People with mental illnesses have persistent patterns of strong, inflexible cognition and respond to stimuli in unusual ways. Furthermore, certain psychological problems share characteristics with others, and individuals may simultaneously have two or more mental conditions. An individual with a personality disorder may also have another psychological illness, such as depression, anxiety, or addictions. As a result, scientists have been trying to connect such kinds of patterns and bewildering natures of illnesses and their true genetics.
Nobody knows why mental issues begin, but experts believe genetic factors play a significant role. Scientists, for instance, are beginning to discover some plausible genetic elements behind psychological disorders (Knopik et al., 2017). One study, for example, discovered a faulty gene that may have a role in OCD (Knopik et al., 2017). Other studies are looking at genetic ties to aggressiveness, anxiety, and panic attacks, all of which can be associated with personality disorders.
The genetics of different psychological disorders can vary immensely. For example, the genetic architecture of schizophrenia is quite perplexing and complex. The traditional view of the illness is that the changes in the DNA sequence are responsible for such inclination (Emmelkamp & Meyerbröker, 2019). Additionally, if one of the relatives has such a disorder, the chances of an individual inheriting it is 10% (Emmelkamp & Meyerbröker, 2019). As for dissociative identity disorder, the genetics of such disorder lies within environmental impact. Usually, this disorder appears as the result of childhood trauma or abuse and can only be inherited as a biological trigger. Lastly, in patients with OCD, scientists found chromosome 9 near a gene protein tyrosine phosphokinase (Emmelkamp & Meyerbröker, 2019). A deviation of this kind might be responsible for causing the disorder.
Hence, psychological disorders are quite complex for studies since they all differ in symptoms and causes. Most personality disorders presumably are hereditary and can be explained as genetic deviation, but the research must be continued. Schizophrenia and OCD can serve as examples, with the former stemming from the deviation of DNA sequence and the latter being the consequence of chromosome 9 and PTF gene association.
References
Emmelkamp, P. M., & Meyerbröker, K. (2019). Personality disorders. Psychology Press.
Knopik, V. S., Neiderhiser, J. M., DeFries, J. C., & Plomin, R. (2017). Behavioral genetics. Worth Publishers.