Can Mental Illness Be Classified Genetically?

Typically, mental disorders are defined and classified based on clinical symptoms and syndromes. Although clinically useful, current diagnostic systems for psychiatry cause concerns due to the lack of biological mechanisms. Deciphering the relationships among psychiatric traits according to their genetic basis may facilitate understanding the biological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. In a study published recently in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, ten mental disorders were classified by genomic structural equation modeling (SEM), which leverages summary results of genome-wide association studies. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anorexia nervosa (AN), anxiety disorder (ANX), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia (SZ), and Tourette syndrome (TS) were included. The analysis indicates that they are genetically inter-correlated with one another and can be separated based on their general psychopathology. Most disorders have a close partner, forming pairs of traits; only TS is a relatively distinctive condition. At a higher level, MDD, ANX, ADHD, ASD, and PTSD cluster together, while OCD, AN, and TS cluster together. Together, the ten traits constitute a hierarchical classificatory system. This study allows inference of genetically determined classification of the ten mental disorders, which may biologically inform the current diagnostic framework and treatment regimens for mental disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

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