Please find below comment from Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, on a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry by Nosarti et al. showing a link between premature birth and an increased risk of mental health conditions:

“We do not have any simple blood or genetic test for serious mental illness, so findings such as this may identify people who could be most at risk.

“We also don’t yet know why one young person develops mental health problems, while another with similar life stresses does not. We do however know that early identification of those who are vulnerable could lead to possible prevention and better outcomes.

“Any study which throws light on the yet-unknown causes of most mental illnesses and the development of the brain could be an important step forward.”

Click here for the full press release.