Psychiatric Risk Factors
Researchers believe that various environmental and genetic factors contribute to life stressors, and that causation may play a significant role in the onset and progression of symptoms. Due to the fact that multiple factors may evolve, scientists cannot yet be certain of the exact occurrence in each individual case. (4)
Even though the precise cause of schizophrenia is unknown, there are a number of risk factors associated with its onset or development, including:
Having a history of schizophrenia in the family
Using mind-altering (psychotropic or psychoactive) substances during adolescence and young adulthood.
Some birth and pregnancy complications, such as exposure to viruses or toxins or malnutrition, may affect brain development.
Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that affects approximately 1% of the world’s population. Several environmental and genetic risk factors influence the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The environmental factors include place of birth, date of birth, seasonal effects, complications during pregnancy, infectious diseases, delivery complications, as well as stress and substance addiction. In addition to environmental factors, genetic factors are more likely to play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia in recent years. Risk factors for the emergence of schizophrenia are associated with varying probabilities. Knowing these factors could significantly contribute to the prevention of such conditions.
Physical and mental risk factors
According to developmental theories of schizophrenia, something goes wrong during brain development. From the earliest stages of foetal development through adolescence and the early years, brain development is an excessively complex process. Millions of developing neurons migrate to different regions of the developing brain and specialise to perform a variety of functions. Then something goes awry, which could be a hormonal imbalance, a viral infection, nutritional stress, a genetic coding error, or something else. The occurrence of random events during brain development is a recurrent theme in all developmental theories. Even though such potential causes may emerge during early development, schizophrenia symptoms typically manifest in early adulthood or late adolescence.
