Furthermore, although most mental illnesses have an important genetic component, they do not have straightforward inheritance patterns, because they are not caused by mutations of a single gene. Thus, there is no single gene for schizophrenia, just as there is no single gene for anxiety disorders, depression, or most other mental illnesses. Instead, the genetic components of these diseases arise from the interaction of several genes with the environment. Each gene exerts a relatively small effect, but together they create a genetic predisposition—a potential—for a disorder. Most psychiatric
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