Causes of Schizophrenia

Guests: Robert Conley, M.D. Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland Ann Pulver Chief, Epimediology-Genetics Program in Psychiatry Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland Robert Yolken, M.D. Director, Stanley Neurovirology Laboratory Ted and Vada Stanley Professor of Developmental Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland Some scientists are studying whether giving anti-psychotic drugs to teenagers deemed at risk for developing schizophrenia could actually prevent the disease--a controversial approach because it's so tough to determine who's at risk. In this hour, we'll discuss the causes of schizophrenia, including the role of genetics and a theory that viruses trigger the illness.