Schizophrenia has been treated as a mystery illness for decades. It is possible that the answers are not that much of a mystery. I think we are closer to the answers than we realize. I believe that it is possible that there are biological reasons that normal people develop schizophrenia. This is coupled with genetic predisposition to a mental illness along with their response to environmental factors.
There has been a lot of studying to what genes are likely to cause schizophrenia. Environmental factors would include both ongoing stress levels, vitamin deficiency, substance use, and physical stress. These are my own assumptions, although many professionals may have begun to believe similarly.
We are living in times when prescriptions are the answers to the questions which remain overlooked. Can we answer a question which has not yet been answered? Is there a common cause of schizophrenia; if so then what is it? These questions are really not answerable until there is true evidence of the causes of schizophrenia. They will be absurd questions when the answer is as inconclusive as ‘it just happened’ and how far can we go with just treating the symptoms. Without treating the cause, the symptoms will never go away completely.
Psychotic symptoms are mimicked by deliriant anti-histamines. I have taken anti-histamines and had an experience of feeling disconnected and when I was reading I heard the words coming from the pages aloud. Might low levels of histamine be a factor in the diagnosis of schizophrenia? I have also read theories on Niacin from Abram Hoffer. Niacin was theorized as being helpful to those with schizophrenia. This would be because it helps with the regulation of histamine. Histamine is also a catalyst in sleep regulation as well.
Anyone knows that people need sleep, and without the right amount of sleep anyone could become psychotic. Might it be possible that histamine which also acts as a neurotransmitter might be the cause of psychotic disorders? When one part of the body is out of balance the rest would be affected.
Perhaps drugs which target the histamine levels instead of dopamine and serotonin will be more effective in the future. There are anti-psychotic drugs which target histamine levels already such as Abilify which has seemed to have marketable success as a newer atypical anti-psychotic. Genetic predispositions may be one piece of the puzzle.
Marijuana has been apparent to cause drug-induced schizophrenia in people who have used it. Perhaps in the future we will know what causes it, and will be able to be calculated through tests. Perhaps a low white blood cell count could tell of lack of histamine which causes delusions, while other illnesses could mean you have too much histamine. Might a virus be factored within all this? Might a cold trigger schizophrenia? These are questions which are not always asked.
In conclusion I feel that the questions of the causes of schizophrenia are being overlooked. That it is likely to be caused by biological and environmental factors, and genetic predisposition may play only a part. I would also like to conclude with the mention that schizophrenia is much like an umbrella term, when anyone who has features of thought disorder or delusion can become diagnosed. If the problem with schizophrenia is lack of understanding reality, then those who study schizophrenia should devote more time in spreading the truth of the illness. Medications may be a temporary solution, but they still cannot fully fix the issue of schizophrenia.
Sources for research Include:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia
http://www.experiencefestival.com/histamine_-_schizophrenia
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/nutritionschizophrenia.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripiprazole
http://www.schizophrenia.com/research/hereditygen.htm
