Is schizophrenia hereditary?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that in many cases can be hereditary, as long as a series of precise conditions are met within the family. While it is true that genetic predisposition can greatly increase the chances that the disease develops, here also come into play environmental variables that affect its development or interruption. Therefore, the lifestyle adopted in these cases will influence the behaviours, emotions and thoughts that a human being with schizophrenia can have. In the same way, resorting to specialized treatments can reduce the intensity of the symptoms of this clinical picture.

Above all, in this context, it is crucial to have up-to-date information on this subject. In this Psychology-Online article titled Is schizophrenia hereditary? We will solve all your doubts about it.

Index

1. Can I inherit schizophrenia or acquired?
2. How is schizophrenia inherited?
3. What are the chances of inheriting schizophrenia?
4. Can hereditary schizophrenia be prevented?

Schizophrenia can be inherited if there is a genetic basis This increases the chances of it developing. Despite these considerations, to develop the symptoms of this disorder, a series of neurological conditions must be met. In other words, although there are certain neural connections that are present in a schizophrenia picture, this does not mean that it is manifested in behaviors, emotions and thoughts.

For this reason, it is possible to mention that, although there are altered neural components, a human being can live his whole life without having developed it. According to research, it has been shown that the presence of a recessive gene may be determinative to inherit this mental disorder.

In this article you will find more information about the Types of schizophrenia and their characteristics.

Schizophrenia is inherited from gene transmission between the parents and the person with said diagnosis. Here the types of genes that are manifested and those that remain invisible come into play. In other words, there may be people who carry the disease, but do not have symptomatic manifestations that correspond to the necessary clinical criteria.

This happens when recessive genes are passed on in heredity between humans. On the other hand, it has been confirmed that people whose parents have genetic alterations are more prone to developing the disease. In relation to this, you can also read the article Is anxiety hereditary?.

The odds of inheriting schizophrenia around 80% in general cases, as long as there is a combination of genes that alters the neural conditions of a person. However, the high probability of suffering from this condition does not imply that a person develops the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia. For this to happen, it is essential that environmental variables are put into play that favor the appearance of the problem.

In the case of twins who share the genetic material in its entirety, the probability drops to 48%. The development rate drops to 17% in twins.

Hereditary schizophrenia can be prevented if adequate measures are taken to counteract the effects of this clinical condition. To account for this, we will distinguish some fundamental points:

specialized treatments

First of all, the psychological therapy It is a key device to develop tools to deal with situations of stress and/or anxiety in a more enjoyable way. Each psychological therapy must be adapted to the needs of each individual, taking into account aspects such as genetic background, pre-existing diseases, family history, age, sex, variables environmental...

On the other hand, the supply of antipsychotic drugs It must be taken into account when approaching a patient with schizophrenia in order to achieve a decrease in the intensity of the symptoms that they present. However, the supervision of a mental health professional must be present in each treatment that is carried out.

Favorable environmental variables

Hereditary schizophrenia can be prevented by having a enabling environment for the person This consists in the presence of good family dealings during the period of childhood, accompanied by the aforementioned treatments.

On the other hand, it is important to have information on the consumption of toxic substances, since it has been shown that their consumption has a direct relationship with the signs of schizophrenia. In this sense, drug avoidance and stress reduction are transcendental points for the person's approach.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Is schizophrenia hereditary?, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Pacheco, A., Raventós, H. (2004). Genetics of schizophrenia: advances in the study of candidate genes. Journal of Tropical Biology, 52 (3), 34-44.