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Mental illnesses can have common genetic influences, meaning segments of DNA can be at the root of more than one mental condition, new research has found.
This study, led by researchers at Texas A&M University and published in Nature, may explain why many mental health conditions occur together, according to a press release.
Researchers examined DNA data from more than one million people who had any of 14 childhood and adult mental illnesses, and compared it to data from five million people without these disorders.
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The disorders are classified into five groups: obsessive-compulsive disorders (such as OCD and anorexia), schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism and ADHD), internalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD), and substance use disorders.
New research suggests that many mental health conditions have common genetic roots rather than being independent diseases. (Stock)
Each pattern is linked to 238 subtle differences that influence how the brain works and provide clues as to why some conditions overlap while others differ. Other factors, such as suicidal thoughts and loneliness, were linked to all five patterns.
In the schizophrenia-bipolar group, the strongest genetic links were found in brain cells that send “go” signals and help enable communication between different regions.
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In contrast, internalizing disorders (such as depression, anxiety and PTSD) are strongly linked to cells that help the brain’s signals travel faster, the researchers found.
“By uncovering shared genetic roots, we can begin to think about therapies that target multiple diseases instead of treating each one individually,” said co-author John Hettema, MD, Ph.D., in the release.
The disorders are classified into five groups: obsessive-compulsive disorders (such as OCD and anorexia), schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism and ADHD), internalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD), and substance use disorders. (Stock)
The team relied on genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, which compare the DNA of large groups of people with and without a given condition. The study scans millions of common genetic markers to find small differences that are more common in people with the disease.
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The researchers then compared each disorder to all others to see how extreme their genetic risk was. They did this by using a method called genetic correlation, which reveals whether the same genetic variation is associated with many conditions.
‘Another layer of understanding’
Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain imaging physician and founder of Amen Clinics in California, said the biggest takeaway from this study is that the current way of diagnosing mental illness is “broken because it’s not based on biology.”
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“This new study confirms that mental health problems share a deep genetic link, particularly involving brain development and synaptic function,” Amen, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“What this means is that conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD are not isolated silos – they are part of overlapping biological systems that begin in the brain, often early in the womb.”
While genetics “set the stage” for risk, environmental factors such as stress can cause the actual onset of the condition, the expert noted. (Stock)
Amen emphasized that mental illness should be viewed as a brain health problem rather than a collection of psychological symptoms.
“What adds to this research is other biological information, especially for vulnerable people,” she said. “Ultimately, it may lead to screening tools that identify disabilities in childhood, allowing for early intervention before symptoms worsen.”
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Possible limitations
The researchers emphasized that genetics alone does not determine whether a person will develop these problems, just as it does not determine health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Instead, genetic factors “set the stage” by increasing or decreasing a person’s inherent risk, the authors say, which may be caused by other factors, such as stress.
“Just because a gene is linked to a disease doesn’t mean it causes it.”
Amen acknowledged that “association is not causation,” and that “we haven’t gotten to the point where doctors can tell based on genetic profiles alone.”
“Just because a gene is linked to a disease doesn’t mean it causes it – or that changing it changes the outcome,” he said. “Environment still matters. Genetics load the gun, but stress, trauma, diet, disease, toxins and head injuries pull the trigger.”
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The neurologist also emphasized the importance of pairing genetic testing with brain imaging.
“If we get this right — and combine genetic research with brain imaging, digital phenotyping and clinical neuroscience — the entire landscape of mental health care will change,” he predicted. “We will no longer be diagnosing based on symptoms alone. We will be diagnosing based on direct, biological data.”
