A number of hypotheses have been postulated over time to explain the clinical expression of schizophrenia. In this article, we discuss the neurodevelopmental (pre and perinatal), neuroanatomical (enlarged ventricles and reduced whole brain volume), neurochemical (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine), and neuropsychological (learning and memory, theory of mind) factors that are often correlated with schizophrenic presentations. While many of these factors are seen in many schizophrenic individuals, there is no one neurological marker seen consistently across patients. As a result, neurological evidence may help one understand the experience of schizophrenic individuals, but it is unable to explain fully the disorder's etiology.

Schizophrenia is an enigmatic diagnosis, and the etiology of the illness is not well understood. A large body of research has investigated the genetic factors underlying schizophrenia in hope of a genotype-based etiological explanation for the schizophrenic phenotype. This first article in a five-part series reviews and explores the current and historical genetic research on the diagnosis, and questions the assumption that genetic variables hold the explanatory key for unlocking the development of the disorder. The authors of this article posit that the Gestalt therapy treatment model is an effective treatment, given the disparate factors contributing to the clinical presentation.