Genetics of Major Psychiatric Disorders

We review recent studies on the inheritance of affective disorders and schizophrenia. Both groups of diseases have substantial genetic and nongenetic components, and their inheritance does not fit simple Mendelian models. Linkage studies implicate the Xp28 and 11p15 regions as potential disease loci in affective illness, and the 5q11-q13 region in schizophrenia. These conclusions are highly controversial, however, and must be viewed as extremely tentative.