Psychiatric disorders are complicated and are impacted by both environmental factors and genetics. Although significant genetic risk factors have been found through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), most of the study participants are of European descent. Particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, where people have rich genetic diversity and face particular health challenges, this lack of diversity restricts the research's applicability to other populations. To increase access to individualized psychiatric care, the review emphasizes the strong need to include more participants from these areas. It also makes recommendations for how to close existing gaps and guarantee fairness and creativity in psychiatric genomics.
The lack of diversity in psychiatric genomics is a serious barrier to achieving personalized mental health care. It's concerning that Latin America and the Caribbean are so underrepresented, despite their unique genetic backgrounds and healthcare needs. Including these populations isn't just about fairness; it’s important for scientific accuracy and innovation. Expanding research in these regions is a crucial step toward more inclusive, effective treatments for everyone.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02127-z?_gl=1*nxxb20*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjw--K_BhB5EiwAuwYoykmWbsyK6bj3GKE0p1vCIO1b5hsR6uvdGpLtMIOnRu1f1JIeMyPZYBoCFtgQAvD_BwE#citeas
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37860990/
Thank you for bringing more light to this issue. The lack of representation can be detrimental to people and their potential treatment plans. Especially in areas like psychiatry that have so many links to genetics, there is a lot of assumptions that have to made for people because their population has not been researched. Hopefully this changes soon.
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