A new study uncovers intriguing genetic similarities between PTSD and other mental health disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The findings also suggest that existing drugs commonly used for other disorders might be modified to help treat individual symptoms of multiple disorders.

A new study led by researchers at Yale and the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) provides answers to some of these questions and uncovers intriguing genetic similarities between PTSD and other mental health disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

The findings also suggest that existing drugs commonly used for other disorders might be modified to help treat individual symptoms of multiple disorders.

«The complexity is still there, but this study helped us chip away at it,» said co-senior author Joel Gelernter, the Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and professor of genetics and neurobiology at Yale.

The study was published Jan. 28 in the journal Nature Genetics.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the complete genomes of more than 250,000 participants in the Million Veteran Program, a national research program of the U.S. Veterans Administration that studies how genes, lifestyle, and military experiences affect the health and illness of military veterans. Among those participants were approximately 36,000 diagnosed with PTSD.

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Materials provided by Yale University. Original written by Bill Hathaway. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.