Causes

What precisely causes schizophrenia is not known, but current research suggests a combination of hereditary and environmental factors.

Fundamentally, however, it is a biologic problem (involving changes in the brain), not one caused by poor parenting or a mentally unhealthy environment.

Other causes may include problems that occurred before, during, or after birth, such as influenza in the mother during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, oxygen deprivation at birth, a low birth weight, and incompatibility of the mother's and infant's blood type.