The largest genetic study of mental illness to date has found a common genetic risk in autism, ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Previously thought to be quite distinct from one another, this study shows a bridging of the boundaries between these conditions.
After genetic screening of 61,000 people across 19 countries (some with one of the five disorders, and some without), researchers found four regions of the genetic code where variation was linked to all five disorders.
These results are quite sensical as there is symptom overlap as well as comorbidity between these five conditions. Often, people with schizophrenia exhibit the same social withdrawal symptoms seen in autism, and it is common for people to be affected by more than one mental disorder.
This finding has major implications on learning how to diagnose mental illness as concisely as physical illnesses can be diagnosed. Instead of relying solely on symptoms, doctors could also perform genetic screenings to narrow down and diagnose a specific mental disorder, increasing our understanding of the biological occurrences underlying these conditions.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/psychiatric-disorders-genetics-mental-disorder-autism-adhd_n_2781772.html
