Researchers are still investigating the causes of schizophrenia. The fact that tests such as MRIs and CT scans show differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia and people with normal thought patterns indicates that schizophrenia is a physical disease. Both environmental and genetic factors are linked to developing schizophrenia: having an older father, having a family history of schizophrenia, being exposed to toxic chemicals or certain viruses like the flu before you were born, other prenatal problems such as a lack of oxygen, poor maternal nutrition, taking certain illegal drugs as a teen or young adult, and stress are all risk factors for this disease. Researchers also think that certain brain chemicals play a role in developing schizophrenia, including glutamate and dopamine. Lastly, while stress may not cause schizophrenia directly, it may provoke the first symptoms in someone who is genetically vulnerable to schizophrenia.
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