I like how this is not narrowed down to just one possibility
of the cause of schizophrenia. If there
was only one thing linked to schizophrenia, scientists and researchers would
have found it. Instead, they are finding
something in common in most patients with schizophrenia. According to the neurodevelopmental
hypothesis schizophrenia begins with abnormalities in the prenatal and neonatal
development of the nervous system, based on either genetics or other
influences. The genetic influence is a
bit unclear and unreliable to deem the sole cause because there hasn’t been a
specific gene linked to schizophrenia.
They know there is does warrant some genetic basis since the probability
of family members, and especially monozygotic twins, having schizophrenia is
higher than in other relationships.
What I found to be interesting, and again consistent with
the way I think, is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis. Problem is that I never really have science
to back up my own thoughts. Just
inferences based on stuff I read here and there. Doctors, websites, books, parents and mostly
anyone that gets news of your pregnancy warn you to take good care of yourself,
take your prenatal vitamins, eat right, don’t stress and enjoy your
pregnancy. I have only one child, and
when I was pregnant with him I made sure to stay away from chemicals, not lift
heavy things, stay away from smoke, and obviously to stay away from drugs and alcohol. People do not even realize how incredibly
crucial the development that is going on within you. You don’t want to mess up that cycle of
development in anyway. In the picture below, the 8 week fetus looks extremely small and like it doesn't have much going on, but it's one of the most important parts of development of the nervous system and brain.
My first
trimester, which is when most of the major development occurs, was so
exhausting. I was still small, not even
a belly yet, and I was exhausted and felt the most pregnant than any other time
in my pregnancy. Probably even more than
when I was 9 months. I really do think
that disruption of the development effects the brain and gives rise to
abnormalities that could be the trigger for schizophrenia or other
psychological disturbances. I want to be
cautious and NOT make it seem like anyone that gets sick when they are pregnant
or is stressed will have a schizophrenic child.
A child is very versatile being.
It can withstand more than you think and even some slight problems
shouldn’t be too worrisome. I do think
it is important to protect yourself as much as possible. Eat well so they have the proper nutrition to
develop. Stay away from extremely
harmful things, including excess stress.
Do not let a fever get too high because the cytokines that your body
produces could cross the placenta and excessive cytokines could impair brain
development. Give your child a healthy
shot at life but just simply trying to protect yourself. Even if it reduces the chances of later
developing schizophrenia by .000001 percent, it is worth it.
Awesome little song about Neurodevelopment:
It was interesting to hear your take on the neurodevelopmental hypothesis. I do not have children but I expect I would take the same precautions as you did, just so that I do not risk the health of my child.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the genetics aspect; it is still unclear what genes are linked to schizophrenia. Obviously there is a link to genetics and the development of the disorder, but although we know who is more likely to develop it, we do not know HOW it develops.