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Jan 15, 2009 07:15 PM | 16
A new study suggests that if schizophrenia runs in a family, there's a good chance that bipolar disorder does as well (and vice versa). The findings, published today in the journal The Lancet, suggest that the two disorders are caused by some of the same genes.
"These findings say that [schizophrenia and bipolar disorder] are related, above all, for genetic reasons," says lead study author Paul Lichtenstein, a genetic epidemiologist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. "[Therefore] it might not be a good idea to view these disorders as separate entities."
Lichtenstein and his colleagues (researchers from both the U.S. and Sweden) scoured the entire Swedish population for anyone with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder by reviewing psychiatric discharge data from all Swedish hospitals between 1973 and 2004.
They identified 35,985 people with schizophrenia (0.40 percent of the population) and 40,487 people with bipolar disorder (0.45 percent of the population). To figure out if and how some of these patients were related, the researchers searched for these individuals in Sweden's multi-generation register, a population database that links nearly every person born in Sweden (population: around 9 million) to his or her parents. This way, they were able to identify parents, children and siblings who shared the diseases.
They discovered that if mom or dad had schizophrenia, a child was 9.9 times more likely to have the disorder (characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and social withdrawal) as well as 5.2 times more likely to have bipolar disorder than someone without a schizophrenic parent. Conversely, someone with at least one parent with bipolar disorder (marked by extreme highs and lows in mood, or periods of mania and depression) was 6.4 times more likely to be bipolar and 2.4 times more likely to have schizophrenia (than those sans a bipolar parent).
Having a brother or sister with one of the psychiatric conditions also upped a person's odds of having both disorders. Those with schizophrenic siblings were 3.7 times more likely to be bipolar and 9 times more likely to have schizophrenia; those with bipolar siblings were 3.9 times more likely to have schizophrenia and 7.9 times more likely to be bipolar.
According to Lichtenstein, this data illustrates the extent to which these two disorders are genetically related. He speculates that hundreds if not thousands of genes are at the root of each disorder, about half of which may overlap. But, as other researchers have pointed out, the vast majority of these genes are yet to be found.
All around the world "there are large-scale genetic studies trying to look at genes responsible for causing these disorders," says Lichtenstein, who is currently conducting one of them. "We should look for overlap between not only schizophrenia and bipolar disorders (but also for other psychiatric illnesses such as depression)."
Image credit ©iStockphoto.com/Eric Michaud
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genetics,
schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder
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16 Comments
Add CommentGenes? it's more plausible to think that kids born in an ambient with parents with this diseases can develop the same disorder. The correlation of heredability and disease do not necessarily implicate genes, it's dangerous this way of thinking more similar to "eugenetics" than science. Correlation do not mean causality. Without the evidence of the sequence you could not blame the DNA, cause the epigenetics causes of disease are also here inherit it. May be if you do a "common garden" experiment I can believe this bullsh... hehehehehehehe. Meanwhile I still think that DNA doesn't make us
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe authors considered the environmental effect "Shared environmental effects were small but substantial (schizophrenia: 4·5%, 4·4%—7·4%; bipolar disorder: 3·4%, 2·3%—6·2%) for both disorders." They analyze adopted children too. It will be interesting to see if even when according to the paper there's an increased risk this is reduced compared to children whit bipolar parents and raised with them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, it is quite important to find those genes. But what I concern more is how we can take charge of these things. How we can change those patients' prognosis, and how to ensure them a better life.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt wouldn't be too surprising if they were linked. Severe mania is usually accompanied by hallucinations and delusions of various kinds, including paranoid. I am bipolar and have gone through a strong, but not severe, manic episode. I'm no expert on schizophrenia, but from the standard accounts it seems similar to the mixed bipolar state, wherein one suffers from both manic and depressive symptoms at the same time. There are, of course,very sharp differences between the two as well and any similaities should not be exaggerated.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have a grandmother with schizophrenia and I have bi-polar disorder. I believe my mother, her daughter, had bi-polar too. She is now deceased from cancer but when I look back it looks pretty obvious. What I would like to do is get off all these damn pills and try a more holistic approach, but these doctors just want to medicate me. I personally have no fear of death and can't wait until this life is over. This disease is exhausting.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI welcome this study as my brother has Schizophrenia and I am more than likely Bi-Polar. i am 56 years old and am thinking of trying to get a diagnosis as my job prospects are minimal. Maybe with support i can get a part-time job to suit my skills and stamina. I am currently a self-employed complimentary Health Therapist and I find this work is the better option than medication as is Gardening in season. What I find frustrating with the Medical profession is the need to cure or control someone with this condition whereas realistically what is needed is real support and understanding. I have benefited greatly in the past from Counselling and Coaching but having debts now cannot afford to pay privately.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy choice of bipolar disorder stems from my experience with the disorder in my personal life. I was raised in a healthy family environment with an abundance of stability. My family environment had very little conflict and my parents were attentive to my health and well being. I was never exposed to mental illness in my family. My parents never spoke about people with mental illness and I knew very little about the different types of disorders. Against my parent’s wishes, I married my high school boyfriend at eighteen.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHe came from a very dysfunctional family and his mother suffered from extreme depression. In addition to his mother’s illness, his father was also severely depressed. His parents had divorced several years earlier but both still suffered from depression. He had little contact with his father which left his mother the primary caregiver for three boys. His mother’s depression prevented her from providing for the boys. Often times the boys had no food or running water.
