Amongst various psychological disorders, schizophrenia effects a relatively low number of people compared to others like major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. In fact, the lifetime rate of schizophrenia is only .7% whereas substance use disorders have a lifetime rate of 26.6%. Based upon the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, to be diagnosed with schizophrenia an individual must display at least two symptoms for one month and one must be a positive symptom. An exception to the time requirement occurs if the person has been receiving treatment that has made their symptoms manifest for less than the month. The positive symptoms include hallucinations that are mostly auditory, delusions, disordered thoughts, or bizarre behaviors. Negative symptoms can be social withdrawal, a flat affect, anhedonia, lessened motivation, alogia, and catatonia. However, these may be excluded when diagnosing if they are caused by another disorder, condition, or drug. Schizophrenia, much like other psychological disorders, cannot be attributed to a single cause. Some biological factors that are known to influence …show more content…
Genetically, people who are closely related to someone wit schizophrenia have a higher chance of developing it, and the closer the relative, the higher the probability. However, it is not a guarantee; even identical twins with the same genetic makeup are not certain to both have schizophrenia if one does, which evidences the concurrent importance of environmental and psychological factors. Specifically, the DISC1gene that produces a protein of the same name, which exists in the nucleus, mitochondria, and synapses. It plays a role in several key processes including neurogenesis, neuronal migration, and dendritic spine production. While this gene does not entirely cause schizophrenia, mutated versions are more common in those who have