Biological Explanations Of Schizophrenia Essay

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder revolves the way a person would think, act and the way they would see the world. They usually have a different view of the truth and this is frequently loss of contact with what going on. People that have the disorder could hear or see things that don’t exist and even speak strange, believe that others are trying to harm them, or sense they’re being watched. The biological explanation for schizophrenia, through biological faults, for instance viral infections and brain abnormalities Genetic Factors Certain psychologists predict schizophrenia can be passed down generations however this implies some people inherit the disorder from their parents. Identical twins have a higher risk of schizophrenia, meaning one of the twins can have the disorder and is a greater chance is they’re identical rather than non-identical. During my research I found that ‘Gottesman’ (1991) reviewed 40 studies and established ‘monozygotic twins have a concordance rate of 48%’, whereas dizygotic twins have a concordance rate of 17%. This demonstrates the correlation between genetics and the risk of developing schizophrenia. However if there was no genetic element there would be no difference of risk from first relatives. Yet there is 1% possibility of someone at random picked. Adopted studies is way more real way of splitting out the effects of environmental and genetic factors- adopted children later progress schizophrenia and care

The cognitive explanation acknowledges the role of biological factors in schizophrenia, suggesting that the basis of the condition is abnormal brain activity producing visual and auditory hallucinations. Further features of the disorder emerge as people try to make sense of the hallucinations.

Adoption studies support the genetic theory that schizophrenia can be inherited as they provide evidence that the environment does not affect inheritance rate. The supporting study was carried out by Tienari in Finland. He investigated 164 adoptees that biological mothers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and found 6.7% also received a diagnosis, compared to 2% of the control group of adoptees. This means that that there is a genetic liability to schizophrenia, as more of

Schizophrenia is a unique disease in its pathophysiology. For their early lives, patients appear healthy. However, symptoms begin to appear during adolescence or early adulthood and may be triggered by changes in the brain during puberty. The first signs of the illness include anxiety, depression, changes in friends, sleep problems, irritability, dropping grades, and having trouble concentrating (Picchioni and Murray, 2007; National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)). Delusions and hallucinations typically begin between the ages of 16 and 30 (NIMH).

Kety et al. (1978) examined early-age Danish adoptees matched on gender and age. 50% of these adoptees were diagnosed as schizophrenic and 50% were not. They found that the incidence of schizophrenia was greater among the biological relatives of those with schizophrenia than those without. This is expected if genetic factors are important. They also found that the rate of schizophrenia was no different for adoptive families who had adopted a child who became schizophrenic compared to those who had adopted a child that did not become schizophrenic. This therefore suggests that environment is of little importance.

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by distorted thinking, impaired emotional responses, poor interpersonal skills and a distortion of reality. It is the most common of psychotic disorders that, in most countries around the world, affects around 1 per cent of the population. In terms of explanations for the disorder, two central types of explanations arise – psychological explanations and biological explanations. Whereas psychological explanations tend to focus on cognitive, emotional and environmental factors that may cause the disorder, biological explanations tend to focus on genetic, biochemical and neuro-anatomical factors as the cause of the

Gottesman also supports the genetic link, showing schizophrenia is more common in close biological relatives of a schizophrenic. However genetic explanations cannot account for the patients who have no family history of the disorder. Biochemical factors are used to suggest that schizophrenia is caused by abnormal neurotransmitter activity. The main aspect of this explanation is the Dopamine hypothesis. Schizophrenia has been linked to with high levels of dopamine in the brain.

Biological theorists believe that individuals may have a genetic predisposition for the schizophrenia if a close family member has been diagnosed with the disorder. Stress during adolescent years seems to provoke the disorder among individuals who have a family history of the disorder. In addition, this theory suggests biochemical abnormalities related to the dopamine neurotransmitters may also contribute to the illness as the brains neurotransmission of the dopamine is too frequent in occurrence (Comer, 2005). CAT and MRI scans have also indicated that abnormal brain structuring may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia due to a common occurrence of enlarged ventricles within schizophrenia sufferers (Comer, 2005). Various parts of the brain may not develop for function properly which seems lead to Type II schizophrenia. Studies have also pointed towards the idea that exposure to certain viruses before birth may lead to the eventual development of schizophrenia (Comer, 2005).

Children (non schizophrenic) were adopted by individuals that later developed schizophrenia. As the child does not share any genes with the adopted mother/father, the environment is the only point that could determine whether or not they develop schizophrenia. There were extremely low or even no

(Szasz,1982, p.4, p.29) In 1900, the term schizophrenia, now used worldwide, was used to describe the condition that one out of every hundred people had. This statistic remains the same today. Through research and years of study, the world has a better understanding of schizophrenia, its forms, characteristics, symptoms, types, possible causes, and treatments, if any. ( Pierce, 1990. p.263 )

In 1908 Bleuler prised his own term schizophrenia from the Greek world’s schizien meaning to split and phren meaning mind to capture what he viewed as the essential nature of the condition. Bleuler

Schizophrenia is a very serious, long-term disorder that affects about 1% of the world’s population. It affects people anywhere from twenty years old, to forty-five years old. It is known to be one of the most disabling diseases in this age group. Schizophrenia can break down a person’s behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. People who suffer from schizophrenia usually show very inappropriate displays of their actions and feelings. Sufferers have been known to hear voices, even when there is nobody around them. They have problems controlling their thoughts, and sometimes blurt out things that are very inappropriate. This paper will outline the biological, social, and psychological

although the term schizophrenia is Greek for ‘spilt mind’, it is in fact unrelated to

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that causes severe mental disturbances which disrupt ones thoughts, speech, and behavior. According to Paul Thompson, Associate Professor of Neurology, one percent of the world’s population suffers from this disorder. There is no one specific cause of schizophrenia, because it is caused by a combination of problems during development. It is a disorder which not only affects the patient, but their family and society as well. Schizophrenia can be a debilitating disorder, however, there are many treatments that can allow people who suffer from it to lead normal lives.

There are many causes to Schizophrenia. Many causes are genetics, brain chemistry and structure, and the environment of a human being. Genetically Schizophrenia can run through a family and can be passed on generations at a time. “Individuals with a first degree relative (parent or sibling) who has schizophrenia have a 10 percent chance of developing the disorder, as opposed to the 1 percent chance of the general population.” (Helpguide.org) Identical twins are a good example of this. “If an identical twin is diagnosed with Schizophrenia the other twin is 50 percent more likely to also be diagnosed with the mental disorder (psychcentral.com).” Brain chemistry and structure is another big factor in the cause of Schizophrenia. Neurotransmitters-