#bipolar-disorder — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #bipolar-disorder, aggregated by home.social.
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He tried ending his life twice in his 40s. Now, he is helping others on their mental health journey, Lifestyle News
At 51, Allan Lee is the chief operating officer at private education provider CSM Academy International and a…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #Health #mentalhealthadvocacy #MentalHealth #recovery #Suicideprevention #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/767512/ -
DATE: September 9, 2026 at 01:48PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have an Unexpected Mental Health Benefit
Source: Science Daily - Top Health
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Inflammation #MoodStability #GLP1 #PsychiatricResearch #WeightLossAndBeyond
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DATE: September 9, 2026 at 01:48PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have an Unexpected Mental Health Benefit
Source: Science Daily - Top Health
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Inflammation #MoodStability #GLP1 #PsychiatricResearch #WeightLossAndBeyond
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DATE: September 9, 2026 at 01:48PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have an Unexpected Mental Health Benefit
Source: Science Daily - Top Health
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Inflammation #MoodStability #GLP1 #PsychiatricResearch #WeightLossAndBeyond
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthMatters #GLP1 #MoodStability #PsychiatricHealth #Inflammation #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthMatters #GLP1 #MoodStability #PsychiatricHealth #Inflammation #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthMatters #GLP1 #MoodStability #PsychiatricHealth #Inflammation #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthBenefits #Glp1 #MoodStabilization #Inflammation #PsychiatricHospitalization #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthBenefits #Glp1 #MoodStabilization #Inflammation #PsychiatricHospitalization #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 8, 2026 at 08:59AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260907201601.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Wegovy #Semaglutide #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthBenefits #Glp1 #MoodStabilization #Inflammation #PsychiatricHospitalization #DiabetesAndWeightLoss
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DATE: September 5, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Over half the risk for postpartum psychosis is tied to genetics, large study finds
New research published in Molecular Psychiatry indicates that postpartum psychosis is heavily influenced by both common and rare genetic factors, with about half of the risk tied to genetics. The study also identified a specific gene involved in cholesterol production that provides evidence for shared biological pathways between postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, and certain autoimmune conditions.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe mental health emergency that occurs in roughly 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 mothers shortly after childbirth. It involves an abrupt onset of symptoms like mania, severe depression, confusion, and psychosis, which is when a person loses touch with reality through hallucinations or delusions. The condition poses heavy risks to both the mother and the infant, often requiring immediate medical hospitalization.
Earlier research established that this vulnerability has deep biological roots. A 2001 study showed that the tendency to experience a severe psychotic episode triggered specifically by childbirth runs strongly in families. Moving beyond familial history, a 2013 study discovered that women experiencing their first episode of postpartum psychosis show disruptions in their immune systems.
Alongside these immune factors, metabolic changes have also been implicated, as a 2017 meta-analysis suggested that people going through their first psychotic episode tend to have altered cholesterol levels. These findings paved the way for large-scale genetic sequencing to pinpoint the exact genes and shared biological pathways involved. To build on these insights, researchers led by Seulgi Jung and study co-author Behrang Mahjani, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who directs the Mahjani Lab, aimed to detail the specific genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis.
“Postpartum psychosis is a severe but understudied psychiatric disorder,” Mahjani told PsyPost. “Our previous study showed that sisters of women with postpartum psychosis have a markedly elevated risk, but its heritability had not been quantified and no specific risk genes had been identified. We therefore examined the contribution of both common and rare genetic variation to the disorder.”
The researchers first used data from Swedish national registers to estimate the overall genetic risk of the disorder. They examined health records from over 1.6 million mothers who gave birth to their first child between 1980 and 2017. Among this massive group, 2,514 mothers, or 0.15 percent, developed postpartum psychosis.
By tracking the health records of the mothers’ sisters and cousins, the researchers estimated the heritability of postpartum psychosis to be 55 percent. This indicates that more than half of the variation in who develops the condition can be attributed to genetic factors, a rate similar to that of bipolar disorder.
“The genetic contribution is substantial,” Mahjani explained. “Heritability in this range means that inherited variation accounts for a large share of the differences in vulnerability between individuals, comparable to what is seen for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.”
“This supports the view that postpartum psychosis reflects an underlying biological vulnerability rather than being simply a psychological reaction to the stress of childbirth,” he added.
To see how much of this heritability comes from common genetic variations, the team turned to the All of Us Research Program, a large national database of genetic and health information. They focused on whole-genome sequencing data from 198 mothers of European ancestry who had experienced postpartum psychosis, comparing them to 2,013 matched controls.
The team found that common genetic variants explained about 45.6 percent of the risk for postpartum psychosis. Because this is slightly lower than the 55 percent heritability estimated from family histories, it suggests that rarer genetic variations also play a role in the disorder.
The researchers then looked closely at rare genetic changes, specifically focusing on protein-truncating variants. These are severe mutations that essentially break a gene, preventing it from producing a functional protein. They analyzed a larger sample of 461 cases of postpartum psychosis and 4,610 unaffected controls.
Women with postpartum psychosis had an unusually high number of these disruptive mutations in genes that are generally highly constrained, meaning the genes do not usually tolerate mutations well without causing major biological problems. Based on these mutation patterns, the researchers estimated that there are around 81 specific genes that contribute to the risk of postpartum psychosis.
When analyzing which individual genes were most affected, the gene HMGCR stood out strongly. This gene contains the instructions for making a key enzyme that controls how the body produces cholesterol. A second gene, DNMT1, which helps maintain how DNA is regulated and read by the body, also showed a possible, though less certain, link to the disorder.
“The rare variants in HMGCR have large effects in the people who carry them, which is what allowed us to detect the gene despite a relatively modest sample,” Mahjani noted.
However, he cautioned against oversimplifying this connection. “HMGCR should not be read as ‘the postpartum psychosis gene,'” he said. “It is one of the many genes contributing to risk, and like other severe psychiatric disorders the condition is highly polygenic.”
To explore the broader impact of these genes, the researchers checked for mutations in HMGCR and DNMT1 across hundreds of thousands of individuals in two large medical biobanks. They found that rare mutations in HMGCR were also linked to conditions like vascular dementia and unspecified mental disorders, indicating the gene influences brain health outside of the postpartum period.
Finally, the researchers compared their list of genetic risk factors for postpartum psychosis against genes known to cause other illnesses. They found that a substantial percentage of the top risk genes for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were also linked to postpartum psychosis. Additionally, they noted a genetic overlap with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, and Crohn’s disease, with HMGCR appearing as a top risk gene for both schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis.
“The results were largely consistent with what genetic studies of related psychiatric disorders would predict,” Mahjani said.
There are a few things to keep in mind regarding this study. First, definitions of postpartum psychosis can vary across different medical records. The registry data used in the study often lacked the precise end dates of episodes, which makes it harder to classify the exact duration of the illness.
The researchers also did not separate women whose postpartum psychosis was their very first psychiatric episode from those who had a pre-existing condition, such as bipolar disorder. As a result, some of the genetic patterns they found might reflect severe mental illness in general rather than factors entirely unique to the postpartum period.
Additionally, the genetic sequencing data relied heavily on individuals of European ancestry, meaning the results might not fully capture the genetic risk factors present in other populations. Future studies with more diverse groups will help provide a more complete picture of the condition’s genetic roots.
“Our immediate priority is to replicate these findings in larger samples,” Mahjani said of the team’s next steps. “Beyond that, we want to understand how the genes we identified actually function in the disorder, and how genetic vulnerability interacts with the hormonal and immune changes that occur during and after pregnancy.”
“Mainly that postpartum psychosis has been remarkably understudied relative to its severity,” he concluded. “Progress will depend on continued access to the kind of large-scale genomic resources that made this work possible, such as the All of Us Research Program, and on studies large enough to identify additional risk genes with confidence.”
The study, “Genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis: from common to rare genetic variation,” was authored by Seulgi Jung, Madison Caballero, Adrianna Kępińska, Shelby Smout, Trine Munk-Olsen, Thalia K. Robakis, Veerle Bergink, and Behrang Mahjani.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PostpartumPsychosis #GeneticRisk #MentalHealthResearch #HMGCR #DNMT1 #CholesterolGenes #SchizophreniaOverlap #BipolarDisorder #AutoimmuneLinks #GenomicsStudy
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DATE: September 5, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Over half the risk for postpartum psychosis is tied to genetics, large study finds
New research published in Molecular Psychiatry indicates that postpartum psychosis is heavily influenced by both common and rare genetic factors, with about half of the risk tied to genetics. The study also identified a specific gene involved in cholesterol production that provides evidence for shared biological pathways between postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, and certain autoimmune conditions.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe mental health emergency that occurs in roughly 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 mothers shortly after childbirth. It involves an abrupt onset of symptoms like mania, severe depression, confusion, and psychosis, which is when a person loses touch with reality through hallucinations or delusions. The condition poses heavy risks to both the mother and the infant, often requiring immediate medical hospitalization.
Earlier research established that this vulnerability has deep biological roots. A 2001 study showed that the tendency to experience a severe psychotic episode triggered specifically by childbirth runs strongly in families. Moving beyond familial history, a 2013 study discovered that women experiencing their first episode of postpartum psychosis show disruptions in their immune systems.
