Huge genetic study reveals hidden links between psychiatric conditions
Nature••health
Key Points:
- A large genetic analysis of over one million people reveals that 14 major psychiatric disorders cluster into five categories, each sharing common genetic risk factors, challenging the traditional view of mental-health conditions as distinct entities.
- The identified categories include neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD and autism), schizophrenia/bipolar disorder, internalizing disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD), compulsive disorders (e.g., OCD, anorexia), and substance-use disorders.
- Individuals with genetic profiles corresponding to these categories have an elevated risk for any condition within that group, highlighting significant genetic overlap among different psychiatric diagnoses.
- The study identified 238 genomic regions linked to these shared categories, including a region on chromosome 11 associated with dopamine
