Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder that is characterized by psychosis, making it difficult for a person to tell what is real. It impacts about one per cent of the Canadian population and is linked to major health challenges, including a shorter life span.
Many factors can increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, such as prenatal environmental conditions (for example, malnutrition or drug exposure), family history, childhood trauma and growing up in an urban environment.
However, there are still no reliable biomarkers that can predict early risk. This is important because early diagnosis leads to better treatment and outcomes for patients. Researchers are now looking at the placenta as a possible source of early indicators of schizophrenia risk.