Alongside these immune factors, metabolic changes have also been implicated, as a 2017 meta-analysis suggested that people going through their first psychotic episode tend to have altered cholesterol levels. These findings paved the way for large-scale genetic sequencing to pinpoint the exact genes and shared biological pathways involved. To build on these insights, researchers led by Seulgi Jung and study co-author Behrang Mahjani, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who directs the Mahjani Lab, aimed to detail the specific genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis.
“Postpartum psychosis is a severe but understudied psychiatric disorder,” Mahjani told PsyPost. “Our previous study showed that sisters of women with postpartum psychosis have a markedly elevated risk, but its heritability had not been quantified and no specific risk genes had been identified. We therefore examined the contribution of both common and rare genetic variation to the disorder.”
The researchers first used data from Swedish national registers to estimate the overall genetic risk of the disorder. They examined health records from over 1.6 million mothers who gave birth to their first child between 1980 and 2017. Among this massive group, 2,514 mothers, or 0.15 percent, developed postpartum psychosis.
By tracking the health records of the mothers’ sisters and cousins, the researchers estimated the heritability of postpartum psychosis to be 55 percent. This indicates that more than half of the variation in who develops the condition can be attributed to genetic factors, a rate similar to that of bipolar disorder.
“The genetic contribution is substantial,” Mahjani explained. “Heritability in this range means that inherited variation accounts for a large share of the differences in vulnerability between individuals, comparable to what is seen for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.”
“This supports the view that postpartum psychosis reflects an underlying biological vulnerability rather than being simply a psychological reaction to the stress of childbirth,” he added.
To see how much of this heritability comes from common genetic variations, the team turned to the All of Us Research Program, a large national database of genetic and health information. They focused on whole-genome sequencing data from 198 mothers of European ancestry who had experienced postpartum psychosis, comparing them to 2,013 matched controls.
The team found that common genetic variants explained about 45.6 percent of the risk for postpartum psychosis. Because this is slightly lower than the 55 percent heritability estimated from family histories, it suggests that rarer genetic variations also play a role in the disorder.
The researchers then looked closely at rare genetic changes, specifically focusing on protein-truncating variants. These are severe mutations that essentially break a gene, preventing it from producing a functional protein. They analyzed a larger sample of 461 cases of postpartum psychosis and 4,610 unaffected controls.
Women with postpartum psychosis had an unusually high number of these disruptive mutations in genes that are generally highly constrained, meaning the genes do not usually tolerate mutations well without causing major biological problems. Based on these mutation patterns, the researchers estimated that there are around 81 specific genes that contribute to the risk of postpartum psychosis.
When analyzing which individual genes were most affected, the gene HMGCR stood out strongly. This gene contains the instructions for making a key enzyme that controls how the body produces cholesterol. A second gene, DNMT1, which helps maintain how DNA is regulated and read by the body, also showed a possible, though less certain, link to the disorder.
“The rare variants in HMGCR have large effects in the people who carry them, which is what allowed us to detect the gene despite a relatively modest sample,” Mahjani noted.
However, he cautioned against oversimplifying this connection. “HMGCR should not be read as ‘the postpartum psychosis gene,'” he said. “It is one of the many genes contributing to risk, and like other severe psychiatric disorders the condition is highly polygenic.”
To explore the broader impact of these genes, the researchers checked for mutations in HMGCR and DNMT1 across hundreds of thousands of individuals in two large medical biobanks. They found that rare mutations in HMGCR were also linked to conditions like vascular dementia and unspecified mental disorders, indicating the gene influences brain health outside of the postpartum period.
Finally, the researchers compared their list of genetic risk factors for postpartum psychosis against genes known to cause other illnesses. They found that a substantial percentage of the top risk genes for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were also linked to postpartum psychosis. Additionally, they noted a genetic overlap with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, and Crohn’s disease, with HMGCR appearing as a top risk gene for both schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis.
“The results were largely consistent with what genetic studies of related psychiatric disorders would predict,” Mahjani said.
There are a few things to keep in mind regarding this study. First, definitions of postpartum psychosis can vary across different medical records. The registry data used in the study often lacked the precise end dates of episodes, which makes it harder to classify the exact duration of the illness.
The researchers also did not separate women whose postpartum psychosis was their very first psychiatric episode from those who had a pre-existing condition, such as bipolar disorder. As a result, some of the genetic patterns they found might reflect severe mental illness in general rather than factors entirely unique to the postpartum period.
Additionally, the genetic sequencing data relied heavily on individuals of European ancestry, meaning the results might not fully capture the genetic risk factors present in other populations. Future studies with more diverse groups will help provide a more complete picture of the condition’s genetic roots.
“Our immediate priority is to replicate these findings in larger samples,” Mahjani said of the team’s next steps. “Beyond that, we want to understand how the genes we identified actually function in the disorder, and how genetic vulnerability interacts with the hormonal and immune changes that occur during and after pregnancy.”
“Mainly that postpartum psychosis has been remarkably understudied relative to its severity,” he concluded. “Progress will depend on continued access to the kind of large-scale genomic resources that made this work possible, such as the All of Us Research Program, and on studies large enough to identify additional risk genes with confidence.”
The study, “Genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis: from common to rare genetic variation,” was authored by Seulgi Jung, Madison Caballero, Adrianna Kępińska, Shelby Smout, Trine Munk-Olsen, Thalia K. Robakis, Veerle Bergink, and Behrang Mahjani.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PostpartumPsychosis #GeneticRisk #MentalHealthResearch #HMGCR #DNMT1 #CholesterolGenes #SchizophreniaOverlap #BipolarDisorder #AutoimmuneLinks #GenomicsStudy
-
DATE: September 5, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Over half the risk for postpartum psychosis is tied to genetics, large study finds
New research published in Molecular Psychiatry indicates that postpartum psychosis is heavily influenced by both common and rare genetic factors, with about half of the risk tied to genetics. The study also identified a specific gene involved in cholesterol production that provides evidence for shared biological pathways between postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, and certain autoimmune conditions.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe mental health emergency that occurs in roughly 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 mothers shortly after childbirth. It involves an abrupt onset of symptoms like mania, severe depression, confusion, and psychosis, which is when a person loses touch with reality through hallucinations or delusions. The condition poses heavy risks to both the mother and the infant, often requiring immediate medical hospitalization.
Earlier research established that this vulnerability has deep biological roots. A 2001 study showed that the tendency to experience a severe psychotic episode triggered specifically by childbirth runs strongly in families. Moving beyond familial history, a 2013 study discovered that women experiencing their first episode of postpartum psychosis show disruptions in their immune systems.
Alongside these immune factors, metabolic changes have also been implicated, as a 2017 meta-analysis suggested that people going through their first psychotic episode tend to have altered cholesterol levels. These findings paved the way for large-scale genetic sequencing to pinpoint the exact genes and shared biological pathways involved. To build on these insights, researchers led by Seulgi Jung and study co-author Behrang Mahjani, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who directs the Mahjani Lab, aimed to detail the specific genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis.
“Postpartum psychosis is a severe but understudied psychiatric disorder,” Mahjani told PsyPost. “Our previous study showed that sisters of women with postpartum psychosis have a markedly elevated risk, but its heritability had not been quantified and no specific risk genes had been identified. We therefore examined the contribution of both common and rare genetic variation to the disorder.”
The researchers first used data from Swedish national registers to estimate the overall genetic risk of the disorder. They examined health records from over 1.6 million mothers who gave birth to their first child between 1980 and 2017. Among this massive group, 2,514 mothers, or 0.15 percent, developed postpartum psychosis.
By tracking the health records of the mothers’ sisters and cousins, the researchers estimated the heritability of postpartum psychosis to be 55 percent. This indicates that more than half of the variation in who develops the condition can be attributed to genetic factors, a rate similar to that of bipolar disorder.
“The genetic contribution is substantial,” Mahjani explained. “Heritability in this range means that inherited variation accounts for a large share of the differences in vulnerability between individuals, comparable to what is seen for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.”
“This supports the view that postpartum psychosis reflects an underlying biological vulnerability rather than being simply a psychological reaction to the stress of childbirth,” he added.
To see how much of this heritability comes from common genetic variations, the team turned to the All of Us Research Program, a large national database of genetic and health information. They focused on whole-genome sequencing data from 198 mothers of European ancestry who had experienced postpartum psychosis, comparing them to 2,013 matched controls.
The team found that common genetic variants explained about 45.6 percent of the risk for postpartum psychosis. Because this is slightly lower than the 55 percent heritability estimated from family histories, it suggests that rarer genetic variations also play a role in the disorder.
The researchers then looked closely at rare genetic changes, specifically focusing on protein-truncating variants. These are severe mutations that essentially break a gene, preventing it from producing a functional protein. They analyzed a larger sample of 461 cases of postpartum psychosis and 4,610 unaffected controls.
Women with postpartum psychosis had an unusually high number of these disruptive mutations in genes that are generally highly constrained, meaning the genes do not usually tolerate mutations well without causing major biological problems. Based on these mutation patterns, the researchers estimated that there are around 81 specific genes that contribute to the risk of postpartum psychosis.
When analyzing which individual genes were most affected, the gene HMGCR stood out strongly. This gene contains the instructions for making a key enzyme that controls how the body produces cholesterol. A second gene, DNMT1, which helps maintain how DNA is regulated and read by the body, also showed a possible, though less certain, link to the disorder.
