Schizophrenia consists of 8 genetically distinct disorders

A new study has shown that schizophrenia isn't a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders.

According to the research by Washington University School of Medicine, which could be a first step toward improved diagnosis and treatment for the debilitating psychiatric illness, schizophrenia involves multiple genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms.

In a novel approach, the research team has identified distinct gene clusters that contribute to eight different classes of schizophrenia, though 80 percent of the risk for schizophrenia is known to be inherited.

C. Robert Cloninger, MD, PhD, one of the study's senior investigators said that genes don't operate by themselves, rather, they function in concert much like an orchestra, and to understand how they're working, you have to know not just who the members of the orchestra are but how they interact.

The study was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.