Mental illness:
Schizophrenia is one mental illness that has a genetic component. There is a wide variety of symptoms and not all people diagnosed with
Schizophrenia always exhibit all the symptoms. These symptoms usually first appear in late adolescence or early adult life. Symptoms always include a psychotic episode that include: losing touch with reality, hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. They may also include disorganization of thoughts and feelings and social withdrawal. Schizophrenia symptoms usually develop slowly over months or years. Sometimes you may have many symptoms, and at other times you may only have a few. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1.1 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. A person with Schizophrenia may find it difficult to: tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, think logically, have normal emotional responses and behave normally in social situations. With medication, therapy, and support, many people with schizophrenia are able to control their symptoms, gain greater independence, and lead fulfilling lives. It is likely that several different genes are involved, perhaps causing susceptibility to different forms of schizophrenia. In some families, there may be genes that have a major effect on the risk of development of schizophrenia. It appears that there is also an increased risk for having a child affected by schizophrenia at some time in your life if the father was over 50 years of age when the child was born.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001925/
http://helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is another mental illness that has a genetic component. Bipolar disorder is a disorder of mood and is characterized by major mood swings. A person with the condition will experience periods of intense activity, termed mania, and other periods of feelings of hopelessness termed depression. The mood swings appear to occur spontaneously, without any obvious external cause. The pattern of ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ can occur repeatedly with little or no breaks between each episode or may occur periodically between long periods when the person shows no symptoms. About 5.7 million U.S. adults are living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally, as well as all races, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes. Several genes have also been identified that play a role on people having bipolar disorder. For example, a specific gene that plays a role in the brain. People with a change in this gene appear to be at twice the risk of developing bipolar disorder, though it is not yet clear exactly why.
http://helpguide.org/topics/bipolar.htm
http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-overview-facts\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzNwLvsA87E
http://mentalhealth.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-index.shtml
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