The inclusion of DSM-III-R’s psychosis criterion (Criterion A) was not necessary to achieve these levels of sensitivity and specificity, nor did they improve the prediction. Serretti et al13 obtained a 4-factor solution for items on the Operational Criteria Checklist for Psychotic Illness among a

large sample of DSM-III-R inpatients having either schizophrenia or a mood disorder. Although they found that two of their factors were more closely related to affective disorders and two were more related to schizophrenia, the psychopathology of subjects with schizophrenia overlapped that of bipolar Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical patients on a “disorganization” factor. Psychotic symptoms among other diagnostic groups have also been noted,14,15 although the issue remains controversial (eg, reference 16). Notably, several molecular Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical genetic studies failed to find linkage to schizophrenia on the basis of the DSM diagnosis, but instead showed stronger evidence for linkage when the phenotype was broadened to include additional psychotic disorders (eg, Maziade et al17 at chromosome 6p

and Wildenauer et al18 at chromosome 18p). Results from other genetic studies have also added to Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical converging evidence that different psychotic disorders share common elements.19 For example, at least one disorder in the schizophrenia spectrum – schizoaffective disorder – might belong to an affective disorder spectrum as well.19,20 Consistent with this view, schizoaffective disorder occurs in families with either schizophrenia or affective Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical disorders. More generally, both schizophrenia and affective disorders occur at elevated rates in families with either disorder (eg, reference 21). Moreover, evidence for genetic

linkage for both types of psychotic disorder has been obtained at similar chromosomal loci. Ginns Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical et al,22 for example, obtained evidence for linkage at 6p for bipolar disorder in Old Order Amish pedigrees, near the same http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Nilotinib.html region that Maziade et al, and others, have identified.23 Similarly, the chromosome lOp region was implicated for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the National for Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Genetics Initiative pedigrees,24-26 and regions in 13q and 18p were also implicated recently in both of these disorders.19 One rationale for the similarities between psychotic symptoms in different disorders may involve inherent pathophysiological effects of psychosis. Several lines of evidence support this possibility. One stems from observations that clinical outcomes of schizophrenia improve when treatment is obtained early in the illness.