Biopsychosocial Model Analysis of Schizophrenia

Biopsychosocial Model Analysis of Schizophrenia

The biopsychosocial model which is commonly abbreviated as BPS is a general model which states that psychological, biological and social factors all have a vital role which they play in the functioning of human beings especially in the context of illness or disease. Health can best described and understood when we look at it in the three angles of psychological, biological and social factors rather than just in either one of the angles. This paper will thus examine schizophrenia using the biopsychosocial model.

Brain localization of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a brain disease. Many studies have been conducted regarding the brain localization of schizophrenia. One study established that schizophrenia is characterized by significant loss in the grey matter of the brain. The loss was detected to be up to 25% in some areas and the damage was seen to begin at the parietal (outer) regions of the brain then spreading to the rest of the regions of the brain over a period of about five years. Another study showed that patients who had the worst loss of brain tissue also exhibited the worst symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations, psychotic and bizarre thoughts, hearing voices, depression and delusion.

Another study has shown that individuals suffering from Schizophrenia also have enlarged ventricles in the brain. The results of this study show that there is a negative correlation between the ratio of the ventricle to the brain especially for voxels in the right and left thalamus and the posterior putamen. This was the case also for the left superior gyrus and the insula. The study concluded that shrinking of the thalamus especially the medial nuclei and the adjacent striatum and the insular cortex are important factors which contribute to the ventricular enlargement seen in schizophrenic patients Gaser, Nenadic, Buchsbaum, Hazlett, & Buchsbaum, 2004()

Results from over 25 studies have indicated that patients suffering from Schizophrenia, including but not exclusive to those who have been receiving treatment have been found to suffer from neurological disorders Rajarethinam, Prasad, & Keshavan, 2005.

Despite many researchers that have been conducted, the etiopathology of the disease is unknown but research indicates that the disease is involved in damage to the frontal cortex, temporal lobe cortex and other structures found in the subcortical region. Schizophrenics have been found to have reduced volumes of the frontal cortex, temporal lobe cortex and other structures in the subcortical region such as the amygdala and hippocampus. Understanding these abnormalities of the brain that result from schizophrenia has been a great challenge to modern medicine.

Tomographic scans on schizophrenic patients had their cerebrospinal fluid spaces scored blindly in group of 9 schizophrenics who were medicated and 9 non-schizophrenic volunteers whose age matched that of the 9 schizophrenics. Overall from the study, it was found out that 10 of the 18 features which were computed from the tomographic scans in the schizophrenics was largely enlarged in size McCarley et al., 1989 .

In another different study, it was found that there were increases in the lateral ventricles, hippocampus and temporal lobes (both left and right) of schizophrenics and there were overall reductions in the size of the whole brain of schizophrenics.

Genetic factors or family traits in the onset of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is generally cited as a trait in which the genes of the patients are in most cases missing. Several studies have been conducted to find out which genes are specifically at risk in schizophrenics. A study conducted in 2003 listed 7 genes as those with the greatest potential to increase the risk of schizophrenia Harrison & Owen, 2003.

Two recent studies that were conducted stated that there was evidence that the two strongest genes were neuregulin (NRG1) and dysbindin (DTNBP1). There have also been other genes that have shown results that were promising. These genes include COMT, PPP3CC, DISC1, ZDHHC8 and AKT1 Owen, Craddock, & O'Donovan, 2005.

Variations that were close to the gene FXYD6 have shown close associations among schizophrenics in the UK but the results in Japan were quite different Riley & Kendler, 2005()

The largest and most in depth study that was conducted on schizophrenia and its genetics involved the testing of hundreds of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in almost 1,900 schizophrenic patients and a similar number of normal subjects that were used for comparison. This result showed that there was no association between schizophrenics and the 14 candidate genes that were previously identified genes (DTNB1, DISC1, RGS4, STX7, NRG1, DRD2, DAOA, CHRNA7, ARVCF, COMT, PPP3CC, TAAR6, DAOA, and AKT1). Only chance variation was seen in the distribution of the data from the study.

Environmental factors in the onset of schizophrenia

In the research of the environmental factors that influence the onset and development of schizophrenia, researcher not only look at the dwelling of a person (house and neighborhood) but also look at other environmental aspects such as their nutrition, social life, chemical and hormonal environment as relates to development during pregnancy and other dynamics such as education, drug abuse, use of supplements, etc.

Research has shown that children who are born during the months of winter i.e. January to about April have a risk that is 10% higher than average of developing schizophrenia. Those children who are born in urban areas have a risk that is 50% higher than average. Similarly, if the mother of the child has previously suffered from certain diseases such as rubella, influenza and polio, they have an increased risk of schizophrenia. This risk for rubella is at 500% above normal. Above all, other risk factors include cases of famine and hunger during the period of development, pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, Rhesus factor incompatibility and family history Conklin & Iacono, 2002()