Genetic independence of manic‐depression and schizophrenia

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Abstract
Increasingly sophisticated twin and adoption research has demonstrated major genetic contributions to the etiology of manic-depression and schizophrenia. Studies disagree concerning whether the 2 are genetically related illnesses. This lack of consensus could be due to individual, regional and temporal differences in the criteria used to diagnose the 2 conditions. This study is the first to employ the new DSM-III [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III] criteria. Schizophrenia was no more common in the 1098 first-degree relatives of 100 male and 100 female manic-depressives than it is in the population at-large. This would appear to strengthen the view that manic-depression and schizophrenia are genetically unrelated diseases.

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