“The rare variants in HMGCR have large effects in the people who carry them, which is what allowed us to detect the gene despite a relatively modest sample,” Mahjani noted.
However, he cautioned against oversimplifying this connection. “HMGCR should not be read as ‘the postpartum psychosis gene,'” he said. “It is one of the many genes contributing to risk, and like other severe psychiatric disorders the condition is highly polygenic.”
To explore the broader impact of these genes, the researchers checked for mutations in HMGCR and DNMT1 across hundreds of thousands of individuals in two large medical biobanks. They found that rare mutations in HMGCR were also linked to conditions like vascular dementia and unspecified mental disorders, indicating the gene influences brain health outside of the postpartum period.
Finally, the researchers compared their list of genetic risk factors for postpartum psychosis against genes known to cause other illnesses. They found that a substantial percentage of the top risk genes for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were also linked to postpartum psychosis. Additionally, they noted a genetic overlap with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, and Crohn’s disease, with HMGCR appearing as a top risk gene for both schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis.
“The results were largely consistent with what genetic studies of related psychiatric disorders would predict,” Mahjani said.
There are a few things to keep in mind regarding this study. First, definitions of postpartum psychosis can vary across different medical records. The registry data used in the study often lacked the precise end dates of episodes, which makes it harder to classify the exact duration of the illness.
The researchers also did not separate women whose postpartum psychosis was their very first psychiatric episode from those who had a pre-existing condition, such as bipolar disorder. As a result, some of the genetic patterns they found might reflect severe mental illness in general rather than factors entirely unique to the postpartum period.
Additionally, the genetic sequencing data relied heavily on individuals of European ancestry, meaning the results might not fully capture the genetic risk factors present in other populations. Future studies with more diverse groups will help provide a more complete picture of the condition’s genetic roots.
“Our immediate priority is to replicate these findings in larger samples,” Mahjani said of the team’s next steps. “Beyond that, we want to understand how the genes we identified actually function in the disorder, and how genetic vulnerability interacts with the hormonal and immune changes that occur during and after pregnancy.”
“Mainly that postpartum psychosis has been remarkably understudied relative to its severity,” he concluded. “Progress will depend on continued access to the kind of large-scale genomic resources that made this work possible, such as the All of Us Research Program, and on studies large enough to identify additional risk genes with confidence.”
The study, “Genetic architecture of postpartum psychosis: from common to rare genetic variation,” was authored by Seulgi Jung, Madison Caballero, Adrianna Kępińska, Shelby Smout, Trine Munk-Olsen, Thalia K. Robakis, Veerle Bergink, and Behrang Mahjani.
-------------------------------------------------
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #PostpartumPsychosis #GeneticRisk #MentalHealthResearch #HMGCR #DNMT1 #CholesterolGenes #SchizophreniaOverlap #BipolarDisorder #AutoimmuneLinks #GenomicsStudy
-
DATE: August 29, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is linked to specific types of intelligence
New research suggests that the genetic links between psychiatric conditions and intelligence vary depending on the specific type of thinking skill involved. Rather than viewing intelligence as a single trait, a new genetic analysis indicates that conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share different genetic roots with problem-solving skills compared to acquired knowledge. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
People diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders often experience difficulties with memory, attention, and problem-solving. For instance, a 2023 review detailed how conditions like schizophrenia share overlapping genetic and environmental risk factors with cognitive challenges. Similarly, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 found that higher general intelligence tends to be associated with fewer symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, a connection partly driven by shared genetics.
Past genetic research generally treated cognitive ability as one broad category. However, human cognition is made up of distinct skills. These include processing speed, often measured by how fast someone reacts to a prompt. Another component is fluid reasoning, which involves solving new problems and processing complex information on the spot. A third area is crystallized knowledge, representing the facts and vocabulary a person learns through culture and life experience.
Genetic studies have historically lacked enough data to analyze these specific categories of thinking, especially crystallized knowledge. Scientists wanted to see if breaking down cognition into these specific domains might provide a more detailed picture of how mental health and intelligence are connected at a genetic level. They also wanted to account for non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and persistence, which help people succeed in educational settings.
The research was led by Diego Londoño-Correa, a PhD and recent graduate of the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. “There was a paradox in the behavioral and psychiatric genetics literature that I found very interesting,” he said. “People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often show cognitive difficulties, and these negative associations are observed at both the phenotypic and genetic levels. However, genetic liability for schizophrenia and some other disorders has also been positively associated with educational attainment.”
“In our lab, we wondered whether part of this apparent contradiction came from treating cognition as a single trait,” he explained. “We thought that part of the answer to this paradox might lie in the difference between these domains that previous studies had not accounted for.”
The scientists analyzed genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people. Using existing genetic databases, primarily focusing on individuals of European ancestry, they gathered information on cognitive test performance and educational attainment. The total sample size for the crystallized knowledge analysis reached roughly 439,000 individuals.
To measure specific cognitive skills, the team looked at scores from tests involving reaction time, puzzle solving, and vocabulary knowledge. “Many cognitive tests do not ‘purely’ measure a single domain such as crystallized knowledge,” Londoño-Correa explained. “For example, you still need lower-order cognitive processes such as processing speed to perform well on tests of crystallized knowledge, including vocabulary tests.”
To address this, the researchers used a specialized statistical tool to separate the overlapping genetic influences of reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge. They also isolated a non-cognitive genetic factor tied to how many years of schooling a person completed, removing any genetic effects related to actual test performance.
The analysis identified 78 genetic regions associated with crystallized knowledge. Eight of these regions had never been linked to any cognitive trait in previous genetic research. The researchers also found that genes associated with fluid reasoning tend to be most active in the brain during early childhood development. In contrast, genes associated with crystallized knowledge show increased activity during adolescence and early adulthood, aligning with the idea that this type of knowledge builds up over time through education and experience.
When comparing these cognitive profiles to the genetic risk for five specific psychiatric conditions, the authors found highly varied patterns. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed the most similarity. The genetic risk for both conditions was associated with slower reaction times and lower fluid reasoning, but positively associated with both crystallized knowledge and non-cognitive educational skills.
“The main takeaway is that the genetic relationship between psychiatric disorders and cognitive abilities is not uniformly positive or negative,” Londoño-Correa said. “Reducing all of cognition to a single general factor of intelligence can hide meaningful differences in how psychiatric genetic liability relates to different cognitive abilities.”
Other conditions displayed entirely different genetic associations. The genetic risk for ADHD was associated with slightly faster reaction times, but it was also linked to lower fluid reasoning, lower crystallized knowledge, and lower non-cognitive skills. Autism spectrum disorder was positively associated only with crystallized knowledge. Alzheimer’s disease was associated only with lower fluid reasoning, matching the clinical observation that dementia often heavily impacts executive functioning and on-the-spot problem-solving.
The researchers also compared the cognitive genetic factors to personality traits. They found that openness to experience, a trait linked to curiosity and a desire to learn, was strongly and positively associated with the genetics of crystallized knowledge.
Londoño-Correa found this specificity particularly striking, noting that openness had a strong correlation with crystallized knowledge but much weaker associations with reaction time and fluid reasoning. “Developmental psychologists propose these genetic tendencies as ‘experience-producing drives’ so people who are more curious may seek out books, conversations, education, cultural experiences, or other cognitively rewarding environments,” he said. “Over time those experiences accumulate into crystallized knowledge, the trait that was correlated with higher risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.”
These findings offer new insights, but they are subject to certain limitations. The genetic overlap between a psychiatric disorder and a cognitive trait does not mean that having a specific gene will automatically cause a mental health condition or guarantee high intelligence.
“The most important caveat is that genetic liability is not the same thing as having a psychiatric disorder,” Londoño-Correa explained. “That is very different from saying that people diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher crystallized abilities. We are studying how genetic variation can relate to multiple traits at the same time, not describing the average characteristics of diagnosed individuals.”
He emphasized that the study should not be interpreted as showing that clinical conditions like schizophrenia or autism improve cognition, as these disorders can have very serious cognitive and functional consequences. Furthermore, the study relied entirely on data from people of European descent to avoid statistical errors that can happen when mixing different genetic backgrounds, meaning the results might not apply to other ancestries.
Looking ahead, the research team hopes to use these insights to explore broader evolutionary questions. “My broader interest is in understanding why genetic variation associated with psychiatric disorders persists across human evolutionary history despite the health and reproductive costs these disorders can impose, particularly for conditions that often begin relatively early in life,” Londoño-Correa said.
He pointed to a concept known as antagonistic pleiotropy, where genetic variants that increase vulnerability to a disorder might also confer cognitive or behavioral advantages. “This study does not test natural selection directly, so we need more sophisticated analyses, for example using ancient DNA, to ask whether psychiatric-risk variants that are also associated with higher cognitive performance increased in frequency during human history,” he added.
