Are There Any Shared Genes for Psychiatric Disorders?
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Abstract
Psychiatric disorders have traditionally been classified as distinct diagnostic entities based on clinical symptoms, yet growing genetic evidence challenges the notion that these conditions are biologically independent. Advances in genomics, particularly genome-wide association studies and large-scale consortia efforts, have revealed substantial genetic overlap across major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Rather than single disorder-specific genes, shared polygenic risk architectures appear to influence multiple psychiatric phenotypes, affecting neurodevelopment, synaptic function, neurotransmission, and brain plasticity. This review examines the evidence for shared genetic factors across psychiatric disorders, explores the biological pathways they implicate, and discusses how pleiotropy reshapes our understanding of psychiatric classification, diagnosis, and treatment. While shared genes do not erase meaningful clinical differences, they highlight common biological vulnerabilities that transcend traditional diagnostic boundaries and suggest a need for more integrative, dimensional models of mental illness.
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Psychiatric Genetics, Pleiotropy, Polygenic Risk, Neurodevelopment, Mental Disorders
No funding source declared.
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