Understanding The Various Effects Of Schizophrenia On A Persons Life

Schizophrenia is a brain disease that affects the person's actions, thought processes and perception of reality. It is a difficult disease to foresee since schizophrenia happens not at a young age but in the late teen years to early twenty's for men and the late twenty's to early 30's for women.

What causes schizophrenia is not fully known but apparently there are linkages between genetic and environmental factors whose complex interaction may result in schizophrenia. Though genetics may play a role in this disease, it only determines one's predisposition to it, and not its development. More than half of people diagnosed with schizophrenia have family members who do not have that disorder. Like everything else, complications during pregnancy may have linkages to schizophrenia. Stress inducing conditions like low oxygen levels during the birthing process, a prenatal exposure to a viral infection and exposure to virus during infancy. It is believed that high levels of stress trigger the production of the hormone cortisol which as studies suggests, plays a role in schizophrenia. Another alleged cause of developing schizophrenia is brain chemical imbalances. Glutamate and Dopamine imbalances, as recent studies suggest, may contribute to schizophrenia. Abnormalities in brain structure may also cause this disease. CAT Scans taken from those afflicted by the ailment show enlarged brain ventricles which show a lack of volume and mass of brain tissue. Other possible contributors have to do with the measuring of brain activity from the frontal lobe which is responsible for the decision making, planning and reasoning processes.

These are some of the likely causes of schizophrenia and there are no definite conclusions but rather hypotheses of what may contribute to such an ailment.

The effects of schizophrenia are the ones most felt not just by the patient but by those around especially family members and friends. The biggest effect of schizophrenia is in the person's ability to interact with others. Since this ailment strikes at a later age, one can see a reversal of behavior. From a gregarious and communicative personality, one affected with this ailment can become withdrawn, and uncommunicative. Paranoia can set it which makes the person suspicious of everyone. Worse yet, one affected with schizophrenia may develop his or her language or become incomprehensible, offering uttering words that rhyme but not make any sense or even talking about things illogically. Such an effect of schizophrenia may lead to frustrations among both parties and immediate consultations with doctors are needed to help treat the ailment which is treatable with the appropriate medicine.