The study, “Crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities have different genetic associations with neuropsychiatric disorders,” was authored by Diego Londono-Correa, Javier de la Fuente, Gail Davies, Simon R. Cox, Ian J. Deary, K. Paige Harden, and Elliot M. Tucker-Drob.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticLinks #Schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #CognitiveAbilities #CrystallizedKnowledge #FluidReasoning #ProcessingSpeed #NeuropsychiatricGenetics #EducationalAttainment #OpenToExperience
-
DATE: August 29, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is linked to specific types of intelligence
New research suggests that the genetic links between psychiatric conditions and intelligence vary depending on the specific type of thinking skill involved. Rather than viewing intelligence as a single trait, a new genetic analysis indicates that conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share different genetic roots with problem-solving skills compared to acquired knowledge. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
People diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders often experience difficulties with memory, attention, and problem-solving. For instance, a 2023 review detailed how conditions like schizophrenia share overlapping genetic and environmental risk factors with cognitive challenges. Similarly, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 found that higher general intelligence tends to be associated with fewer symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, a connection partly driven by shared genetics.
Past genetic research generally treated cognitive ability as one broad category. However, human cognition is made up of distinct skills. These include processing speed, often measured by how fast someone reacts to a prompt. Another component is fluid reasoning, which involves solving new problems and processing complex information on the spot. A third area is crystallized knowledge, representing the facts and vocabulary a person learns through culture and life experience.
Genetic studies have historically lacked enough data to analyze these specific categories of thinking, especially crystallized knowledge. Scientists wanted to see if breaking down cognition into these specific domains might provide a more detailed picture of how mental health and intelligence are connected at a genetic level. They also wanted to account for non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and persistence, which help people succeed in educational settings.
The research was led by Diego Londoño-Correa, a PhD and recent graduate of the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. “There was a paradox in the behavioral and psychiatric genetics literature that I found very interesting,” he said. “People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often show cognitive difficulties, and these negative associations are observed at both the phenotypic and genetic levels. However, genetic liability for schizophrenia and some other disorders has also been positively associated with educational attainment.”
“In our lab, we wondered whether part of this apparent contradiction came from treating cognition as a single trait,” he explained. “We thought that part of the answer to this paradox might lie in the difference between these domains that previous studies had not accounted for.”
The scientists analyzed genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people. Using existing genetic databases, primarily focusing on individuals of European ancestry, they gathered information on cognitive test performance and educational attainment. The total sample size for the crystallized knowledge analysis reached roughly 439,000 individuals.
To measure specific cognitive skills, the team looked at scores from tests involving reaction time, puzzle solving, and vocabulary knowledge. “Many cognitive tests do not ‘purely’ measure a single domain such as crystallized knowledge,” Londoño-Correa explained. “For example, you still need lower-order cognitive processes such as processing speed to perform well on tests of crystallized knowledge, including vocabulary tests.”
To address this, the researchers used a specialized statistical tool to separate the overlapping genetic influences of reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge. They also isolated a non-cognitive genetic factor tied to how many years of schooling a person completed, removing any genetic effects related to actual test performance.
The analysis identified 78 genetic regions associated with crystallized knowledge. Eight of these regions had never been linked to any cognitive trait in previous genetic research. The researchers also found that genes associated with fluid reasoning tend to be most active in the brain during early childhood development. In contrast, genes associated with crystallized knowledge show increased activity during adolescence and early adulthood, aligning with the idea that this type of knowledge builds up over time through education and experience.
When comparing these cognitive profiles to the genetic risk for five specific psychiatric conditions, the authors found highly varied patterns. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed the most similarity. The genetic risk for both conditions was associated with slower reaction times and lower fluid reasoning, but positively associated with both crystallized knowledge and non-cognitive educational skills.
“The main takeaway is that the genetic relationship between psychiatric disorders and cognitive abilities is not uniformly positive or negative,” Londoño-Correa said. “Reducing all of cognition to a single general factor of intelligence can hide meaningful differences in how psychiatric genetic liability relates to different cognitive abilities.”
Other conditions displayed entirely different genetic associations. The genetic risk for ADHD was associated with slightly faster reaction times, but it was also linked to lower fluid reasoning, lower crystallized knowledge, and lower non-cognitive skills. Autism spectrum disorder was positively associated only with crystallized knowledge. Alzheimer’s disease was associated only with lower fluid reasoning, matching the clinical observation that dementia often heavily impacts executive functioning and on-the-spot problem-solving.
The researchers also compared the cognitive genetic factors to personality traits. They found that openness to experience, a trait linked to curiosity and a desire to learn, was strongly and positively associated with the genetics of crystallized knowledge.
Londoño-Correa found this specificity particularly striking, noting that openness had a strong correlation with crystallized knowledge but much weaker associations with reaction time and fluid reasoning. “Developmental psychologists propose these genetic tendencies as ‘experience-producing drives’ so people who are more curious may seek out books, conversations, education, cultural experiences, or other cognitively rewarding environments,” he said. “Over time those experiences accumulate into crystallized knowledge, the trait that was correlated with higher risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.”
These findings offer new insights, but they are subject to certain limitations. The genetic overlap between a psychiatric disorder and a cognitive trait does not mean that having a specific gene will automatically cause a mental health condition or guarantee high intelligence.
“The most important caveat is that genetic liability is not the same thing as having a psychiatric disorder,” Londoño-Correa explained. “That is very different from saying that people diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher crystallized abilities. We are studying how genetic variation can relate to multiple traits at the same time, not describing the average characteristics of diagnosed individuals.”
He emphasized that the study should not be interpreted as showing that clinical conditions like schizophrenia or autism improve cognition, as these disorders can have very serious cognitive and functional consequences. Furthermore, the study relied entirely on data from people of European descent to avoid statistical errors that can happen when mixing different genetic backgrounds, meaning the results might not apply to other ancestries.
Looking ahead, the research team hopes to use these insights to explore broader evolutionary questions. “My broader interest is in understanding why genetic variation associated with psychiatric disorders persists across human evolutionary history despite the health and reproductive costs these disorders can impose, particularly for conditions that often begin relatively early in life,” Londoño-Correa said.
He pointed to a concept known as antagonistic pleiotropy, where genetic variants that increase vulnerability to a disorder might also confer cognitive or behavioral advantages. “This study does not test natural selection directly, so we need more sophisticated analyses, for example using ancient DNA, to ask whether psychiatric-risk variants that are also associated with higher cognitive performance increased in frequency during human history,” he added.
The study, “Crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities have different genetic associations with neuropsychiatric disorders,” was authored by Diego Londono-Correa, Javier de la Fuente, Gail Davies, Simon R. Cox, Ian J. Deary, K. Paige Harden, and Elliot M. Tucker-Drob.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticLinks #Schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #CognitiveAbilities #CrystallizedKnowledge #FluidReasoning #ProcessingSpeed #NeuropsychiatricGenetics #EducationalAttainment #OpenToExperience
-
DATE: August 29, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is linked to specific types of intelligence
New research suggests that the genetic links between psychiatric conditions and intelligence vary depending on the specific type of thinking skill involved. Rather than viewing intelligence as a single trait, a new genetic analysis indicates that conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share different genetic roots with problem-solving skills compared to acquired knowledge. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
People diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders often experience difficulties with memory, attention, and problem-solving. For instance, a 2023 review detailed how conditions like schizophrenia share overlapping genetic and environmental risk factors with cognitive challenges. Similarly, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 found that higher general intelligence tends to be associated with fewer symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, a connection partly driven by shared genetics.
Past genetic research generally treated cognitive ability as one broad category. However, human cognition is made up of distinct skills. These include processing speed, often measured by how fast someone reacts to a prompt. Another component is fluid reasoning, which involves solving new problems and processing complex information on the spot. A third area is crystallized knowledge, representing the facts and vocabulary a person learns through culture and life experience.
Genetic studies have historically lacked enough data to analyze these specific categories of thinking, especially crystallized knowledge. Scientists wanted to see if breaking down cognition into these specific domains might provide a more detailed picture of how mental health and intelligence are connected at a genetic level. They also wanted to account for non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and persistence, which help people succeed in educational settings.
The research was led by Diego Londoño-Correa, a PhD and recent graduate of the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. “There was a paradox in the behavioral and psychiatric genetics literature that I found very interesting,” he said. “People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often show cognitive difficulties, and these negative associations are observed at both the phenotypic and genetic levels. However, genetic liability for schizophrenia and some other disorders has also been positively associated with educational attainment.”
“In our lab, we wondered whether part of this apparent contradiction came from treating cognition as a single trait,” he explained. “We thought that part of the answer to this paradox might lie in the difference between these domains that previous studies had not accounted for.”
The scientists analyzed genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people. Using existing genetic databases, primarily focusing on individuals of European ancestry, they gathered information on cognitive test performance and educational attainment. The total sample size for the crystallized knowledge analysis reached roughly 439,000 individuals.
To measure specific cognitive skills, the team looked at scores from tests involving reaction time, puzzle solving, and vocabulary knowledge. “Many cognitive tests do not ‘purely’ measure a single domain such as crystallized knowledge,” Londoño-Correa explained. “For example, you still need lower-order cognitive processes such as processing speed to perform well on tests of crystallized knowledge, including vocabulary tests.”
To address this, the researchers used a specialized statistical tool to separate the overlapping genetic influences of reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge. They also isolated a non-cognitive genetic factor tied to how many years of schooling a person completed, removing any genetic effects related to actual test performance.
