Given proper medication and support, many of those with the illness can learn how to deal with it and lead reasonably comfortable lives. We do not yet understand precisely the cause of schizophrenia, although research is progressing rapidly. An imbalance of the brain's chemical system has long been suspected as the main causeof the illness. The thalamus portion of the brain, which is often described as a central switchboard which co-ordinates all incoming and outgoing messages, becomes overloaded and consequently perceptual changes or symptoms of schizophrenia show up. The role of stress in schizophrenia is unclear.
Most authorities disagree whether severe stress causes the illness.
However, they acknowledge that stress can trigger or worsen the symptoms when the illness is already present. The work of Canadian scientists Dr. B. Jones and Dr. A.Bassett pointed the way for the British research team under Dr. Gurling which discovered a clear genetic linkage in some forms of schizophrenia. More research studies are required to follow-up this promising advance. However, certain drugs such as amphetamines can make psychotic symptoms worse if a person already has schizophrenia. As well, these same drugs can create schizophrenia-like symptoms in normal persons when the dosage is large.