Whole genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) integration into medicine will yield a new disease paradigm moving from clinical to molecular diagnosis. This paradigm will present significant challenges in the interpretation of sequence data and clinicians will face dilemmas about if, when and how to offer information to patients. Sequencing will ultimately reshape psychiatry in predicting disease risk and lead to greater understanding of aetiology, prognosis and/or treatment response. This commentary on the ethics of returning WGS/WES results describes the nature of the data as a dynamic health resource, the importance of understanding participant motivations, determinations of personal utility and potential effects of WGS/WES on self-concept and well-being. As this technology unfurls, ethical challenges will not be novel but they will be compounded by the volume and scope of the data. Research into participant/patient perceptions, preferences and outcomes will identify areas of caution and prepare psychiatrists for eventual integration into clinical care.
Genomic sequencing for psychiatric disorders
Promise and challenge
Biesecker, B. B., & Peay, H. L. (2013). Genomic sequencing for psychiatric disorders: Promise and challenge. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 16(7), 1667-72. https://doi.org/10.1017/S146114571300014X
Abstract
Publications Info
To contact an RTI author, request a report, or for additional information about publications by our experts, send us your request.
Meet the Experts
View All ExpertsRecent Publications
Article
The daily association between affect and alcohol use: A meta-analysis of individual participant data
Article
The use of patient experience feedback in rehabilitation quality improvement and codesign activities
Article
Protection of forest ecosystems in the eastern United States from elevated atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen
Article