FILAMER CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

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GRADUATE SCHOOL
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Master of arts in Teaching

EDUC. 402
Advanced Sociological & Psychological Foundations of Educ.

Mila P. Bautista Ridjil P. Perez

Discussants

DR. JONATHAN P. LEAL ,PhD.

Professor

The Genetics of Schizophrenia

(Irving Gottesman)

Irving Isadore Gottesman

(December 29, 1930 – June 29, 2016) was an American professor of psychology who
devoted most of his career to the study of the genetics of schizophrenia. A pioneer in
the field of behavioral genetics whose work on the role of heredity in schizophrenia
helped transform the way people thought about the origins of serious mental illness,
died on June 29 at the age of 85.

Dr. Gottesman was known for a study of schizophrenia in British twins he conducted
with another researcher, James Shields, at the Maudsley Hospital in London in the
1960s.

The study, found out that identical twins were more likely than fraternal twins to share a
diagnosis of schizophrenia, provided strong evidence for a genetic component to the
illness and challenged the notion that it was caused by bad mothering, the prevailing
view at the time.

The Gottesman-Shields Twin Study (1967) clearly confirmed the proposition that both
genes and environment play a role in schizophrenia.

Gottesman found high levels of inheritance in the scales related to schizophrenia,

depression, anti-social personality disorder, and social introversion. Genes strongly
influenced social introversion and aggressive tendencies. This led to further studies on
personality traits of identical twins such as the Minnesota Study of Identical Twins
Reared Apart.

Gottesman diagnosis was based on the ways a person spoke and acted, and the
standard measures were hallucinations, delusions, emotional apathy, jumbled thought,
and sudden changes in a person.

Research suggests that both genes and environmental factors are involved in
developing schizophrenia. While 1 out of every 100 people has schizophrenia, having a
biological relative with schizophrenia increases a person's risk of developing this
disorder.

Environmental risk factors such as pregnancy and birth complications, childhood

trauma, migration, social isolation, urbanicity, and substance abuse,
cannabis ,infectious agents, alone and in combination, acting at a number of levels over
time, influence the individual's likelihood to develop the disorder
The disorder occurs in 1% of the general population. However, it occurs in 10% of
people who have a parent, brother or sister with the disorder, indicating that genetics
plays a role in its cause. Previous studies have shown that many people with
schizophrenia have genetic mutations.

The table below shows the chances of schizophrenia being passed down through
family members
Lifetime chance. This is the chance of someone in the general 1 in 100
population developing the condition during their lifetime

If one of your biological parents has the condition 6 in 100

If both of your biological parents have the condition 45 in 100
If your brother or sister has the condition 9 in 100
If your identical twin has the condition 40-50 in 100
If your non-identical twin has the condition 17 in 100
If a second degree relative has the condition.(your aunt, uncle or 3 in 100
grandparent)

 A Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder which is characterized by a wide

range of unusual behaviors: hearing voices (hallucinations) and distorted or false
perception, often bizarre beliefs. They are unable to distinguish between reality
 and imaginative events. These unusual experiences seem real to the person
whereas others assume that the person is lost in their own world.

 Schizophrenia (SZ) is a heritable brain disease originating from a complex

interaction of genetic and environmental factors.

 Schizophrenia is often described by doctors as a type of psychosis. A first acute

episode of psychosis can be very difficult to cope with, both for the person who is ill and
for their family and friends.

What is psychosis ?

Psychosis is used frequently with reference to schizophrenia, and some other serious
mental disorders. The word refers to a mental condition in which the person may lose
touch with reality (being unable to differentiate between real and imaginative events).
This affects their mood and behavior, causing them to be withdrawn or depressed. A
person with schizophrenia experiences hallucinations and delusions that cause fear,
suspicion, agitation, and depression.

what are psychotic episodes?

A psychotic episode is an instance in which the person has strong delusions or

hallucinations. The severity and frequency of these psychotic episodes may vary from
one person to another. The person may also remain entirely unaffected or appear
normal during other times.

