Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Finds : ScienceAlert
The Surprising Genetic Link Between Mental Health Disorders
In a fascinating new study, scientists have uncovered something that could transform how we understand mental health — eight major psychiatric disorders may actually share the same genetic foundation.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina and other US institutions have identified specific gene variants that appear across conditions like autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, anorexia, and Tourette syndrome.
These shared genetic variants don’t just show up once — they stay active during multiple stages of brain development, possibly influencing how the brain grows and functions over time.
The Science Behind the Discovery
The research, published in Cell (2025), focused on 18,000 gene variations found in both shared and unique genes across these disorders. By studying how these genes behaved in developing brain cells, scientists pinpointed 683 variants that influence how genes are regulated — a key clue in understanding why these disorders often overlap.
Interestingly, these “pleiotropic” genes (genes that affect multiple traits) seem to play a much bigger role than those linked to only one condition. They connect more proteins, interact across more cell types, and affect several brain development stages.
As geneticist Hyejung Won explained:
“Changes to these proteins could ripple through the network, causing widespread effects in the brain.”
Why This Matters for Mental Health Treatment
This genetic overlap might explain why conditions like autism and ADHD so often occur together — in fact, up to 70% of individuals diagnosed with one also have the other.
Understanding pleiotropy (the shared influence of genes) could help scientists develop new treatments that target the root cause rather than just managing individual symptoms.
Won added,
“If we can understand the genetic basis of pleiotropy, we could develop therapies that treat multiple disorders at once.”
That’s a massive step forward considering that 1 in 8 people worldwide — nearly 1 billion individuals — live with some form of psychiatric condition, according to the World Health Organization.
The Bigger Picture
While each psychiatric condition still has its own unique genetic signature, the discovery of a shared genetic blueprint challenges how we classify and approach mental health disorders.
This research could pave the way for holistic treatments that don’t just address one diagnosis, but the interconnected web of mental health challenges that often exist together.
The message is clear — our brains may be more genetically connected than we ever realized.
MentalHealthResearch #GeneticDiscovery #BrainScience #PsychiatricDisorders #HealthNews