Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesRisk FactorsTriggersCauses of Relapse
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Risk Factors
Triggers
Causes of Relapse
Whether you love someone with the mental illness or have seen it depicted in movies and pop culture, you might find yourself wondering what causesschizophrenia. Unfortunately, scientists don’t know exactly what causes this mental illness.
They do, however, understand that genetics plays a large role. For instance, if you have an immediate family member with schizophrenia, you’re 6 times more likely to experience the illness yourself, compared to people with no family history.
Environmental factors, including some that occur while in the womb, can also contribute to developing schizophrenia.
Continue reading to learn more about what causes and triggers schizophrenia.
Alistair Berg / Getty Images
What Causes Schizophrenia to Develop?
Most people who haveschizophreniafirst developsymptomsbetween the ages of 16 and 30.Researchers don’t know exactly what causes the illness, or why it emerges at those ages. However, they know that the illness has genetic, epigenetic (behavior and environment), and environmental causes.
Genetics
Scientists don’t believe there’s one gene that is responsible for schizophrenia. Instead, they think there are many genes at play. However, they don’t have a full understand of what genes impact the risk for schizophrenia.
Epigenetics
Epigenetics is the study of how behavior and environment impact how genes work. Scientists believe there are strong epigenetic risk factors that impact the development of schizophrenia. This explains why some people with a genetic risk for the disease develop symptoms, while other people with the same genes do not. Scientists haven’t yet identified why the way some genes are expressed can increase risk.
Environmental
Some research suggests that using drugs, particularly during the teen years, can increase risk for schizophrenia. However, people who are predisposed to schizophrenia may also be at a higher risk of developing substance use disorder.Drug use alone cannot trigger schizophrenia, and drug use during the teenage years cannot be blamed for causing the illness.
Scientists also believe that exposure to viruses, including while a fetus is in the womb, can increase risk for developing schizophrenia. However, they haven’t identified specific viral triggers of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia in Identical TwinsIdentical twins share 100% of their genes, so researchers often study them to determine how genetics influences disease progression. With schizophrenia, if one identical twin has the illness, the other has just a 50% chance of developing it.This shows that while the genetic risk is strong, epigenetic and environmental factors play a large role in the development of the disease as well.
Schizophrenia in Identical Twins
Identical twins share 100% of their genes, so researchers often study them to determine how genetics influences disease progression. With schizophrenia, if one identical twin has the illness, the other has just a 50% chance of developing it.This shows that while the genetic risk is strong, epigenetic and environmental factors play a large role in the development of the disease as well.
Identical twins share 100% of their genes, so researchers often study them to determine how genetics influences disease progression. With schizophrenia, if one identical twin has the illness, the other has just a 50% chance of developing it.
This shows that while the genetic risk is strong, epigenetic and environmental factors play a large role in the development of the disease as well.
Schizophrenia Risk Factors
Genetics is the biggest risk factor for developing schizophrenia.However, many people with the disorder don’t have a known family history of the mental illness. In addition, many people who have close relatives with the disease don’t develop it themselves.
There are many risk factors that can contribute to schizophrenia, including:
Schizophrenia Triggers
Causes of Relapsing Schizophrenia
If you have schizophrenia, or love someone with the illness, it’s important to learn to recognize the early signs of relapse. When you notice changes to mood or functioning, seek help early. Adjusting medications and behaviors may help you avoid a full-fledged episode.
Summary
Scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes schizophrenia, but they know that genetics play an important role. That’s why the disease runs in families. However, there’s no one gene that causes the disorder. Instead, many genes interact with environmental factors and triggers, including substance use, viral infections, and stressors, to increase a person’s risk for schizophrenia.
If you or your loved one have this disease, remember that there’s no shame. Nothing you did caused the illness. Being an advocate, following your treatment plan, and understanding your disease can help you live well with schizophrenia.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Schizophrenia.National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.Trifu SC, Kohn B, Vlasie A, Patrichi BE.Genetics of schizophrenia (review).Exp Ther Med. 2020. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8973.Anil Srivastava, Oluwagbenga Dada, Jessica Qian, Nzaar Al-Chalabi, Ali Bani Fatemi, Philip Gerretsen, Ariel Graff, Vincenzo De Luca.Epigenetics of schizophrenia.Psychiatry Research. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114218.Khokhar JY, Dwiel LL, Henricks AM, Doucette WT, Green AI.The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis.Schizophr Res. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.016.NHS.Causes - schizophrenia.Davis J, Eyre H, Jacka FN, Dodd S, Dean O, McEwen S, Debnath M, McGrath J, Maes M, Amminger P, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Berk M.A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.017.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Schizophrenia.National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.Trifu SC, Kohn B, Vlasie A, Patrichi BE.Genetics of schizophrenia (review).Exp Ther Med. 2020. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8973.Anil Srivastava, Oluwagbenga Dada, Jessica Qian, Nzaar Al-Chalabi, Ali Bani Fatemi, Philip Gerretsen, Ariel Graff, Vincenzo De Luca.Epigenetics of schizophrenia.Psychiatry Research. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114218.Khokhar JY, Dwiel LL, Henricks AM, Doucette WT, Green AI.The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis.Schizophr Res. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.016.NHS.Causes - schizophrenia.Davis J, Eyre H, Jacka FN, Dodd S, Dean O, McEwen S, Debnath M, McGrath J, Maes M, Amminger P, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Berk M.A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.017.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Schizophrenia.National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.Trifu SC, Kohn B, Vlasie A, Patrichi BE.Genetics of schizophrenia (review).Exp Ther Med. 2020. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8973.Anil Srivastava, Oluwagbenga Dada, Jessica Qian, Nzaar Al-Chalabi, Ali Bani Fatemi, Philip Gerretsen, Ariel Graff, Vincenzo De Luca.Epigenetics of schizophrenia.Psychiatry Research. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114218.Khokhar JY, Dwiel LL, Henricks AM, Doucette WT, Green AI.The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis.Schizophr Res. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.016.NHS.Causes - schizophrenia.Davis J, Eyre H, Jacka FN, Dodd S, Dean O, McEwen S, Debnath M, McGrath J, Maes M, Amminger P, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Berk M.A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.017.
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Schizophrenia.
National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.
Trifu SC, Kohn B, Vlasie A, Patrichi BE.Genetics of schizophrenia (review).Exp Ther Med. 2020. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8973.
Anil Srivastava, Oluwagbenga Dada, Jessica Qian, Nzaar Al-Chalabi, Ali Bani Fatemi, Philip Gerretsen, Ariel Graff, Vincenzo De Luca.Epigenetics of schizophrenia.Psychiatry Research. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114218.
Khokhar JY, Dwiel LL, Henricks AM, Doucette WT, Green AI.The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis.Schizophr Res. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.016.
NHS.Causes - schizophrenia.
Davis J, Eyre H, Jacka FN, Dodd S, Dean O, McEwen S, Debnath M, McGrath J, Maes M, Amminger P, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Berk M.A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.017.
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