Genetic and Neurochemical Basis of Schizophrenia: Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment – A Narrative Review

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder affecting about 0.3–0.7% of the population[1][2]. It typically appears in late adolescence or early adulthood and causes hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought, and significant disability[3][4]. Schizophrenia imposes a high global burden, with ~23 million cases worldwide and a top-15 ranking in disability[5][4]. The etiology is multifactorial, involving genetic susceptibility and neurotransmitter dysregulation. Common genetic variants confer most of the risk (heritability ~70–80%)[6][7].