Health and Me

Ishita Srivastava

Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder Have The Same Genetic Links, Study Finds

<span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/schizophrenia">Schizophrenia</a></span> (SCZ), <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/bipolar-disorder">bipolar disorder</a></span> (BD) and major depressive disorder may share the same genetic roots, a Nature study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03738-0" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" rel= "noopener nofollow noreferrer" target= "_blank">shows</a>. 

While experts have long classified each of these mental disorders as individual illnesses with their own causes, researchers from across <span>China</span> have discovered that these three diseases share about 70 percent common genetic and environmental risk factors. 

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic brain disorder that can lead psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and reduced emotional expression. It can affect how a person's thinks, feels and behaves, making it hard to distinguish reality. 

While bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness which causes extreme mood swings, from emotional highs (mania/hypomania) to lows (<span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/depression">depression</a></span>), affecting the brain's energy, activity and focus levels. 

On the other hand,  major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a serious mood disorder that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest in a person. It can affect feelings, thoughts and daily activities and can be identified by symptoms such as low energy, sleep/appetite changes, guilt, concentration issues and thoughts of death. 

<h2>What Did The Study Find?</h2>The Chinese researchers studied genetic data from more than one million people with mental health diagnoses and five million people without them.

Using advanced techniques, they identified 238 genetic variants that raise risk across multiple disorders and showed that five major genetic patterns explain most of the differences between people with and without mental illness.

Read More: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/study-shows-depression-can-accelerate-the-onset-of-chronic-illnesses-article-151184547" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Study Shows Depression Can Accelerate The Onset Of Chronic Illnesses</a>

Based on these genetic patterns, the disorders clustered into five broad groups: internalizing conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; substance use disorders; compulsive conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia and lastly, a fifth group that included bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The findings explain why many individuals are diagnosed with more than one mental health condition as many genes affect multiple brain pathways. This indicates that the same genetic changes can lead to different disorders depending on other biological and environmental factors.

<h2>Can The Same Treatment Plan Be Used For These Illnesses?</h2>

Even though medications such as antidepressants are useful in treating multiple mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and PTSD, the researchers concluded that more research is needed to understand the biology behind the genetic factors to understand the links between the disease. 

One of the study’s authors compared the current system to diagnosing a patient with separate illnesses for a cough, sore throat and runny nose instead of recognizing a single underlying infection.

Nearly one in eight people globally, around 970 million individuals, were living with a mental disorder in 2021, with anxiety and depression being the most common globally.

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schizophrenia

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Genetic Disorders

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Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder may share the same genetic roots, a Nature study shows. While experts have long classified each of these mental disorders as individual illnesses with their own causes, researchers from across China have discovered that these three diseases share about 70 percent common genetic and environmental risk factors. Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic brain disorder that can lead psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and reduced emotional expression. It can affect how a person's thinks, feels and behaves, making it hard to distinguish reality. While bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness which causes extreme mood swings, from emotional highs (mania/hypomania) to lows (depression), affecting the brain's energy, activity and focus levels. On the other hand,  major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a serious mood disorder that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest in a person. It can affect feelings, thoughts and daily activities and can be identified by symptoms such as low energy, sleep/appetite changes, guilt, concentration issues and thoughts of death. What Did The Study Find?The Chinese researchers studied genetic data from more than one million people with mental health diagnoses and five million people without them.Using advanced techniques, they identified 238 genetic variants that raise risk across multiple disorders and showed that five major genetic patterns explain most of the differences between people with and without mental illness.Read More: Study Shows Depression Can Accelerate The Onset Of Chronic IllnessesBased on these genetic patterns, the disorders clustered into five broad groups: internalizing conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; substance use disorders; compulsive conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia and lastly, a fifth group that included bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.The findings explain why many individuals are diagnosed with more than one mental health condition as many genes affect multiple brain pathways. This indicates that the same genetic changes can lead to different disorders depending on other biological and environmental factors.Can The Same Treatment Plan Be Used For These Illnesses?Even though medications such as antidepressants are useful in treating multiple mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and PTSD, the researchers concluded that more research is needed to understand the biology behind the genetic factors to understand the links between the disease. One of the study’s authors compared the current system to diagnosing a patient with separate illnesses for a cough, sore throat and runny nose instead of recognizing a single underlying infection.Nearly one in eight people globally, around 970 million individuals, were living with a mental disorder in 2021, with anxiety and depression being the most common globally.