Considerations on the development and culture of childhood schizophrenia The cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but one of the problems related to the development of schizophrenic illness is its high rate of transmission through the parent's genes to the parent. child (Addington, 2007). It is estimated that approximately 85% of people affected by the disease worldwide contract it through inheritance (Addington, 2007). Studies have been conducted on the genetic composition of the disease using a genetic breeding approach (Addington, 2007). The first reports of genetic inheritance came through Stefansson's research, when Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) was identified as a risk factor for development on chromosome 8p12 (Steffansson, Sigurdsson, Steinthorsdottir, Bjornsdottir, Sigmundsson & Ghosh , 2002). Neuregulin 1 is a molecule that signals or controls neural development, and if it does not function normally, it can become a risk for the development of schizophrenia. (Steffansson, Sigurdsson, Steinthorsdottir, Bjornsdottir, Sigmundsson & Ghosh, 2002). If a person has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, there is a 7 to 9% chance that they will have a sibling who has been diagnosed with the disease (Cobert, 2010). According to Kearney, “schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has biological bases in genetic predispositions, prenatal events, and brain and biochemical changes” (Kearney, 2013, p. 180). Another developmental problem is the idea that schizophrenia is caused by a virus. The theory states that a woman exposed to viruses during the second trimester of pregnancy puts the baby at risk of developing the disease (Cobert, 2010). One reason for this thinking stems from the 1918 influenza epidemic, when there was an increase in patients suffering from schizophrenia (Cobert, 2010). Other viral suspects considered are cytomegalic, Herpes 1 and 2, Epstein-Barr and human retroviruses which are believed to play an important role in schizophrenia (Cobert, 2010). Cobert goes on to state that there is a lack of evidence that the virus is a cause of schizophrenia (Cobert, 2010, p. 48). The psychotic quality of schizophrenia can develop in several ways. The prodromal or introductory phase is characterized by a decline in behavior over a period of months. After the prodromal phase, an active or more intense stage of delusions or hallucinations occurs. After treatment of the disease there is a residual phase in which the person returns to improved behavioral levels (Kearney, 2013). According to the DSM 5, the same characteristics that accompany adult or adolescent schizophrenia are found in childhood-onset schizophrenia but are more difficult to diagnose.