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Independence of Mania and Depression

Evidence for separate inheritance of mania and depression challenges current concepts of bipolar mood disorder

Molecular Psychiatry volume 19, pages 153–155 (2014)Cite this article

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Two new family studies1,2 that demonstrate independent patterns of inheritance for mania and depression challenge the current conceptualization of bipolar mood disorder. The implications for genetic association and other neurobiological studies are profound.

Despite the vast investments in epidemiological, clinical and neurobiological research, the boundaries between the key psychiatric disorders remain indistinct. The pathophysiological paths that underpin the common affective disorders, including bipolar disorder, have not been clearly delineated.3 Consequently, choice of clinical treatments still occurs largely on the basis of reducing target symptoms (psychosis, depression, mania/hypomania and anxiety), resulting often in the use of multiple medical or psychological therapies.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia,

    I B Hickie

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  1. I B Hickie
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Correspondence to I B Hickie.

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IBH is a Senior Principal Research Fellow of the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council (AppID 1046899). He was a director of headspace: the National Youth Mental Health Foundation until January 2012. He is the executive director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI), at the University of Sydney, which operates two early-intervention youth services under contract to headspace. He is a commissioner of the Australian National Mental Health commission and was previously the CEO of beyondblue: the National Depression Initiative. Previously, he has led a range of community-based and pharmaceutical industry-supported depression awareness and education and training programs. He has led depression and other mental health research service evaluation or investigator-initiated research projects that have been supported by a variety of pharmaceutical partners. Current investigator-initiated studies are supported by Servier (manufacturers of Agomelatine) and Pfizer. He has received honoraria for his contributions to professional educational seminars related to depression, youth mental health and circadian-rhythms research. He has received travel support from Servier to attend scientific meetings related specifically to circadian-rhythm disorders.

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Hickie, I. Evidence for separate inheritance of mania and depression challenges current concepts of bipolar mood disorder. Mol Psychiatry 19, 153–155 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2013.173

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