Considering multiple forms of ASB together increases power of genetic analysis and may improve our ability to detect new genetic variants. Here, we thus examine a broadly defined construct of ASB, an approach that has successful precedents. Large-scale genomic studies have indicated substantial genetic overlap among psychiatric disorders [12]. A recent genome-wide meta-analysis across eight neuropsychiatric disorders revealed extensive pleiotropic genetic effects (N = 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls) [13, 14]. The study found that 109 out of the total 146 contributing loci were associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, suggesting broad liability to these conditions. Moreover, the Externalizing Consortium recently conducted a multivariate analysis of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of seven externalizing-related phenotypes (N = ~1.5 million) and found 579 genetic associations with a general liability to externalizing behavior [15]. Although these very large multivariate approaches are crucial in enhancing genetic discovery across phenotypes, they do not detect all the genetic variation relevant to individual disorders. Since ASB is a critical issue for psychiatry and for society, the present study uniquely focuses on (severe) forms of ASB
