Study on Family Members of 1096 Probands with Schizophrenia from Braşov County, Argument for a Genetic Factor Existence within the Etiology of Schizophrenia

Abstract

Although the etiology of schizophrenia isn’t fully cleared up, we can admit the existence of a multifactorial etiology, in which an important role is played by genetic factors. Taking into account that a psychic feature, a mental disorder has a family aggregation, we applied an investigation method of the family members of 1096 probands with schizophrenia in the Psychiatric Hospitals No. 1-2 from Braşov, for a period of 6 years: 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999, 2000, 2001. The data obtained were compared with the morbid lifetime risk for schizophrenia of the general population, which is about 1%. The results of the study are in accordance with other epidemiological statistics of the patients with schizophrenia, which lead to the conclusion of a genetic factor within the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.