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A new study is pointing to a surprising trend concerning one of the most devastating and misunderstood of mental illnesses, suggesting Canada is a growing hotbed for schizophrenia.

Rates of the mental illness are climbing in this country and are already significantly higher than the average for the rest of the world, concludes the research.

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Possible explanations for the apparent phenomenon are equally unusual.

One theory is that the condition is linked to vitamin-D deficiency, common in sun-deprived northern latitudes. A large population of immigrants — whose stressful, newcomer status has also been associated with increased risks for schizophrenia — are another potential cause, said Marie-José Dealberto, a Queen’s University psychiatrist and the author of the new study.

She noted the disorder usually strikes when people are teenagers or young adults and the impact on them “is enormous.”