Schizophrenia tends to run in families, but no single gene is thought to be responsible. It's more likely that different combinations of genes make people more vulnerable to the condition. However, having these genes does not necessarily mean you'll develop schizophrenia.
Affecting about 1 percent of the population, schizophrenia is known to be as much as 90 percent heritable, yet discovering how specific genes work to confer risk has proven elusive, until now.
Genetic inheritance
You are more likely to have schizophrenia if you have a parent or sibling who has experienced psychosis. Researchers aren't yet sure why but they think that some genes might make it more likely. Living in certain environments seems to increase your risk of schizophrenia too.
In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s. Schizophrenia is considered early onset when it starts before the age of 18. Onset of schizophrenia in children younger than age 13 is extremely rare.
The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition. Some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode.
If left untreated, schizophrenia can worsen at any age, especially if you continue to experience episodes and symptoms. Typically, early onset schizophrenia in the late teens tends to be associated more with severe symptoms than later-life onset. But aging can change the trajectory of how symptoms show up.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the decline in life expectancy among people with more severe mental illness ranges from 10–25 years . Most studies of schizophrenia show a life expectancy reduction of 10–20 years.
Living with schizophrenia, it is possible to meet people, to socialize and make friends, and to have a loving intimate relationship. The best way to find a path to a healthy relationship is to treat your illness. Schizophrenia is not a flaw or weakness; it is a real disease.
They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. These symptoms make holding a job, forming relationships, and other day-to-day functions especially difficult for people with schizophrenia.
Mental disorders are the result of both genetic and environmental factors. There is no single genetic switch that when flipped causes a mental disorder. Consequently, it is difficult for doctors to determine a person's risk of inheriting a mental disorder or passing on the disorder to their children.
You're more likely to get schizophrenia if someone in your family has it. If it's a parent, brother, or sister, your chances go up by 10%. If both your parents have it, you have a 40% chance of getting it.
Research suggests that schizophrenia occurs due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, which can cause abnormal development in the brain. In people with these risk factors, severely stressful life events, trauma, abuse, or neglect may trigger the condition.
Unfortunately, most people with schizophrenia are unaware that their symptoms are warning signs of a mental disorder. Their lives may be unraveling, yet they may believe that their experiences are normal. Or they may feel that they're blessed or cursed with special insights that others can't see.
Experts aren't sure what exactly triggers the first episode or the early warning signs. But many things can lead to psychosis: Genetics. Several specific genes and a family history of psychosis may make it more likely for you to develop it.
Symptoms of Borderline Schizophrenia
Level of functioning in work, interpersonal connection, or self-care is impaired by the symptoms for a significant portion of time. Change in functioning is significant compared to previous level of functioning. Continuous signs of the disturbance for a six-month period.
Residual Schizophrenia
This specific type is characterized by when an individual doesn't display positive symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusional thinking), although they still have the negative symptoms or more mild schizophrenia symptoms (no expression of emotions, strange speech).
There's no single test for schizophrenia and the condition is usually diagnosed after assessment by a specialist in mental health. If you're concerned you may be developing symptoms of schizophrenia, see a GP as soon as possible. The earlier schizophrenia is treated, the better.
People with schizophrenia suffer a wide range of social cognitive deficits, including abnormalities in eye gaze perception. For instance, patients have shown an increased bias to misjudge averted gaze as being directed toward them.
The age of onset in men and women
In general, schizophrenia is diagnosed in late adolescence through the early 30s. Men are usually diagnosed between the late teens and early 20s, with a peak at 21-25 years of age. Women are diagnosed a few years later, at 25-30 or again after menopause.
Eduard Einstein
The youngest child of Albert Einstein was studying medicine when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 20. He spent many years in and out of a psychiatric clinic in Zurich, Switzerland.
An individual is diagnosed with late-onset schizophrenia when their symptoms start in the mid-life period, usually around the age of 45. But late-onset schizophrenia doesn't just affect the age of occurence; it can also affect what symptoms an individual presents with.