A recent study suggests that Autism, Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder, and Schizophrenia share several major genetic factors.
“The international study compared the genetic codes of 33,000 people with a psychiatric disorder with 28,000 people without a psychiatric disorder.
Four genetic variants appeared to increase the risk of all five disorders studied. Two genes were involved in the balance of calcium in the brain.”
Such a finding could be a break through for scientists, allowing them to better understand the conditions for more than simply their symptoms and their DSM specifics. Finding the causes of such conditions, the role of psychiatric genetic research, could better improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes for those already with, and who might develop, these conditions in the future. As the article concludes:
“Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity Sane, said the findings “highlight the need to understand the genetic and biological factors of these life-changing conditions, in order that more effective treatments and therapies may be found”.
She added: “While it may take a decade for research studies like this to translate into new drugs and other treatments, we may yet be working towards a breakthrough which has so long eluded scientists working in this field.””
Written By Georgianna Dolan-Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
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