Is major mental illness inherited?
Neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are considered to be multifactorial in origin. This means that while it is likely that people who develop these illnesses have underlying genetic traits that make them susceptible to developing these conditions, environmental factors are also likely to play a role in triggering these disorders. Currently, the specific causes of these illnesses are poorly understood, and there are no clinical genetic tests available that can predict a person’s risk to develop these conditions.
