Causes

This illness cannot be explained by one simple cause. Some individuals are predisposed (neurophysiological vulnerability) to develop schizophrenia when stress factors appear in their life. 

Neurophysiological vulnerability 

• Genetic risk

It is estimated that 50% of cases of schizophrenia result from a genetic anomaly that affects brain development.

• Cerebral development

Other incidents during pregnancy, such as having the flu, taking drugs, or suffering a famine, may affect the cerebral development of the foetus.

Several cerebral regions are affected by schizophrenia:
- The hippocampus, an area in the brain that in particular helps modulate emotions and stores working memory;
- The frontal lobes, the command centre for social and planning skills, function slower (hypofrontality) in the brain of the person affected;
- The temporal lobes are activated by hearing and also by auditive hallucinations;

Some neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, glutamate), which establish connections between nerve cells, are defective.

• Environmental stress factors

Drugs (marijuana, PCP, ecstasy, etc.) frequently act as trigger factors in schizophrenia. Strong emotions (hostility, criticism, intense and intimate relationships), social tensions, work or study pressures, changes in routine (relocation, changing schools, etc.) are also stress situations that may provoke schizophrenic relapses.