Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder: Genetic Link?

[ellion]

Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder: Gene Link?
Study Shows Family Connections for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia


The largest study ever to track bipolar disorder and schizophrenia within families offers evidence that the two psychiatric disorders share a common genetic cause.

For more than a century the psychiatric community has debated whether schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were two distinct disorders or were more connected.

Over the course of their illnesses, many patients experience similarities in certain symptoms characteristic of both, such as manic mood swings in bipolar disorder and psychosis in schizophrenia.

Recent genetic studies suggest a common genetic cause for the two conditions. But earlier studies in families have not supported this conclusion, finding no increase in bipolar disorder in family members of schizophrenics and vice versa.
Family Links: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia

In an effort to help settle the question, researchers in Sweden linked a comprehensive national health registry to equally comprehensive hospital discharge records.

Three decades of registry and hospital data (1973 to 2004) involving 9 million Swedes from 2 million families were analyzed to determine risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder among biological and nonbiological relatives of patients with one or both of the disorders.

Close to 36,000 people with schizophrenia and 40,500 people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder were identified.

The analysis revealed that:

    * First-degree relatives (parents, siblings, or offspring) of people with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were at increased risk for both of these conditions.
    * If a sibling had schizophrenia, full siblings were nine times more likely than the general population to have schizophrenia and four times more likely to have bipolar disorder.
    * If a sibling had bipolar disorder, they were eight times more likely to have bipolar disorder and four times more likely to have schizophrenia.
    * Half siblings who shared the same mother were 3.6 times more likely to have schizophrenia if their half sibling had schizophrenia and 4.5 times more likely to have bipolar disorder if their half sibling had bipolar disorder. Half siblings who shared the same father had a 2.7-fold increase in schizophrenia risk and a 2.4-fold increase in bipolar disorder.
    * Adopted children with a biological parent with one of the disorders had a significant increase in risk for the other.

Shared and non-shared environmental factors also contributed to risk, but they were less important influences than genetics.

The findings appear in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal The Lancet.

[SWM]

the problem with this study is that it does not show a genetic link at all. it shows that there is a link between parent and child but the study cannot show that this link is genetic. the sutdy therefore demonstates the agenda of the researchers, ie, to promote a bio-medical model of mental illness.

a parent who has emotional/ psychological or behavioural problems will pass these qualities on through social interaction with their children.  of course they pass on the genetic factors also, we do not need further research to tell us that.

[sure]

could the name of an 'Externe Psychosis' relate to this ? sure

[Joni]

Perhaps the link is that they are different genes on the same chromosome. That's just a wild guess, I haven't looked anything up about it. My grandmother was shizophrenic and I am bi polar and also have a personality disorder. If you hear about any studies, I'd be real interested.

[voodoo scientist]

it shows that there is a link between parent and child but the study cannot show that this link is genetic. the sutdy therefore demonstates the agenda of the researchers, ie, to promote a bio-medical model of mental illness.

One can only politicize what one doesn't have believable evidence for.

[Mahiqun]

John Read, Loren R. Mosher and Richard P. Bentall's "Models Of Madness: Psychological, Social and Biological approaches to schizophrenia" is a detailed study of subject if you are really interested. According to this book there's no proof of existence of any biological factors causing schizophrenia. We can't exclude the influence of biological factors at all, there may be or may not be some predilections, but the statistics show the clear relation between schizophrenia and trauma, especially abuse or extreme poverty. As well the authors say that posttraumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia is just the same.

[sure]

Yeah, there are some people, whether related or not, who keep on picking on you with the same things, topix again and again. Some with there unhappyiness in love, their non-verbalness, their math-ambitions, their tumors, their sorrows, their will - whatever-. Expecially in those small-town/suburbian environments with their stigma and prejustices. That must stress the related genes on your chromosoms as hell, whether they're individually important for you development, or not.  Me, I keep on looking as a di-model no matter how much I fight for my looks with hygenie, trend and food, nutricions, because my people in the same old smallown environment see and want me so.Be an open person, do you own thing, own you body, be an active person, a happy one and so on - you look like Lady Di and follow her destiny - "capice?" -