Recent research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry seems to have proven that there is a genetic predisposition to suicide. A study of over 1,800 patients were tested and Dr. Gonzalo Laje correlated their thoughts of suicide with the presence of two gene variants.
This is big news in psychiatry circles, because of the well-known risk that some anti-depressants may actually increase the risk of suicide in certain patients, especially younger ones. Many doctors stopped prescribing these drugs entirely, despite the fact that they were helpful to the majority of patients. There were some benefits to this slow down on prescription drugs — doctors realized that depression can be controlled through stress management, although it cannot be eliminated.
If suicidal tendencies can be predicted, these drugs can be better targeted to patients who will be helped by them. This information can also provide a direction which to focus research for new depression treatments.
There are a few ethical questions, however. When should a person be tested for these genetic markers? What should happen if a person who is not depressed tests positive for the genetic predisposition? Should employers or family be informed of test results? These questions, and more like them, don’t have answers yet.
It should be noted, though, that doctors can’t simply decide which medication to prescribe on the basis of a genetic test, and they certainly can’t cure a patient’s depression by knowing that he or she bears certain genetic markers.
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3 Comments
Write a Comment»Who’s the nut who thought this up?
It would be a miracle if the psychiatry would get their facts straight. At the 2006 APA conference, over 200 psychiatrists were interviewed. Each one of them said there are absolutely no biological tests which proved mental illness.
There are undisputed facts that link 2/3 of the psychiatric community, which makes up 6% of entire medical field, to the unholy ties to the pharmaceutical industry, not to mention the unending reported cases of psychiatric sexual abuse of patents (15 reported cases in the first 10 days of March 2007).
What about the 220 psychiatrists arrests in the past 8 months?
Give it a rest boys. People know you´re fraud! Come clean and hand yourselves over to the police.
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I think they might be on to something, my daughter killed herself, my mother killed herself, i have tried several times. Upon asking my psych if this were possible over a year ago, he believed there to be a possible genetic mutation. In my case it could be passed down the female line. I have survived with proper medications, 3 hospitalizations, therapy and prayer. I believe the theory bears further examination and possibly save lives. May I mention my daughter (died 13 yrs ago; age 13) and mother (died 3 years ago; age 60) were both taking Zoloft. If there is a way to help people like me, i say onward through the fog