The analysis identified 78 genetic regions associated with crystallized knowledge. Eight of these regions had never been linked to any cognitive trait in previous genetic research. The researchers also found that genes associated with fluid reasoning tend to be most active in the brain during early childhood development. In contrast, genes associated with crystallized knowledge show increased activity during adolescence and early adulthood, aligning with the idea that this type of knowledge builds up over time through education and experience.
When comparing these cognitive profiles to the genetic risk for five specific psychiatric conditions, the authors found highly varied patterns. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed the most similarity. The genetic risk for both conditions was associated with slower reaction times and lower fluid reasoning, but positively associated with both crystallized knowledge and non-cognitive educational skills.
“The main takeaway is that the genetic relationship between psychiatric disorders and cognitive abilities is not uniformly positive or negative,” Londoño-Correa said. “Reducing all of cognition to a single general factor of intelligence can hide meaningful differences in how psychiatric genetic liability relates to different cognitive abilities.”
Other conditions displayed entirely different genetic associations. The genetic risk for ADHD was associated with slightly faster reaction times, but it was also linked to lower fluid reasoning, lower crystallized knowledge, and lower non-cognitive skills. Autism spectrum disorder was positively associated only with crystallized knowledge. Alzheimer’s disease was associated only with lower fluid reasoning, matching the clinical observation that dementia often heavily impacts executive functioning and on-the-spot problem-solving.
The researchers also compared the cognitive genetic factors to personality traits. They found that openness to experience, a trait linked to curiosity and a desire to learn, was strongly and positively associated with the genetics of crystallized knowledge.
Londoño-Correa found this specificity particularly striking, noting that openness had a strong correlation with crystallized knowledge but much weaker associations with reaction time and fluid reasoning. “Developmental psychologists propose these genetic tendencies as ‘experience-producing drives’ so people who are more curious may seek out books, conversations, education, cultural experiences, or other cognitively rewarding environments,” he said. “Over time those experiences accumulate into crystallized knowledge, the trait that was correlated with higher risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.”
These findings offer new insights, but they are subject to certain limitations. The genetic overlap between a psychiatric disorder and a cognitive trait does not mean that having a specific gene will automatically cause a mental health condition or guarantee high intelligence.
“The most important caveat is that genetic liability is not the same thing as having a psychiatric disorder,” Londoño-Correa explained. “That is very different from saying that people diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher crystallized abilities. We are studying how genetic variation can relate to multiple traits at the same time, not describing the average characteristics of diagnosed individuals.”
He emphasized that the study should not be interpreted as showing that clinical conditions like schizophrenia or autism improve cognition, as these disorders can have very serious cognitive and functional consequences. Furthermore, the study relied entirely on data from people of European descent to avoid statistical errors that can happen when mixing different genetic backgrounds, meaning the results might not apply to other ancestries.
Looking ahead, the research team hopes to use these insights to explore broader evolutionary questions. “My broader interest is in understanding why genetic variation associated with psychiatric disorders persists across human evolutionary history despite the health and reproductive costs these disorders can impose, particularly for conditions that often begin relatively early in life,” Londoño-Correa said.
He pointed to a concept known as antagonistic pleiotropy, where genetic variants that increase vulnerability to a disorder might also confer cognitive or behavioral advantages. “This study does not test natural selection directly, so we need more sophisticated analyses, for example using ancient DNA, to ask whether psychiatric-risk variants that are also associated with higher cognitive performance increased in frequency during human history,” he added.
The study, “Crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities have different genetic associations with neuropsychiatric disorders,” was authored by Diego Londono-Correa, Javier de la Fuente, Gail Davies, Simon R. Cox, Ian J. Deary, K. Paige Harden, and Elliot M. Tucker-Drob.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticLinks #Schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #CognitiveAbilities #CrystallizedKnowledge #FluidReasoning #ProcessingSpeed #NeuropsychiatricGenetics #EducationalAttainment #OpenToExperience
-
DATE: August 29, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is linked to specific types of intelligence
New research suggests that the genetic links between psychiatric conditions and intelligence vary depending on the specific type of thinking skill involved. Rather than viewing intelligence as a single trait, a new genetic analysis indicates that conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share different genetic roots with problem-solving skills compared to acquired knowledge. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
People diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders often experience difficulties with memory, attention, and problem-solving. For instance, a 2023 review detailed how conditions like schizophrenia share overlapping genetic and environmental risk factors with cognitive challenges. Similarly, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 found that higher general intelligence tends to be associated with fewer symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, a connection partly driven by shared genetics.
Past genetic research generally treated cognitive ability as one broad category. However, human cognition is made up of distinct skills. These include processing speed, often measured by how fast someone reacts to a prompt. Another component is fluid reasoning, which involves solving new problems and processing complex information on the spot. A third area is crystallized knowledge, representing the facts and vocabulary a person learns through culture and life experience.
Genetic studies have historically lacked enough data to analyze these specific categories of thinking, especially crystallized knowledge. Scientists wanted to see if breaking down cognition into these specific domains might provide a more detailed picture of how mental health and intelligence are connected at a genetic level. They also wanted to account for non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and persistence, which help people succeed in educational settings.
The research was led by Diego Londoño-Correa, a PhD and recent graduate of the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. “There was a paradox in the behavioral and psychiatric genetics literature that I found very interesting,” he said. “People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often show cognitive difficulties, and these negative associations are observed at both the phenotypic and genetic levels. However, genetic liability for schizophrenia and some other disorders has also been positively associated with educational attainment.”
“In our lab, we wondered whether part of this apparent contradiction came from treating cognition as a single trait,” he explained. “We thought that part of the answer to this paradox might lie in the difference between these domains that previous studies had not accounted for.”
The scientists analyzed genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people. Using existing genetic databases, primarily focusing on individuals of European ancestry, they gathered information on cognitive test performance and educational attainment. The total sample size for the crystallized knowledge analysis reached roughly 439,000 individuals.
To measure specific cognitive skills, the team looked at scores from tests involving reaction time, puzzle solving, and vocabulary knowledge. “Many cognitive tests do not ‘purely’ measure a single domain such as crystallized knowledge,” Londoño-Correa explained. “For example, you still need lower-order cognitive processes such as processing speed to perform well on tests of crystallized knowledge, including vocabulary tests.”
To address this, the researchers used a specialized statistical tool to separate the overlapping genetic influences of reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge. They also isolated a non-cognitive genetic factor tied to how many years of schooling a person completed, removing any genetic effects related to actual test performance.
The analysis identified 78 genetic regions associated with crystallized knowledge. Eight of these regions had never been linked to any cognitive trait in previous genetic research. The researchers also found that genes associated with fluid reasoning tend to be most active in the brain during early childhood development. In contrast, genes associated with crystallized knowledge show increased activity during adolescence and early adulthood, aligning with the idea that this type of knowledge builds up over time through education and experience.
When comparing these cognitive profiles to the genetic risk for five specific psychiatric conditions, the authors found highly varied patterns. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed the most similarity. The genetic risk for both conditions was associated with slower reaction times and lower fluid reasoning, but positively associated with both crystallized knowledge and non-cognitive educational skills.
“The main takeaway is that the genetic relationship between psychiatric disorders and cognitive abilities is not uniformly positive or negative,” Londoño-Correa said. “Reducing all of cognition to a single general factor of intelligence can hide meaningful differences in how psychiatric genetic liability relates to different cognitive abilities.”
Other conditions displayed entirely different genetic associations. The genetic risk for ADHD was associated with slightly faster reaction times, but it was also linked to lower fluid reasoning, lower crystallized knowledge, and lower non-cognitive skills. Autism spectrum disorder was positively associated only with crystallized knowledge. Alzheimer’s disease was associated only with lower fluid reasoning, matching the clinical observation that dementia often heavily impacts executive functioning and on-the-spot problem-solving.
The researchers also compared the cognitive genetic factors to personality traits. They found that openness to experience, a trait linked to curiosity and a desire to learn, was strongly and positively associated with the genetics of crystallized knowledge.
Londoño-Correa found this specificity particularly striking, noting that openness had a strong correlation with crystallized knowledge but much weaker associations with reaction time and fluid reasoning. “Developmental psychologists propose these genetic tendencies as ‘experience-producing drives’ so people who are more curious may seek out books, conversations, education, cultural experiences, or other cognitively rewarding environments,” he said. “Over time those experiences accumulate into crystallized knowledge, the trait that was correlated with higher risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.”
These findings offer new insights, but they are subject to certain limitations. The genetic overlap between a psychiatric disorder and a cognitive trait does not mean that having a specific gene will automatically cause a mental health condition or guarantee high intelligence.
“The most important caveat is that genetic liability is not the same thing as having a psychiatric disorder,” Londoño-Correa explained. “That is very different from saying that people diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher crystallized abilities. We are studying how genetic variation can relate to multiple traits at the same time, not describing the average characteristics of diagnosed individuals.”
He emphasized that the study should not be interpreted as showing that clinical conditions like schizophrenia or autism improve cognition, as these disorders can have very serious cognitive and functional consequences. Furthermore, the study relied entirely on data from people of European descent to avoid statistical errors that can happen when mixing different genetic backgrounds, meaning the results might not apply to other ancestries.
