The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma is heritable, but robust common variants have yet to be identified. In a multi-ethnic cohort including over 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls we conduct a genome-wide association study of PTSD. We demonstrate SNP-based heritability estimates of 5–20%, varying by sex. Three genome-wide significant loci are identified, 2 in European and 1 in African-ancestry analyses. Analyses stratified by sex implicate 3 additional loci in men. Along with other novel genes and non-coding RNAs, a Parkinson’s disease gene involved in dopamine regulation, PARK2, is associated with PTSD. Finally, we demonstrate that polygenic risk for PTSD is significantly predictive of re-experiencing symptoms in the Million Veteran Program dataset, although specific loci did not replicate. These results demonstrate the role of genetic variation in the biology of risk for PTSD and highlight the necessity of conducting sex-stratified analyses and expanding GWAS beyond European ancestry populations.

At daily doses of 0.5-2.5 mg and 3-6 mg, risperidone was effective and well tolerated in children and adolescents experiencing acute manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder. Results indicate that risperidone 0.5-2.5 mg has a better benefit-risk profile than risperidone 3-6 mg.

We aimed to provide a descriptive review of treatment studies of atypical antipsychotics in paediatric psychiatric disorders. A systematic review of the literature used Medline and EMBASE databases to identify clinical trials of atypical antipsychotics in children and adolescents between 1994 and 2006. Trials were limited to double-blind studies and open-label studies of > or = 8 weeks duration that included > or = 20 patients. Nineteen double-blind and 22 open-label studies were identified. Studies included use of clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone in the treatment of disruptive behavioural disorders (DBDs), pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), tic disorder, psychotic disorders, and mania. These medications generally reduced the severity of a variety of psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents. Less frequent adverse events included extrapyramidal symptoms, hyperglycaemia and diabetes, and endocrine effects. The review of published scientific data suggests that most of the atypical antipsychotics, excluding clozapine, have a favourable risk/benefit profile and effectively reduce disabling behaviours in paediatric psychiatric patients. While there is a body of evidence published of treatment of DBDs and PDDs, there is a lack of controlled data to guide clinical practice for the use of atypical antipsychotics for paediatric psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder. While there have been studies with duration up to 2 years, no definitive data are available that suggest long-term safety; additional studies are warranted.

Risperidone 1-3 mg/day and 4-6 mg/day were well tolerated and effective in adolescents experiencing acute episodes of schizophrenia. The benefit-risk profile suggests that a dose of 1-3 mg/day might be optimal for this population.

Adolescent patients in the regimen A group showed greater improvement in total PANSS compared with the regimen B group. Treatment was well tolerated.