Describe and evaluate one strength and weakness for the genetic hypothesis for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is known to run in families, with occurrence in less than 1% of the general population, but 10% for those with first degree relatives. This risk is even higher with identical twins, with those who have a monozygotic twin with the illness having a 40-65% chance of developing it themselves.Gottesman & Shield compared monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins and found that there was a concordance rate of 42% for MZ twins and 9% for DZ twins, suggesting that there is a genetic component as MZ twins share more of their genes. However, the fact that neither studies showed 100% concordance suggests there may be other factors. Therefore it is plausible that non-biological factors may be important to consider. Tiwari et al mention that other factors that come from our environment, e.g foetus infection or cannabis, can have an effect on schizophrenia development. This evidence shows that we should not just focus on genes for an explanation, but that we should also study potential environmental triggers. By having a broader overview, we can begin to better understand schizophrenia.