The family and schizophrenia.

The author discusses the role of the family in the etiology of schizophrenia and suggests how this research might be integrated with our growing knowledge of the biology of schizophrenia. Abnormalities of family interaction-particularly communication deviances-are frequently associated with schizophrenia and may play a causal, rather than epiphenomenal, role in its pathogenesis. Communication processes in family life affect the child's development of attentional and perceptual capacities, which also have strong biologic roots. The author suggests that the study of normal and abnormal perceptual development might be a meeting ground for researchers in the areas of the biological and familial theories of schizophrenia.