search for specific genes with new molecular biology techniques for genetic mapping. Several studies of DNA samples from families with an unusually high incidence of schizophernia found evidence of a defective gene, or cluster of genes, located on chromosome 5 (Bassett, 1989: sherrington et al., 1988)

Finally, Environmental Perspective is a significant factor in relation to the causes of schizophrenia. Family relations prove to be important element is the development of schizophrenia. But also a theory difficult of conclusive evidence. Studies from the 1950’s have been tracking the combination of parents inability to communicate with their children ‘The parents are described as communicating in ways that create confusion and uncertainty’   and their dealings with adolescence ‘dealt with the adolescent in a critical and hostile manner’. ‘The combination of negative parental attitudes and confused communication was more predictive of future schizophrenic than either variable alone (Goldstein,1987)’,

The problem with this study has raised many debates, whether it is in fact the parents attitude or the behaviour of the child not diagnosed with schizophernia that caused the parents to react with such attitudes. ‘It is possible that communication problems and critical parental attitudes were a consequence of the parents attempts to cope with a child whose behaviour was disturbed or unusual even before he or she was diagnosed as schizophernic’ The importance of family disorganization and parental rejection has to be recgonised as a serious attribute in the severity of schizophrenia. Moreover, traumatic events such as early deaths can also trigger schizophrenia. ‘In general, the more stressful the childhood, the more severe the schizophrenic disorder’. See handout 541.

In general, people who suffer from stress do not develop schizophrenia, however, as mentioned before, stressful events such as severe poverty can act as a catalyst in the development of schizophrenia. And in addition, schizophrenics are not equipped to deal with stress. ‘While early theories of schizophrenia emphasized environmental factors, the explanation that currently has the greatest support views schizophrenia as an inherited brain disorder that makes the individual vulnerable to stresses of life’.