FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 20, 2019 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 43
wellness
Courtesy BPT
Winning the mental health battle with genetics
Mental illness is relentless. Patients
and their caregivers face stressful days
and restless nights - fi lled with profound
physical and emotional challenges. For
Brandon B.*, a patient with bipolar disorder,
life was like being on a roller coaster,
rotating mercilessly out of control.
“Aft er being diagnosed with bipolar disorder
in November 2017, I was in the
middle of a manic cycle and barely sleeping
a couple hours a night, if at all,”
says Brandon. “My emotions controlled
me. I was living on a roller coaster that
was moving quickly from excitement to
depression.”
Mental illness is pervasive too. Brandon
is one of millions of Americans - over 46
million, in fact - whose lives are impacted
by mental health conditions. Th at equals
one in every fi ve adults 18 years of age and
older in the U.S. who suff ers from mental
illness, according to the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH). Younger people
are similarly aff ected, as nearly half of
adolescents between the ages of 13-18 will
experience a mental illness.
Staggering fi nancial toll
Th e burden of mental illness is further
ominous when viewed through the lens
of its fi nancial consequences. According
to an editorial in the American Journal of
Psychiatry, serious mental illnesses cost
patients more than $193 billion per year
in lost earnings. Th e overall health care
delivery system is impacted as well. Th e
NIMH reports that mental health care
expenditures are the third most costly
medical condition, behind heart conditions
and trauma, and tied with cancer.
Globally, the World Health Organization
projects that depression will become the
largest health burden by 2030.
In spite of these dynamics, there is reason
for optimism for improved treatment of
mental illness and positive patient outcomes.
Breaking the cycle of
failed medications
Working with his doctor and eventually
fi nding the medication that worked
best for him, Brandon was able to slowly
work his way out of the depression that
was crippling his life.
“Any time you are dealing with mental
health, there can be trial and error
in order to identify the medication that
works best for you,” says Brandon. “It took
me fi ve to six months working with my
doctor and trying two medications before
I fi nally found the right one. I was lucky
in a sense. For some patients it can take
years before they fi nd the medication that
actually works.”
Genetic testing points the way
What helped Brandon break the churn
of failed medication trials that many mental
health patients experience? He found
the answers he hoped for in genetic testing.
Th rough a simple cheek-swab genetic
test from Genomind, a PA-based mental
health care company, Brandon’s personal
genetic markers were identifi ed. Th e test,
administered at his doctor’s offi ce, analyzed
Brandon’s genes from two critical
standpoints: the eff ect a drug would have
on his body; and how his body would
metabolize the same drug. Ultimately, the
Genomind test provided the precision
information that was needed to help his
doctor select an appropriate and safe drug
for Brandon’s bipolar disorder.
An evolution in mental
health care
Th e science of genetic testing is steadily
infl uencing the paradigm in the personalized
treatment of mental illness. More
and more doctors view genetic testing
as a valuable component in their clinical
toolkit.
“Your clinical understanding of the
patient can only go so far without having
the genetic component,” said Dr. Violina
Frenkel, clinical director at Integrative
Behavioral Care in Summit, NJ. “Genetic
testing narrows down the clinical picture.”
Treatment guided by genetic testing can
also reduce costs to patients and insurers.
One notable study showed that, on average,
healthcare utilization costs decreased
$1,948 per patient over a six-month period
for patients who received genetic testing,
compared to similar patients who
did not.
At the 2019 Annual Meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association in San
Francisco, Genomind launched its latest
genetic testing solution. Genomind
Professional PGx tests a panel of 24 total
genes and covers 130 FDA-approved
medications for multiple psychiatric
conditions, making it the most comprehensive
mental health-focused genetic
test available. Th e company processes
all tests at its in-house lab at 99.9% accuracy
and provides free consults to discuss
results.
“Working on the front lines with the
clinical community in mental health, we
are excited about the value our genetic
testing solutions provide in helping select
safe and eff ective treatments for patients,”
says Shawn Patrick O’Brien, chief executive
offi cer of Genomind.
*Last name withheld
to protect privacy.
Genetic test results can help doctors pinpoint treatments for mental illness.
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