Genetic Counseling For Psychiatric Disorders: Establishing A Framework In The Genomic Era

Abstract

Overall Abstract Following on from a Banbury meeting in the Fall of 2016: Genetic counseling for psychiatric disorders: challenges in the genomic era, this symposium will address how we establish a framework to support effective co-operation between psychiatrists, clinical geneticists and genetic counselors. We established that differences in semantics between clinical geneticists and researchers in psychiatric genetics focused around explanatory or diagnostic and predictive or susceptibility testing. The divergent ways in which genetic testing is applied to autism in comparison to other psychiatric disorders, through microarray and CNV testing, raises important considerations for examining the impact of CNV identification on patients and their care. In addition, there is an urgent need to educate psychiatric residents about genetic syndromes and we will discuss how future efforts will focus on integrating genetic discoveries into patient care. Similarly, pharmacogenetic testing on all psychiatric conditions is not warranted at this time; however, there are clear circumstances when it should be considered. Specifically, the elderly and youth may be more at risk and testing for variants that are known to increase risk for adverse outcomes should be encouraged. Finally, in complimenting current and future (pharmaco)genetic testing, psychiatric genetic counseling should be made available to all who request it. We will highlight the global effort for implementing this, discuss how best to bring clinical genetics and psychiatry closer together and consider ways to develop evidence based studies in psychiatric genetic counseling, to keep abreast with the fast pace of genetic discovery in mental illness.