He was always a very moody person and could go from one extreme to the next. My family disliked him for the moodiness; however, I grew accustomed to it. Unfortunately, most of his employers had issues dealing with his hot temper. His temper would usually flare up after a couple of months on a job and he would be terminated because of it. The loss of jobs would drive him into a deep depression that would last for months at a time. During the months when he wasn’t depressed, he would spend days and nights working on projects, never stopping to sleep. One morning I awoke to find our entire garage painted with elaborate murals.
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Allen
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My wife was diagnosed w/ bipolar disorder five years ago.It started w/ her falling into a depression which morphed into a manic epsiode w/ psychotic features.During her second hospitalization,(she was hospitalized five times in 2 1/2 years),I was asked if I knew that her brother was bipolar.I didn't know about his diagnosis,but,it helped explain the myriad problems he'd experienced. Long before any of my wife's problems surfaced,she told me of events in her childhood that,now ,seem to indicate schizophrenia.She spoke of the sensation of being touched when no one else was present and of smelling flowers when none were present.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe last five years have been sad,frustrating and harder than anything I could have heretofore imagined.My wife eschews meds and therapy,she's gone through all her money,has virtually no income and our marriage has been destroyed.As is usually the case,the caregiver is held in contempt by the patient. My heart goes out to all the families who are going through the heartache of having a loved one afflicted w/ bipolar disorder. It's reached a point here where I feel I must leave her in order to stop being an enabler.It's a horrible choice to face,but ,I've tried everything else,to no avail.
Indeed, a study have shown that identical twins separated when babies and adopted in different famillies share the same risk for schizophrenia...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey shared the same DNA but not the same upbringing
«Eugenics» is about removing individual from the gene pool because of personnal traits that are deemed undesirable. Hitler and the nazis did that. I see nothing of the sort in the above article...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy sister is schizophenic patient, my cousin is bipolar, the sister of my father was a schizophenic patient. A few years ago, we found a nephew with "X" fragil. Are there chances of "fix" this genes ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Caudipterix: I agree the article should be a little more clear but its certainly NOT Bull****
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article states that both conditions are genetically linked; this is almost certainly true. The familial, adoptive and twin studies are too strong to be explained any other way. What the article doesnt state is that there are likely many other factors involved in BPAD and Schizophrenia. Several other factor include being born in the spring/winter, urban living, living in a highly emotional family etc etc.
As for the epigenetics argue, I m sure there are epigenetic factors but traditionally epigenetic factors are very hard to analysis. So I suppose at the moment researchers are doing the best they can to understand the disease with the tools in hand.
As a matter of interest how would you explain the concorrandance rates if genes are not implicated?
@CAP: Unfortunately at the moment the only way to fix genes is to use gene therapy and this only really works when its a one-gene illness, most of the genes for these illnesses are of yet unknown.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHowever if you can tolerate the medications the prognosis is usually quite good.
You have my thoughts and I hope your family are doing well.
these both disease can't be cured and this is sad(but who knows maybe in the next future a treatment will be find...)until that time these disorders can be controlled with medications ,based on <a href="http://24drug.com">24drug.com</a> and remember NEVER lose hope and don't quit!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthese bout disease are definitely linked but the sad thing is that there's no cure at this time,but who knows maybe in the next future scientist would find a way to treat BP and schizophrenia... until then there a lot of ways to control and to improve general state with medications ...based on <a href="http://24drug.com">24drug.com</a>
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI also think that Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia are somewhat linked. I son was also suffering from bipolar disorder since birth but now he is well. I made him admitted in therapeutic boarding school specifically for the <A HREF=http://www.troubledteens.net/Problems-in-Teens/Teenagers-Bipolar-Disorder.html>bipolar children</A>. I advise parents to choose best option for their psychologically disordered kids.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.troubledteens.net/Problems-in-Teens/Teenagers-Bipolar-Disorder.html