Epilepsy, Schizophrenia May Share Genetic Link

People with a history of epilepsy are at increased risk for schizophrenia and the two conditions may share common environmental or genetic causes, a Danish study suggests.

“We think that this study is the first, on a population level, to show that a family history of epilepsy increased the risk of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis even after adjusting for the effects of personal history of epilepsy and other factors,” researchers at the University of Aarhus conclude in the June 17 online issue of the British Medical Journal.

Actually, the editors of this article should really read the original study to see that while there is definitely some association shown between epilepsy and schizophrenia, the authors couldn’t tell you whether it was a genetic or environmental link.

So much for the accuracy of HealthDay news.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Jun 2005
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.