The psychiatric genomics consortium: History, development, and the future

Psychiatric genetics is in an era of discovery. Genome-wide association analyses and other genomic analyses are paving the way for rapid progress in understanding the biological etiology of psychiatric disorders. This chapter offers an overview of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, a large-scale collaborative initiated to decipher the genomic basis of psychiatric disorders. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium is comprehensively evaluating common single-nucleotide polymorphisms, rare variants, gene sets and pathways, and other genetic variations, to reveal the cryptic genetic and biological basis of psychiatric illnesses. The Psychiatric Genomic Consortium’s history and development, contributions, and future directions are discussed. Findings for the key psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, major depression, and anorexia nervosa are presented. The ultimate goal of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium is to innovate better preventions and treatments, and to improve the lives of millions of people globally who are affected by mental illness.