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Fri 18 Jul, 2003 06:42 am
Having been in the mental health field for many years, it had always amazed me that there were two camps when it came to mental illness.............those professionals who thought that mental illness was purely chemical, and the others who believed that it was purely environmental. Years ago, I maintained that these disorders were a complex combination of genetic inheritance, and environmental impact.
Little by little, as science is unlocking the mysteries of the gene, we are learning more about the interaction between nature and nuture.
Quote:People with a genetic vulnerability to stress are more than twice as likely to develop depression after a traumatic event, such as divorce, as those with a version of the same gene that appears to confer protection, scientists have found.
Leaders in the field said the work marks the first time that scientists have traced the roots of a complex mental disorder to a specific interaction of genes and the environment:
Link to Gene/Depression
As time goes on, and the genetic mysteries are more clearly understood, I believe that we will find that the vast majority of illnesses are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Hey, Phoenix. This debate has been going on for some time between the behaviorists and other factions of research. I believe that there are predispositions toward depression based on genes, and that planned intervention is possible. The stigma in the past has been so horrific, that few were willing to accept the idea, even to themselves, that they could have been victims of genetic depression. The down side to this type research, however, is the "quick fix" of anti-depressants. The medical community so often treats only the symptoms, and not the whole person.
Interesting article, Phoenix.
Letty- You have just hit on a favorite subject of mine. The shrinks are quick to prescribe a pill, but seldom deal with the patients problems of daily living..
Medication will help the chemical imbalance in the brain, but will do nothing for the maladaptive behaviors that the person has developed to cope with the physical symptoms. That is why I believe that therapy in addition to medication is so important for a person dealing with depression.
The causes are probably the result of post translational modification errors and not to errors at the level of nucleotide metabolism.
In addition to post translational mistakes, study needs to be directed to epigentic regulation.
One gene? Total nonsense from the perspective of metabolism!
New Haven- Of course it isn't just ONE gene. Science is just beginning to understand the human genome. I am sure that in the next few years, science will find that the genetic interactions are much more sophisticated and complex than one gene-one disease. Hey, it's a start!
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