Looking ahead, the research team hopes to use these insights to explore broader evolutionary questions. “My broader interest is in understanding why genetic variation associated with psychiatric disorders persists across human evolutionary history despite the health and reproductive costs these disorders can impose, particularly for conditions that often begin relatively early in life,” Londoño-Correa said.
He pointed to a concept known as antagonistic pleiotropy, where genetic variants that increase vulnerability to a disorder might also confer cognitive or behavioral advantages. “This study does not test natural selection directly, so we need more sophisticated analyses, for example using ancient DNA, to ask whether psychiatric-risk variants that are also associated with higher cognitive performance increased in frequency during human history,” he added.
The study, “Crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities have different genetic associations with neuropsychiatric disorders,” was authored by Diego Londono-Correa, Javier de la Fuente, Gail Davies, Simon R. Cox, Ian J. Deary, K. Paige Harden, and Elliot M. Tucker-Drob.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticLinks #Schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #CognitiveAbilities #CrystallizedKnowledge #FluidReasoning #ProcessingSpeed #NeuropsychiatricGenetics #EducationalAttainment #OpenToExperience
-
Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition
It’s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab. With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs…
#NewsBeep #News #Medication #ADHD #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #depression #GLP-1 #Health #Mentalhealth #Ozempic #studysays
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/869420/ -
Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition
It’s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab. With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs…
#NewsBeep #News #Medication #ADHD #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #depression #GLP-1 #Health #Mentalhealth #Ozempic #studysays
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/869420/ -
Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition
It’s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab. With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #ADHD #bipolardisorder #depression #GLP-1 #Health #Mentalhealth #Ozempic #studysays
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/826758/ -
Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition
It’s proving to be way more than just a skinny jab. With millions of people of GLP-1 drugs…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #ADHD #bipolardisorder #depression #GLP-1 #Health #Mentalhealth #Ozempic #studysays
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/826758/ -
https://www.europesays.com/ie/657906/ Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition #ADHD #BipolarDisorder #Depression #Éire #GLP1 #Health #IE #Ireland #Medication #MentalHealth #ozempic #StudySays
-
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1170754/ Ozempic may help people with serious mental health condition #ADHD #BipolarDisorder #Depression #GLP1 #Health #Medication #MentalHealth #Ozempic #StudySays #UK #UnitedKingdom
-
Warum es wichtig ist, alle ernst zu nehmen:
Eine Person in meinem Umfeld vermutete seit längerem, sie könnte ASS oder AuDHD :rosahaj_autism: haben. Das Umfeld nahm diese Vermutung nie ernst. Deswegen liess sie es nie abklären.
Vor einiger Zeit vertraute sie sich mir an, weil ich selbst ADHS habe. Aus meiner Sicht zeigten sich einige passende Symptome und Verhaltensweisen, andererseits fand ich, dass irgendwie auch etwas nicht ganz passte. Aber ich bin ja keine Fachperson.
Da die Person aber so oder so mit irgendwas zu kämpfen hatte, empfahl ich ihr, es professionell abzuklären. Ich gab ihr die Kontaktdaten meiner Psychiaterin, eine der wenigen, die neue Patientys aufnimmt und zeitnah Termine anbieten.
Nun habe ich gestern erfahren, dass eine Diagnose gestellt wurde: bipolare affektive Störung (BAS)
Was lernen wir daraus? Nehmt bitte alle ernst! 🫂
Vielleicht ist es nicht genau das, was vermutet wird. Aber wie in meiner Geschichte zeigt sich: Hilfe zu bieten ist trotzdem wertvoll, auch wenn es nicht die ursprüngliche Vermutung bestätigt ❤️
#Neurodivergent #ADHS #mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #support #audhd #autismus #adhd -
Warum es wichtig ist, alle ernst zu nehmen:
Eine Person in meinem Umfeld vermutete seit längerem, sie könnte ASS oder AuDHD :rosahaj_autism: haben. Das Umfeld nahm diese Vermutung nie ernst. Deswegen liess sie es nie abklären.
Vor einiger Zeit vertraute sie sich mir an, weil ich selbst ADHS habe. Aus meiner Sicht zeigten sich einige passende Symptome und Verhaltensweisen, andererseits fand ich, dass irgendwie auch etwas nicht ganz passte. Aber ich bin ja keine Fachperson.
Da die Person aber so oder so mit irgendwas zu kämpfen hatte, empfahl ich ihr, es professionell abzuklären. Ich gab ihr die Kontaktdaten meiner Psychiaterin, eine der wenigen, die neue Patientys aufnimmt und zeitnah Termine anbieten.
Nun habe ich gestern erfahren, dass eine Diagnose gestellt wurde: bipolare affektive Störung (BAS)
Was lernen wir daraus? Nehmt bitte alle ernst! 🫂
Vielleicht ist es nicht genau das, was vermutet wird. Aber wie in meiner Geschichte zeigt sich: Hilfe zu bieten ist trotzdem wertvoll, auch wenn es nicht die ursprüngliche Vermutung bestätigt ❤️
#Neurodivergent #ADHS #mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #support #audhd #autismus #adhd -
Warum es wichtig ist, alle ernst zu nehmen:
Eine Person in meinem Umfeld vermutete seit längerem, sie könnte ASS oder AuDHD :rosahaj_autism: haben. Das Umfeld nahm diese Vermutung nie ernst. Deswegen liess sie es nie abklären.
Vor einiger Zeit vertraute sie sich mir an, weil ich selbst ADHS habe. Aus meiner Sicht zeigten sich einige passende Symptome und Verhaltensweisen, andererseits fand ich, dass irgendwie auch etwas nicht ganz passte. Aber ich bin ja keine Fachperson.
Da die Person aber so oder so mit irgendwas zu kämpfen hatte, empfahl ich ihr, es professionell abzuklären. Ich gab ihr die Kontaktdaten meiner Psychiaterin, eine der wenigen, die neue Patientys aufnimmt und zeitnah Termine anbieten.
Nun habe ich gestern erfahren, dass eine Diagnose gestellt wurde: bipolare affektive Störung (BAS)
Was lernen wir daraus? Nehmt bitte alle ernst! 🫂
Vielleicht ist es nicht genau das, was vermutet wird. Aber wie in meiner Geschichte zeigt sich: Hilfe zu bieten ist trotzdem wertvoll, auch wenn es nicht die ursprüngliche Vermutung bestätigt ❤️
#Neurodivergent #ADHS #mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #support #audhd #autismus #adhd -
Warum es wichtig ist, alle ernst zu nehmen:
Eine Person in meinem Umfeld vermutete seit längerem, sie könnte ASS oder AuDHD :rosahaj_autism: haben. Das Umfeld nahm diese Vermutung nie ernst. Deswegen liess sie es nie abklären.
Vor einiger Zeit vertraute sie sich mir an, weil ich selbst ADHS habe. Aus meiner Sicht zeigten sich einige passende Symptome und Verhaltensweisen, andererseits fand ich, dass irgendwie auch etwas nicht ganz passte. Aber ich bin ja keine Fachperson.
Da die Person aber so oder so mit irgendwas zu kämpfen hatte, empfahl ich ihr, es professionell abzuklären. Ich gab ihr die Kontaktdaten meiner Psychiaterin, eine der wenigen, die neue Patientys aufnimmt und zeitnah Termine anbieten.
Nun habe ich gestern erfahren, dass eine Diagnose gestellt wurde: bipolare affektive Störung (BAS)
Was lernen wir daraus? Nehmt bitte alle ernst! 🫂
Vielleicht ist es nicht genau das, was vermutet wird. Aber wie in meiner Geschichte zeigt sich: Hilfe zu bieten ist trotzdem wertvoll, auch wenn es nicht die ursprüngliche Vermutung bestätigt ❤️
#Neurodivergent #ADHS #mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #support #audhd #autismus #adhd -
Warum es wichtig ist, alle ernst zu nehmen:
Eine Person in meinem Umfeld vermutete seit längerem, sie könnte ASS oder AuDHD :rosahaj_autism: haben. Das Umfeld nahm diese Vermutung nie ernst. Deswegen liess sie es nie abklären.
Vor einiger Zeit vertraute sie sich mir an, weil ich selbst ADHS habe. Aus meiner Sicht zeigten sich einige passende Symptome und Verhaltensweisen, andererseits fand ich, dass irgendwie auch etwas nicht ganz passte. Aber ich bin ja keine Fachperson.
Da die Person aber so oder so mit irgendwas zu kämpfen hatte, empfahl ich ihr, es professionell abzuklären. Ich gab ihr die Kontaktdaten meiner Psychiaterin, eine der wenigen, die neue Patientys aufnimmt und zeitnah Termine anbieten.
