Christchurch researchers are examining the role of genes in two of New Zealand’s most common mental illnesses – depression and alcohol addiction.
The University of Otago, Christchurch, researchers are running the country’s largest study to date on treating the combination of these two mental illnesses.
They found 58 per cent of participants have immediate relatives (e.g. mother, father, sibling or adult child) with depression and alcohol addiction – pointing to a likely genetic connection.
The two conditions are often treated in isolation, despite tens of thousands of New Zealanders suffering from both illnesses.
This is the first time in New Zealand extensive data on demographics, genetics and reaction to medication is being gathered on people with both these common illnesses. > > > >
