Depression, anxiety and other disorders may have the same genetic cause, study finds

Psychiatric disorders can share common genetic influences, which means parts of DNA can be at the root of more than one mental condition, new research has found.The study, led by researchers at Texas A&M University and published in Nature, could explain why many mental health conditions occur together, according to a press release.The researchers examined DNA data for more than one million individuals who had any of 14 childhood and adult-onset psychiatric disorders, and then compared it to data from five million individuals with none of the disorders.FDA CLEARS FIRST AT-HOME BRAIN DEVICE FOR DEPRESSIONThe disorders were sorted into five groups: compulsive disorders (like OCD and anorexia), schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism and ADHD), internalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD), and substance-use disorders.Each pattern is linked to 238 tiny differences that influence how the brain works and offer clues about why some conditions overlap while others differ.… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.