Nun habe ich gestern erfahren, dass eine Diagnose gestellt wurde: bipolare affektive Störung (BAS)
Was lernen wir daraus? Nehmt bitte alle ernst! 🫂
Vielleicht ist es nicht genau das, was vermutet wird. Aber wie in meiner Geschichte zeigt sich: Hilfe zu bieten ist trotzdem wertvoll, auch wenn es nicht die ursprüngliche Vermutung bestätigt ❤️
#Neurodivergent #ADHS #mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #support #audhd #autismus #adhd -
https://www.europesays.com/ie/655830/ Study finds distinct patterns of innate immune activity in mental disorders #Bacterial #BipolarDisorder #blood #Brain #Depression #Éire #Health #IE #ImmuneResponse #ImmuneSystem #immunity #Ireland #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #Receptor #Research #RNA #Schizophrenia #Stress
-
https://www.europesays.com/ie/654412/ Lindsay Clancy has bipolar disorder, psychologist says #AvramMack #BipolarDisorder #Crime #Depression #DomesticNews #Éire #forensics #GeneralNews #Health #IE #Ireland #KirkHeilbrun #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #MentalHealth #MentalHealth #RhodeIsland #SleepDisorders #trials #USNews #Violence
-
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1167201/ Lindsay Clancy has bipolar disorder, psychologist says #AvramMack #BipolarDisorder #Crime #Depression #DomesticNews #forensics #GeneralNews #Health #KirkHeilbrun #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #MentalHealth #RhodeIsland #SleepDisorders #trials #USNews #UK #UnitedKingdom #Violence
-
Kehlani reveals how she manages Bipolar Disorder and BPD: “Its not an option” |
Kehlani has always been open about the messier parts of life, and this week she reminded everyone why…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #Health #Kehlanimentalhealth #Mentalhealthawareness #MentalHealth #musicindustrymentalhealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/824499/ -
Kehlani reveals how she manages Bipolar Disorder and BPD: “Its not an option” |
Kehlani has always been open about the messier parts of life, and this week she reminded everyone why…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #Health #Kehlanimentalhealth #Mentalhealthawareness #MentalHealth #musicindustrymentalhealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/824499/ -
Kehlani reveals how she manages Bipolar Disorder and BPD: “Its not an option” |
Kehlani has always been open about the messier parts of life, and this week she reminded everyone why…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #Health #Kehlanimentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #MentalHealth #musicindustrymentalhealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/866981/ -
Kehlani reveals how she manages Bipolar Disorder and BPD: “Its not an option” |
Kehlani has always been open about the messier parts of life, and this week she reminded everyone why…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #Health #Kehlanimentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #MentalHealth #musicindustrymentalhealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/866981/ -
https://www.europesays.com/ie/654076/ Kehlani reveals how she manages Bipolar Disorder and BPD: “Its not an option” | #BipolarDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Éire #Health #IE #Ireland #KehlaniMentalHealth #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealth #MusicIndustryMentalHealth
-
Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder
Kehlani says that her wellness practices are “not an option” when it comes to staying on top of…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/863983/ -
Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder
Kehlani says that her wellness practices are “not an option” when it comes to staying on top of…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/863983/ -
Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder
Kehlani says that her wellness practices are “not an option” when it comes to staying on top of…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/745655/ -
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1162180/ Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder #BipolarDisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth #UK #UnitedKingdom
-
Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder
Kehlani says that her wellness practices are “not an option” when it comes to staying on top of…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/821352/ -
Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder
Kehlani says that her wellness practices are “not an option” when it comes to staying on top of…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #Health #Kehlani #MentalHealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/821352/ -
https://www.europesays.com/ie/649187/ Kehlani discusses importance of her routine to manage bipolar disorder #BipolarDisorder #Éire #Health #IE #Ireland #Kehlani #MentalHealth #MentalHealth
-
DATE: August 21, 2026 at 04:30AM
SOURCE: STAT NEWS MENTAL HEALTHTITLE: Opinion: Lil Nas X’s bipolar diagnosis and the paradox of treatment
When Lil Nas X recently disclosed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, one part of his story stood out to me more than the diagnosis itself. For years, he had suspected something was wrong. Yet he resisted seeking treatment because he feared medication.
This is a paradox that exists at the intersection of mental health, identity, and achievement. The people who are most capable of recognizing that something is wrong are often the same people most reluctant to accept help. Not because they deny their suffering, but because they have come to view suffering as an inseparable part of their success.
Read the rest…
-------------------------------------------------
STAT News reports "from the frontiers of health and medicine".
Learn more at https://www.statnews.com/topic/mental-health/ .
See also their complete Mastodon account at @STAT .
This robot is NOT affiliated with STAT news and merely rebroadcasts from their site. Responses posted here are not monitored.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LilNasX #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #TreatmentParadox #MentalHealthInMusic #StigmaFree #TreatmentIsOk #BiPolarAwareness #ArtistsAndMentalHealth #SeekHelpEarly
-
DATE: August 21, 2026 at 04:30AM
SOURCE: STAT NEWS MENTAL HEALTHTITLE: Opinion: Lil Nas X’s bipolar diagnosis and the paradox of treatment
When Lil Nas X recently disclosed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, one part of his story stood out to me more than the diagnosis itself. For years, he had suspected something was wrong. Yet he resisted seeking treatment because he feared medication.
This is a paradox that exists at the intersection of mental health, identity, and achievement. The people who are most capable of recognizing that something is wrong are often the same people most reluctant to accept help. Not because they deny their suffering, but because they have come to view suffering as an inseparable part of their success.
Read the rest…
-------------------------------------------------
STAT News reports "from the frontiers of health and medicine".
Learn more at https://www.statnews.com/topic/mental-health/ .
See also their complete Mastodon account at @STAT .
This robot is NOT affiliated with STAT news and merely rebroadcasts from their site. Responses posted here are not monitored.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LilNasX #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #TreatmentParadox #MentalHealthInMusic #StigmaFree #TreatmentIsOk #BiPolarAwareness #ArtistsAndMentalHealth #SeekHelpEarly
-
DATE: August 21, 2026 at 04:30AM
SOURCE: STAT NEWS MENTAL HEALTHTITLE: Opinion: Lil Nas X’s bipolar diagnosis and the paradox of treatment
When Lil Nas X recently disclosed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, one part of his story stood out to me more than the diagnosis itself. For years, he had suspected something was wrong. Yet he resisted seeking treatment because he feared medication.
This is a paradox that exists at the intersection of mental health, identity, and achievement. The people who are most capable of recognizing that something is wrong are often the same people most reluctant to accept help. Not because they deny their suffering, but because they have come to view suffering as an inseparable part of their success.
Read the rest…
-------------------------------------------------
STAT News reports "from the frontiers of health and medicine".
Learn more at https://www.statnews.com/topic/mental-health/ .
See also their complete Mastodon account at @STAT .
This robot is NOT affiliated with STAT news and merely rebroadcasts from their site. Responses posted here are not monitored.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LilNasX #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #TreatmentParadox #MentalHealthInMusic #StigmaFree #TreatmentIsOk #BiPolarAwareness #ArtistsAndMentalHealth #SeekHelpEarly
-
https://www.europesays.com/ie/644732/ Severe mental illness may accelerate dementia and stroke vulnerability #BipolarDisorder #Brain #dementia #Depression #Éire #Health #HealthCare #Healthcare #hospital #IE #Ireland #IschemicStroke #MentalHealth #Neuropsychopharmacology #Research #Schizophrenia #Stroke
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https://www.europesays.com/at/335965/ Genetische Daten zeigen unterschiedliche metabolische Pfade je nach psychischer Störung #AI #ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE #AT #Austria #Biomarker #BipolarDisorder #Depression #EstonianBiobank #genetik #Gesundheit #Health #Kardiometabolisch #KI #KünstlicheIntelligenz #MendelscheRandomisierung #Metabolomik #Österreich #Schizophrenie #Stoffwechsel #UKBiobank
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Focus turns to medications prescribed to Lindsay Clancy before murders
Lindsay Clancy messaged one of her caregivers less than two months before she killed her three young children…
#NewsBeep #News #Medication #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #Generalnews #Health #Indictments #Legalproceedings #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #Pregnancyandchildbirth #RebeccaJollotta #rhodeisland #trials #U.S.news #Violence
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/852008/ -
Focus turns to medications prescribed to Lindsay Clancy before murders
Lindsay Clancy messaged one of her caregivers less than two months before she killed her three young children…
#NewsBeep #News #Medication #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #Generalnews #Health #Indictments #Legalproceedings #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #Pregnancyandchildbirth #RebeccaJollotta #rhodeisland #trials #U.S.news #Violence
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/852008/ -
Focus turns to medications prescribed to Lindsay Clancy before murders
Lindsay Clancy messaged one of her caregivers less than two months before she killed her three young children…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #bipolardisorder #Generalnews #Health #Indictments #Legalproceedings #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #Pregnancyandchildbirth #RebeccaJollotta #RhodeIsland #Trials #U.S.news #Violence
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/810575/ -
Focus turns to medications prescribed to Lindsay Clancy before murders
Lindsay Clancy messaged one of her caregivers less than two months before she killed her three young children…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #bipolardisorder #Generalnews #Health #Indictments #Legalproceedings #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #Pregnancyandchildbirth #RebeccaJollotta #RhodeIsland #Trials #U.S.news #Violence
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/810575/ -
Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer takes aim at her psychiatrist’s care
Lindsay Clancy ’s lawyer probed her psychiatrist’s exper…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Mentalhealth #bipolardisorder #courts #Generalnews #Health #Healthcareindustry #Homicide #Indictments #JenniferTufts #KevinReddington #Legalproceedings #LindsayClancy #Massachusetts #Medication #MentalHealth #Pregnancyandchildbirth #RhodeIsland #suicide #Trials #U.S.news #Violence
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/809624/ -
DATE: July 16, 2026 at 02:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Genetic risk for cannabis use disorder linked to brain differences in youth
URL: https://www.psypost.org/genetic-risk-for-cannabis-use-disorder-linked-to-brain-differences-in-youth/
A person’s genetic risk for developing a cannabis addiction is associated with structural brain differences during adolescence, even in individuals who have never struggled with substance abuse. The finding indicates that some brain variations previously attributed to marijuana use might partly originate from an inherited biological predisposition. The study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Bipolar disorder is a severe mental health condition characterized by dramatic shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. People with the condition experience intense emotional states known as mood episodes, which can include periods of extreme elation or irritability, known as mania, and periods of deep sadness, known as depression. The condition often emerges during the teenage years and is a leading cause of functional disability among youth globally.
