Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder: Gene Link?

Study Shows Family Connections for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia
By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

WebMD Health News (Jan. 15, 2009) — "The largest study ever to track bipolar disorder and schizophrenia within families offers evidence that the two psychiatric disorders share a common genetic cause.

For more than a century the psychiatric community has debated whether schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were two distinct disorders or were more connected.

Over the course of their illnesses, many patients experience similarities in certain symptoms characteristic of both, such as manic mood swings in bipolar disorder and psychosis in schizophrenia."

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