Psychiatric Genetic Counseling
How can genetic counseling benefit those with concerns over psychiatric illness?
Clover Genetics Approach: Our genetic counselors meet with patients and families to discuss the genetic and environmental impacts on mental health disorders and to provide personalized information that guides patients to improved approaches to their care plan and overall wellness. Clover Genetics believes mental health disorders should not be separated from medical care and we aim to ensure our patients are treated with a holistic approach that takes into account their personhood, individual needs, and goals.
Who Benefits from Psychiatric Genetic Counseling?
Those with questions about psychiatric health including:
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
Substance use disorder
Other mental health disorders
Those who have previously undergone unsuccessful medication trials and would like personalized guidance on their medication choices
What are the goals?
A lot of individuals associate genetic counseling automatically with genetic testing. No matter what the indication for genetic counseling is, it is important to debunk this concept. Genetic counseling aims to provide personalized information and answers to your specific questions regarding your family history, your risk factors, or your concern regarding diagnosed or undiagnosed conditions with genetic components.
When it comes to psychiatric genetic counseling, it is important to understand that the vast majority of psychiatric conditions do not have an identifiable genetic cause that can be tested for and therefore genetic testing may not be beneficial or recommended depending on the individual’s concern.
Psychiatric genetics involves the role of genes in the development of mental health disorders, which have been identified to have hereditary roots. A psychiatric genetic counseling appointment may aim to:
review environmental risk factors
review genetic risk factors
clarify an individual/family’s risk
reduce feelings of guilt, stigma, or hopelessness
improved guidance for medication options
identify if there is genetic testing that may either:
identify extremely rare variants associated with specific psychiatric genetic conditions
identify how an individual’s genes impact their risk for adverse effects or poor response to psychiatric medications (pharmacogenomics testing, or, PGx)
