A large international group of scientists has helped explain why many people are diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder during their lives, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
The scientists studied genetic data from more than 6 million people, which included genetic information from over 1 million people with a diagnosed mental health disorder and about 5 million people without any diagnosis. By comparing the two groups, researchers identified genetic markers that appear more often in people with certain disorders, helping them understand the biological causes of mental illness.
Using different research methods, the team found 428 genetic changes linked to more than one disorder. They also identified 101 regions in human chromosomes where these shared genetic traits were especially common. They noted that some disorders were found to be very closely related genetically. For example, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder shared about 90 percent of their genetic risk, whereas schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed strong overlap, sharing around two-thirds of their genetic markers.
The researchers also discovered that disorders with shared genes often affect the brain in similar ways. For example, genes active in certain support cells in the brain were more closely linked to anxiety-related disorders, while genes active in nerve cells that stimulate brain activity were more strongly connected to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
"I feel very proud to be a part of this effort," said Kenneth Kendler, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine. "This work really shows that we gain more for our field and for those suffering from mental illness when we come together to tackle these scientific challenges."
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