The biological model of schizophrenia remains the dominant model within mental health services and has a powerful and enduring influence on the prevailing format of mental health care delivery to patients with the diagnosis. There exists almost universal acceptance of a genetic cause for schizophrenia though in many instances this conflicts both philosophically and clinically with a person-centred recovery orientated approach. A review of the underpinning research that supports the genetic argument was conducted. Appraisal of family, twin and adoption studies uncovers serious flaws in the methodologies and statistical analyses used in studies. These flaws tend to artificially inflate the perceived genetic contribution to schizophrenia and moreover may also invalidate many of the reported study findings. There exists an absence of a replicable and consistent finding indicating a clear genetic pathway to schizophrenia.  Novel therapeutic approaches aimed at neurotransmitter receptor site abnormalities should not therefore be discouraged by any fundamental refocus on gene therapy approaches.