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Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links

Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links
Biotechnology News

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The largest genetic study of mental illnesses to date finds five major disorders may not look much alike but they share some gene-based risks. The surprising discovery comes in the quest to unravel what causes psychiatric disorders and how to better diagnose and treat them.
Source: BioTech News Headlines - Yahoo! News

links genetic share disorders mental study Huge

From the article the distinct ones with genetic links are:

This is true because besides autism I can see similar problems in my own children although they still fall under the banner of 'symptoms of autism'.

Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links Health & Special Psychology

I've looked into this in quite deep length, because I have now finally got diagnosis on my 2 youngest children, and I wanted to know if I could be facing any further diagnosis from them in the future ie- would Schizophrenia have a link with Autism, or would Bi-polar disorder be linked in with Autism (I basically wanted to be prepared for anything else that we hadn't been made aware of)
It seems to me that from what I've read, the general consensus is that these 5 mental health disorders are strongly suggesting that they are linked... But doesn't necessarily mean that the child/person is going to end up with all 5 disorders.
The way that I keep getting it described to me is that it's like an umbrella of spectrum disorders, all closely linking and over lapping, but not all ticking the same boxes... Very confusing I know, but it seems that researchers are discovering more every day.
Our Daughter has her diagnosis of Autism and ADHD and ADD, and 'low mood swings' - which I think we will have to watch in the future, and our youngest son has his diagnosis of ADHD and ADD ... Which has taken a total of 7 years of us fighting for, so I for one definitely appreciate new studies, findings, and information being available out there!

Edited: DianeC on 11th Apr, 2013 - 12:15am

links genetic share disorders mental study Huge

I honestly feel that the 'umbrella' is as large as it is because scientists and psychologists really do not know the origin of autism and the intricacies of the brain. It will also be difficult to coin names for certain behavioral patterns that are similar simply because there are so many of them. For example if you are in the bed with a above average temperature it could mean many things: you are getting a fever, its hot, you are flustered, just ate something that raises your body temperature, etc. It is easy to just label it all as "Sick" or "Flu" because of one or two symptoms. However, from just isolating autism from the five listed in this Topic you can see how vastly different one autistic individual is from the next. For the common man on the street the names are "Wacko", "Crazy", "Mad" "Screw loose" and so on. For parents we get to know the fancier terms like the five listed in this Topic but never get any closer to a real solution only an understanding that it is a disorder, or a condition of the brain. From having three, each with very similar traits: autism and ADHD I can only add that all these things are most likely genetic or genetic mutations because of a combination of X that goes on the body (whatever that is). Maybe I will not live to see a solution, but I hope scientists can pin point the reason as it will spare many the heartache of what could be many broken dreams and unhappy days.

links genetic share disorders mental study Huge

Yes JB, people can come out with some terrible names through ignorance.
I can only say that had it not been for the fact that my daughter got her diagnosis first, the professionals then felt it was worth running more tests on my youngest son for ADHD and ADHD, as they said that if one child has it, the probability is because it's genetically linked somehow the chances were that he would have it too... And they were right, so I would definitely go with the fact that these are linked genetically.
I wasn't aware until my daughter started getting tested for psychosis that there was a link to Autism with Schizophrenia ( She got ruled out for this ), but was sent in the first place because she has conversations with inanimate objects (ie traffic lights), and the Psychiatrist has told us that she definitely doesn't have Schizophrenia, but that many children with Autism have a high imagination level, but often don't know how to release it or use it as their brains think differently to most other people.
It's all learning along the way, and that's all you can do for your children, be there for them with tonnes of love, patience and understanding... And you are already doing that for yours