Schizophrenia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Schizophrenia - Essay Example with schizophrenia is the reduction of the quality of life that they enjoy with lower rates of employment, disrupted marriages and the reduced ability to live independently (Frankenberg, 2007). Schizophrenia ranks among the top ten diseases that are responsible for causing disability among the population of the world. It affects all kinds of people irrespective of colour, caste, creed and culture, though there is a trend of higher prevalence in the developed world and among migrants (Saha et al, 2005). Estimates on the worldwide prevalence of schizophrenia put the prevalence rate at 1.1% making for about 51 million people suffering from the disorder around the world. The prevalence rate of schizophrenia in Australia is almost similar to the worldwide prevalence rate, which gives an estimated 285,000 people afflicted with the disorder in Australia (Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics). The aetiology of schizophrenia still remains an enigma, as there is limited clarity in it. Genetics and perinatal nutritional stress have remained the main postulated aetiologies of schizophrenia. The postulation of a genetic basis in the aetiology of schizophrenia stems from the studies conducted into schizophrenia in dizygotic and monozygotic twins, wherein it was found that the concordance for schizophrenia is nearly ten percent, whereas it was close to fifty percent in the case of monozygotic twins (Frankenberg, 2007). Nutritional deficiencies occur frequently during pregnancies. There is evidence to suggest that in utero exposure deficiencies in nutrition increase vulnerability to schizophrenia, as a result of disruption of neurodevelopment. This is the basis of the perinatal nutritional stress aetiology in schizophrenia. Evidence in support of this postulation has come from the studies into the association of the perinatal stress during the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944-1945 and the severe famine in China. The nutrients whose deficiency is suggested to be associated with the