Genetics of major psychiatric disorders.

We review recent studies on the inheritance of affective disorders and schizophrenia. Both groups of diseases have substantial genetic and non-genetic components, and their inheritance does not fit simple Mendelian models. Linkage studies implicate the Xp28 and 11p15 regions as potential disease loci in affective illness, and the 5q11-q13 region in schizophrenia. These conclusions are highly controversial, however, and must be viewed as extremely tentative.