Clustering of mental disorders by overlapping genetic and environmental factors

Kendler and colleagues describe genetic and environmental factors that underlie the significant relatedness observed among multiple axis I and axis II mental disorders. Specifically, they report that four potent genetic factors, as well as three environmental factors, each contribute to clusters of psychopathology listed in DSM-IV. Generalized anxiety disorder and major depression appear to have significant overlapping genetic and environmental risk factors, likely explaining why so many patients in the clinic have both disorders. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders were excluded from this study.

Kendler KS et al.: The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Syndromal and Subsyndromal Common DSM-IV Axis I and All Axis II Disorders. Amer. J. Psychiatry 168:29-39 (2011).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20952461