ELI5, can someone explain schizophrenia to me? how does the brain make people with schizophrenia see/hear things that are not there and what is the scientific explanation of this??
ELI5, can someone explain schizophrenia to me? how does the brain make people with schizophrenia see/hear things that are not there and what is the scientific explanation of this??
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Imagine your brain is like a big TV with lots of channels. For most people, the TV shows what’s really happening around them. But for someone with schizophrenia, the TV gets mixed up.
Sometimes it plays sounds or pictures that aren’t really there, like hearing voices no one else hears or seeing things that aren’t there.
This happens because the brain’s “wires” (chemicals and signals) aren’t working the way they should.
The exact cause of schizophrenia isn’t fully understood, but researchers believe it results from a complex interplay of genetic, biological, and environmental factors:
Genetics: Schizophrenia tends to run in families, and certain genes increase risk—but no single gene causes it on its own. It’s more about the interaction of multiple genes.
Brain chemistry and structure: Imbalances in neurotransmitters like dopamine and glutamate are thought to play a major role. Some people with schizophrenia also show subtle changes in brain structure (like enlarged ventricles or reduced gray matter).
Environmental factors: Things like prenatal stress, exposure to infections before birth, malnutrition during pregnancy, and early life trauma or abuse may contribute to risk.
Drug use: Use of psychoactive or recreational drugs—especially during adolescence—can increase the risk or trigger symptoms in vulnerable individuals.
My brain has no problems doing this while I sleep, so why shouldnt someone else’s be able to do so while awake?
Fun fact: the experiential phenomena of schizophrenia are culturally dependent.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1826/
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-05332-4
For a more accessible read: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/schizophrenia-by-culture/