Subclinical hypomania, psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diagnoses

Phenotypic and aetiological overlap

Bibliographic Data

ID21344484
AuthorsGeorgina M Hosang (0000-0002-4683-3636, Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London London UK, corresponding author), Miriam I Martini (0000-0003-3654-4088, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Ann Ronald (0000-0002-9576-2176, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK), Henrik Larsson (0000-0002-6851-3297, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Sven Lundstrom (0000-0001-7235-8499, University of Gothenburg), Sebastian Lundstrom (Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden), Paul Lichtenstein (0000-0003-3037-5287, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Mark J Taylor (0000-0001-5161-4182, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden)
Year2026
Volume67
Issue5
Pages686-695
Publication date2026-05-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.70045
PMID40913366
OpenAlexW4414033122
LanguageEN
References cited37

BACKGROUND: Subclinical hypomanic symptoms are fairly common in the general population but are linked to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. However, the genetic and environmental origins of these associations are unclear. This twin study examined the phenotypic and aetiological associations between subclinical hypomania and psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diagnoses. METHODS: Participants were 4,932 twin pairs from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. Hypomanic symptoms were assessed using the parent-rated Mood Disorders Questionnaire when the twins were aged 18. Specialist diagnoses of 14 conditions and symptoms were ascertained from Swedish population registries. Phenotypic associations between hypomania and these conditions/symptoms were investigated, and their aetiological overlap was examined using the twin method. RESULTS: Subclinical hypomania was significantly associated with all 14 diagnoses. The highest odds were for psychotic disorders (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.33-1.64, p < .001). The genetic correlations between subclinical hypomania and these diagnoses ranged from 0.12 (95% CI: 0.04-0.33) for eating disorders (other than anorexia) to 0.58 (95% CI: 0.28-1.00) for drug misuse disorders. The nonshared environmental correlations were highest for psychotic disorders (0.52, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.92) and lowest for body dissatisfaction (0.04, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.08). For bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, genetic, and nonshared environmental correlations with subclinical hypomania were of a similar magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: The association between subclinical hypomania and the diagnosis of multiple psychiatric phenotypes highlights its important role in the developmental pathway to clinical disorders, its complex origins, and that it may represent a quantitative trait for various psychiatric phenotypes

Autism · Bipolar disorder · Etiology · Hypomania · Mania · Medical diagnosis · Mood · Neurodevelopmental disorder · Pathology · Psychiatric diagnosis · Psychiatry · Schizophrenia (object-oriented programming) · Subclinical infection · Bipolar Disorder and Treatment · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Restless Legs Syndrome Research · Tryptophan and brain disorders

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access