What causes Schizophrenia?

The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Research suggests a combination of
physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more
likely to develop the condition. Some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a
stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode.

Is there a genetic basis for schizophrenia?

Deletions or duplications of genetic material in any of several chromosomes, which can

affect multiple genes, are also thought to increase schizophrenia risk. In particular, a
small deletion (microdeletion) in a region of chromosome 22 called 22q11 may be
involved in a small percentage of cases of schizophrenia.

How does schizophrenia occur?

The onset of schizophrenia usually occurs between puberty and early adulthood. It is a
condition that develops gradually, often over a period of weeks to months. Symptoms in
the early stages of schizophrenia may be similar to other mental health issues:
adjustment problems, depression or anxiety.

5 MAIN SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Hallucinations
Seeing or hearing people or things that do not exist. The person may also have the
experience of tasting, touching or smelling something that isn’t there. Most people also
report they hear voices speaking to them, commanding or abusing them.

Delusions
These are beliefs that can persist even after they have been proved to be false or
unreasonable. Some people believe that someone they know is trying to control them or
poison them; some may believe that someone is communicating with them through a
secret code on television. The person may feel everyone is talking about him/her and
may be very suspicious all the time. In rare cases, the person may believe that he or
she is a celebrity or a historical figure.

Disorganized thinking
Sometimes, the person is unable to think clearly. Their talk appears illogical, irrelevant
or disconnected and this makes no logical sense to people around them. The person
may stop abruptly before finishing a sentence, give irrelevant answers to questions, or
occasionally they make up their own nonsensical words.

Cognitive problems
The person's impaired thinking makes it difficult for them to focus on simple tasks for
longer durations. They have trouble paying attention to what other people are saying,
and may forget even to do simple routine tasks which most people take for granted.
This usually results in their poor performance at studies or at work. This problem is seen
in the early stages of illness but family and friends may fail to identify the problem due to
lack of awareness about the illness.

Disruption of normal behavior

The person may tend to avoid spending time with others, instead they prefer being
alone. They speak in a flat monotonous tone, often in monosyllables, and their facial
expressions are mask-like, displaying little or no emotion.

How is schizophrenia diagnosed?

There is no single test for diagnosing schizophrenia. Due to the range of different
symptoms that may be seen in the patient, the psychiatrist makes a diagnosis after a
thorough clinical examination. As part of the examination the psychiatrist tries and
unravels the changes in their behavior and biological functions (sleeplessness, lack of
interest in eating or socializing). Information about the deviations in the patient’s
behavior is also collected from the family or caregivers.

Getting treatment for schizophrenia

Though there is no known cure for schizophrenia, there are several treatments that can
help the person live his or her life independently. Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder
and needs management, just like diabetes or blood pressure.
“The rule of thumb is that one-third of people with schizophrenia get back to normal
functioning; one-third of them return to a level of functioning that is just below normal,
and are able to cope. The remaining one-third need more assistance to lead a
functional life. No one can predict when exactly a patient will return to a normal level of
functioning. The key lies in early diagnosis: the earlier you identify the problem and get
a diagnosis, and the more scrupulously you follow the treatment, the greater are the
chances of good outcome. Sticking to the treatment plan is the key to recovery.

REFERENCES:
.
Gottesman, Irving I.; Shields, James T. (1972). Schizophrenia and Genetics: A Twin
Study Vantage Point. Boston: Academic Press. p. 433. ISBN 978-0-12-293450-6.
Gottesman, Irving I.; Shields, James T. (1973). Schizophrenia and Genetics
(Personality and psychopathology). Boston: Academic Press. p. 433. ISBN 978-
0122934506.
Irving Isadore Gottesman". American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical
Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences. Detroit, MI:
Gale, 2008. Gale Biography In Context. 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Gottesman
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5609475/
Xu, K.; Schadt, E.E.; Pollard, K.S.; Roussos, P.; Dudley, J.T. Genomic and network
patterns of schizophrenia genetic variation in human evolutionary accelerated
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