It can be very chronic and disabling to the patient and emotionally devastating to the friends and relatives of the schizophrenic person. However, it must be remembered that schizophrenia has a biological cause, and is not a personality disorder. The right treatment may help those suffering from schizophrenia to lead productive and fulfilling lives. On account of this illness, they become very fearful and withdrawn. Most of them are afraid to seek treatment, owing to which very few recover from this disease.
Schizophrenia does run in families.
People who have a close relative suffering from the disease are more likely to develop it themselves. Scientists are still trying to figure out whether schizophrenia is associated with some imbalance in the chemical systems in the brain. Or whether it may be the result of a physical abnormality in the brain. There are certain symptoms, which are most commonly associated with the disease. These are called positive symptoms and denote the presence of grossly abnormal behaviour.