Severe psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, impose huge burdens on individuals, their families and society. To address this, we need new and more effective treatments that can be targeted more precisely at those who are likely to benefit. Genetics offers a way of identifying new treatment approaches through greater understanding of underlying mechanisms as well as the potential to target treatments more precisely. Cardiff University researchers have made important advances in understanding the genetics of psychiatric conditions and are now beginning to use genetic findings and advances in neuroscience to understand the underlying brain mechanisms, develop new diagnostic approaches and discover new drug treatments.