Genetics Study reveals genetic links between mental illnesses
Many mental illnesses are genetically linked, according to a new study. Genes that increase the risk of mental illness often also increase the likelihood of other mental disorders.
11.12.2025, 10:44
SDA
For the study, researchers from almost 500 research institutions worldwide compiled, examined and compared DNA data from more than one million people with diagnosed mental illnesses. The results were published in the journal "Nature".
Genetic variations that increase the risk of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) overlap strongly. ADHD and autism also share genetic risk factors.
The genetic roots of substance use disorders such as alcohol or drug addiction are also very similar, as are the genetic risk factors for so-called compulsive disorders such as anorexia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also share many common genetic roots.
For each of these five genetic relationships found, people whose genetic profile matches a particular pot have an increased risk of each of the disorders contained in that pot.
Revise diagnostic criteria?
Psychiatrists have long relied on diagnostic manuals that diagnose mental illness based on symptoms.
The genetic overlaps between the disorders discovered in the study suggest that these diagnostic categories do not always set the best boundaries from a biological perspective.
Even before this study, it was known that certain mental illnesses often come in pairs. For example, previous studies have shown that most people diagnosed with depression also have an anxiety disorder diagnosis.
The Swiss institutions involved in the study were ETH Zurich, the University and University Hospital of Zurich, the University of Lausanne, and the University and University Hospital of Basel.