Teenagers with bipolar disorder frequently face additional psychiatric challenges throughout their schooling and home lives. Research shows that about 30 percent of youth diagnosed with bipolar disorder also have a co-occurring substance use disorder. Cannabis use disorder ranks as the most common addiction in this specific clinical group. Youth with bipolar disorder use cannabis at higher rates than the general population and face an elevated risk of developing a long-term dependency on the drug.
Heavy cannabis use has been repeatedly linked to worse outcomes for individuals with bipolar disorder. These negative impacts include a higher risk of suicide, a delayed recovery process, and an increased likelihood of experiencing psychosis. Past brain imaging studies have also noted structural differences in the brains of teenagers who regularly consume cannabis, both with and without mood disorders. The exact nature of these differences has varied across different observational reports.
Some research points to larger gray matter volume in certain brain regions among users, while other reports document smaller volumes in those same areas. Because most of these studies observe people at a single point in time, it is difficult to determine whether cannabis changes the brain or if people with preexisting brain differences are simply more likely to use the drug. To separate cause from effect in these brain measurements, scientists sometimes examine genetics. Addiction involves inherited physical traits, and modern genetic testing allows researchers to measure a person’s underlying vulnerability to an addiction before it ever develops.
Scientists do this using an advanced mathematical tool called a polygenic risk score. Unlike older tests that look for a single faulty gene, a polygenic risk score tallies up thousands of tiny genetic variations across a person’s entire DNA sequence. By comparing these variations against data from people who have a condition, researchers can calculate a customized score that estimates an individual’s overall genetic likelihood of developing that specific problem. Alysha Sultan, a researcher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, recognized an opportunity to apply this genetics tool to brain imaging.
Sultan and her colleagues set out to discover if a high polygenic risk score for cannabis use disorder correlated with brain structure in youths, regardless of their developmental history of drug use. The researchers recruited 114 teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 20. The sample included 67 youths who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a specialty psychiatric clinic. The remaining 47 participants were healthy controls randomly recruited from the community who had no personal or family history of major psychiatric disorders.
The team asked all participants to provide a saliva sample. From this saliva, the scientists extracted DNA and scanned the genetic sequences to calculate a specific polygenic risk score for cannabis use disorder for every participant. To create the scoring baseline, they relied on data from a preexisting study of adults that mapped the genetic profiles of tens of thousands of people with a diagnosed cannabis dependency.
After collecting the genetic data, the researchers brought the participants in for brain imaging. They used a magnetic resonance imaging machine, commonly known as an MRI, to capture high-resolution pictures of the participants’ brains. The team focused on the cerebral cortex, the folded outer layer of the brain that manages complex thought, memory, and perception.
The researchers measured three specific physical traits of the cerebral cortex: volume, surface area, and thickness. Volume refers to the total amount of space a specific brain region takes up, while surface area measures the expanse of the folded outer layer. Thickness gauges the physical depth of the gray matter on that layer. The scientists wrote statistical models to compare these structural measurements against the participants’ genetic risk scores, accounting for variables like age, sex, and overall head size.
The neuroimaging data revealed a consistent physical pattern. Across the entire group of youths, a higher genetic risk score for cannabis use disorder matched up with localized reductions in brain size. The researchers observed lower total volume and lower surface area in a brain region called the right superior frontal gyrus. Located near the very top and front of the brain, the superior frontal gyrus is involved in higher cognitive functions such as spatial processing and working memory, which is the ability to hold and manipulate information in the mind over short periods.
The researchers also noticed a smaller surface area in a region called the left paracentral lobule. This area rests near the top center of the brain and helps process sensory information from the body. These results were evident regardless of whether the youths had bipolar disorder or whether they had ever tried cannabis. The researchers ran specialized tests that completely excluded the participants who currently or previously had a cannabis use disorder, and the structural differences remained.
When the team split the participants by diagnosis, they found similar patterns among the healthy volunteers. Healthy teenagers with a higher genetic risk for the addiction exhibited lower brain volume and surface area in both the left and the right superior frontal gyrus.
The results among the participants diagnosed with bipolar disorder were not statistically significant when analyzed on their own. The researchers suspect this outcome relates to the vast biological complexities associated with bipolar disorder itself. The youths with the condition had high rates of anxiety and attention difficulties, took various psychiatric medications, and reported different medical histories. These competing factors may alter brain structure in their own localized ways, creating statistical noise in the data that masks the subtler differences linked strictly to the cannabis risk genes.
Sultan and her colleagues pointed out a few constraints to their investigation. Addiction involves similar genetic pathways across different types of substances, meaning people with a genetic liability for cannabis use disorder often share a generalized genetic vulnerability to alcohol or nicotine. The risk scores used in the study might reflect a broader tendency toward behavioral disinhibition rather than a strict vulnerability to cannabis alone. The genetic baselines used in the study also relied on data from individuals of European ancestry, meaning the relationships might differ for people of other ethnic backgrounds.
The initial findings offer a new way to interpret past neuroimaging research. Because a genetic predisposition alone corresponds with smaller frontal brain regions, some of the brain differences previously blamed on teen marijuana use might have existed before the drug use began. The scientists suggest that longer studies following the same teenagers into adulthood could help explain how inherited vulnerabilities shape the growing brain over time.
The study, “Association of polygenic risk for cannabis use disorder with brain structure among youth with and without bipolar disorder,” was authored by Alysha A. Sultan, Clement C. Zai, Kody G. Kennedy, L. Trevor Young, Bradley J. MacIntosh, and Benjamin I. Goldstein.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/genetic-risk-for-cannabis-use-disorder-linked-to-brain-differences-in-youth/
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CannabisUseDisorder #GeneticRisk #BrainStructure #AdolescentBrain #PolygenicRiskScore #BipolarDisorder #Neuroimaging #FrontalGyrus #CerebralCortex #YouthMentalHealth
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Ketogenic Diet Eases Schizophrenia and Bipolar Symptoms
Summary: Researchers demonstrated that a ketogenic diet, which shifts the body away from glucose and toward fat-derived ketones…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolardisorder #brainresearch #diet #Health #ketogenicdiet #MentalHealth #neurobiology #Neuroscience #Psychology #Schizophrenia #StellateCommunications
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/788610/ -
I’m Happy Being Bipolar
I’m happy being bipolar
But I am not sure others are
I drive them crazy with my moods
And I don’t have to try that hard
If you get what I mean
Everyone is zany in their own way
All they need is a trigger
And I am happy to be their trigger
Life you know is more interesting
When the world is filled
With crazy blokes like me
Else what is there to life
Except boring work
And desperate pleasure.
#Poem #Poetry #MentalIllness #BipolarDisorder #Madness -
I’m Happy Being Bipolar
I’m happy being bipolar
But I am not sure others are
I drive them crazy with my moods
And I don’t have to try that hard
If you get what I mean
Everyone is zany in their own way
All they need is a trigger
And I am happy to be their trigger
Life you know is more interesting
When the world is filled
With crazy blokes like me
Else what is there to life
Except boring work
And desperate pleasure.
#BipolarDisorder #Madness #MentalIllness #Poem #Poetry -
I’m Happy Being Bipolar
I’m happy being bipolar
But I am not sure others are
I drive them crazy with my moods
And I don’t have to try that hard
If you get what I mean
Everyone is zany in their own way
All they need is a trigger
And I am happy to be their trigger
Life you know is more interesting
When the world is filled
With crazy blokes like me
Else what is there to life
Except boring work
And desperate pleasure.
#Poem #Poetry #MentalIllness #BipolarDisorder #Madness -
That Time I Thought All Would Be Right With The World
It is common knowledge that I have bipolar disorder and PTSD. I write about the diagnosis a lot. I write about my history of, at times, crippling depression. I wrote ad nauseam about various traumas (though not all), mostly romantic in nature. So most people know I can get and have spent significant time depressed. And if we’ve known each other well for any length of time, you might know that the bipolar includes a sometimes difficult to control or mask variety of anger that I am ashamed […]https://carolineprice.com/2026/06/25/that-time-i-thought-all-would-be-right-with-the-world/
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That Time I Thought All Would Be Right With The World
It is common knowledge that I have bipolar disorder and PTSD. I write about the diagnosis a lot. I write about my history of, at times, crippling depression. I wrote ad nauseam about various traumas (though not all), mostly romantic in nature. So most people know I can get and have spent significant time depressed. And if we’ve known each other well for any length of time, you might know that the bipolar includes a sometimes difficult to control or mask variety of anger that I am ashamed […]https://carolineprice.com/2026/06/25/that-time-i-thought-all-would-be-right-with-the-world/