A group of researchers has been able to identify why mental health disorders have such high rates of comorbidity. Fourteen psychiatric disorders were examined and five groups were identified, which later allowed a gene map to be created. These groups included: compulsive disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders, internalizing disorders, and substance use disorders. Each of these groups has 238 pleiotropic loci, or small differences that influence the way the brain works, which can contribute to the high rates of comorbid disorders.
About half the population is affected by a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime. Many psychiatrists only focus on the symptoms, not the genetics/biology. By understanding the links between disorders, it is easier to come up with treatments that can target multiple disorders in groups of people instead of each one individually. These findings also suggest a need for therapeutic development designed to treat more than one disorder in a person at a time.
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