As an EMT I witness numerous people weekly that suffer from severe mental illness. It seems that the treatment methods that are currently available are, at best, insufficient. Many hospitals are ill prepared to treat the mind and training in most health care works is a single piece to a one thousand piece puzzle. Mental health treatment needs a breakthrough, perhaps ones that will come from genetics. Researchers have recently found a genetic link between schizophrenia, biopolar disorder, autism, major depressive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was shown that there are some genetic “glitches” present in the population suffering from these mental illnesses. Researchers seem to believe that the presence of these genes leads to a predisposition to these illnesses; however, other factors also play an important role.
Researchers were able to find disruptions in some of the brain’s major signaling pathways. This new information may aid in the development of new treatments. It has also been determined that the same change in the DNA in very close family members can result in two very different diseases. Four genes have been marked as possibly having an effect on mental health. In two the causality of the disorder is unknown; however, two of the genes have been shown to be a part of calcium channels. Calcium channels are used in the brain in order to transmit signals.
There already drugs on the market that effect the calcium channels. These drugs are currently used to treat high blood pressure. A doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital is currently working to seek approval to experiment using calcium channel blockers currently used as high blood pressure medications to treat mental illnesses. This study has the potential to open many new doors for treatment of mental illness, something that this country truly needs.
Original Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/health/study-finds-genetic-risk-factors-shared-by-5-psychiatric-disorders.html
Blog on Same Topic: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/shared-genes-link-depression-schizophrenia-and-three-other-mental-illnesses-201303015944
