Genetics and Mental Illness |
| Date Added: October 18, 2011 02:58:24 AM |
| Genetics and their relationship to the environment in grounding mental illnesses are of great interest and much study has given rise to a field of study known as epigenetics. As a Scottsdale psychiatrist I believe that environment and genetics are inextricably linked together with regards to the causes of mental illness. Many of the short excerpts from other articles that I have posted or referenced will justify this claim. There has been much debate between those who believe that mental illness is grounded in genetics and those that believe that it is grounded in environmental issues. Ultimately the cause of mental illness is the body's inability to produce or regulate the neuro-transmitters or chemical in the brain, these irregularities are caused for a variety of reasons. Some are directly caused by genetics, some are directly caused by environmental factors, and some are indirectly caused by environmental factors as we will shortly see. Mental illness is no different than any other physiological or bodily illness; in the case of mental illness, the organ that is not functioning is the brain. In the case with diabetes, the organ not functioning is the pancreas. I hope this understanding helps in destigmatizing mental illness because nearly 50% of those with mental illnesses will postpone treatment for years due to the stigma attached to these disorders. Genetic Mental Illnesses Are Often The Subject Of Great Debate This post about genetic mental illnesses is a follow up to the several articles that were posted on this site, one of them titled Is Anxiety Genetic; a study conducted by Klaus Hansen of the University of Copenhagen. We have posted several articles dealing with genetic mental illness and how these DNA impact the brain, body chemistry and overall physiological aspects our our mental hygiene. We have now seen that several genetic studies are demonstrating the life-long impact that early life stress has on us while in the womb and early childhood. The studies are showing that the influence of stress on the developing baby can turn on inappropriate gene settings that can lead to poor health, even poor mental health. This article by Hansen suggests that the environment can change the DNA and leave someone with the propensity for an anxiety disorder later in life and deductively, other genetic mental illnesses. I believe that it is cogent to conclude that if environmental stress on a fetus can create a propensity for an anxiety disorder by impacting the genes of a developing fetus, then young persons with developing brains, and even individuals subjected to horrific trauma can also undergo these genetic changes. This would also give us an answer to how these mental disorders enter our familial gene pools as well with regards to genetic mental illnesses. Genetic Mental Illnesses Had to Enter The Gene-Pool At Some Point In Time From External Factors Which Are Still Relevant Today We can then ask what was the cause of the illness in the ancestor that passed this gene along; and on and on we go. Somewhere in the family of origin, somebody had to be the “prime cause” or “first cause” that introduced this illness to the family gene pool. Now the question of whether the prime cause was a gene mutation or environmental issue cannot be avoided. This also entails another issue viz. if mental illness is initially introduced to a particular gene pool by means other than DNA, then of logical necessity-mental illness can still (today) be caused by factors other than DNA. The question then becomes; what are some of the possible causes of mental illness? Are they biological, genetic mutations, environmental stressors, toxins? We do know that Genetic Mental Illnesses are real a phenomena. This post is somewhat of a “capstone” article of genetic mental illnesses and those already posted on this website regarding stress's impact on the genes of the fetus, genetic mutations linked with depression, a lack of vitamin D being linked to schizophrenia, missing proteins in the DNA being linked to depression, the possible discovery of a genetic link to suicide, and missing pieces of DNA being linked to ADHD. In the first study, researchers showed that stress turned on the wrong genes during fetal development. “We found that stress-activating factors can control our genes by turning on certain genes that were supposed to be silenced. It is very important that some genes are on and others are off in order to ensure normal fetal development and correct function of our cells later in life,” says Dr. Klaus Hansen, lead study author. The researchers pinpointed that methyl groups needed to be attached to various proteins in order for DNA to have proper gene settings. In common language, the B vitamins, especially folic acid, B12, and B6 are needed to ensure an adequate supply of methyl groups in the face of stress. If a pregnant mother is lacking certain B vitamins, and thus methyl groups, it causes a different chemistry reaction and inappropriate gene settings to establish themselves. While little stress is best during pregnancy, stress can be offset to some degree with the adequate intake of B vitamins, which would appear to be quite protective for the developing fetus. Another study on genetic mental illnesses from McGill University shows that a lack of a mother’s caring affection following birth caused the offspring to have DNA that was altered in that GABA was lacking. GABA is needed to relax the nerves. An inability to make GABA, causes later life insomnia, anxiety, and in more advanced cases mental illness (such as schizophrenia). GABA serves as the principle inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Once again, the lack of love in a critical time period shortly following birth induces gene-related methylation problems - environment again playing a role on the development of our genetics and brain chemistry. This study also supports the idea that a mother needs adequate nutrition to manage mood during and after pregnancy in a way that supports positive emotions that in turn fortify the correct settings for genes. Setting gene switches, a field of research known as epigenetics, has a significant influence on future health as these genes are not easily reset later in life to a healthy status. While improvements can be made later on, it takes a lot of work. It is much better to get the genes set properly in the first place, which places a whole new emphasis on the need for healthy pregnancy and a stable and loving environment for both mother and child. The future well being of everyone depends on it. This is the new era of mind-body medicine, linking directly to the emerging field of mind-social medicine. The issue of the environment affecting cellular structure, neurotransmitters, and DNA is nothing new to science. We see this taking place in carcinogenic substances altering the genetic code thus causing cancer; we see the environment (e.g. substance abuse) altering the neurotransmitters thus precluding the body’s ability to produce the proper balance of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine; however these studies in epigenetics are now taking this to a new level. I have posted several articles on how our trans fats in our diets being responsible for depression and how exercise positively affects our mental health. Another article discusses how in the pregnant mother, a lack of vitamin D may be a link to schizophrenia; and an article about missing pieces of DNA being linked to ADHD. Now this study seems to imply that pregnant mothers need to maintain proper levels of the B vitamins to combat the negative genetic impact of stress on the fetus. The study has also shown how the environment through the early years of infant development will continue to have an impact on the genetic predisposition to anxiety and as we have shown in other articles; a genetic predisposition to depression. This article seems to tie together all of the other articles on genetics, environment and mental illness and lend some validity to the studies of genetic mental illnesses. After reading this article and the several articles linked to this page; there seems to be a very good reason to start with the hypothesis that environment affects our genes which in turn affects our physiological makeup including our brain and nervous system. Another recent study which I summarized on this site seems to have found a genetic link to suicide. Here again we see time and time again the extricable line between environmental issues and genetic mental illnesses. Unfortunately, I have known individuals of whom they and their siblings were subjected to these exact conditions and the outcome was exactly as predicted by each of the studies listed. The take away message of these articles point to the virtues of eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and the appropriate vitamins - avoiding stress while pregnant, and raising your children in a nurturing environment. None of any of this research on genetic mental illnesses is conclusive by any means, nor is it possible to know on a case by case basis what the exact cause was in an individual for their mental illness and if these are genetic mental illnesses due to the mediation of a family member or directly caused by the environment having an impact on the DNA or mechanisms responsible for the balance of the neuro-transmitters. These studies do give us hope in that if we can isolate the causes of these genetic mental illnesses, we have a better chance of finding a cure someday. We also can better prepare ourselves to avoid stressful situations and watch our diets while pregnant to mitigate the chances of mental illness in our offspring. Read the article on early life stressors and depression. These have a large impact on genetic mental illnesses and give us hope for a cure in the future. This article from a Scottsdale Psychiatrist regarding Genetic Mental Illnesses is for informational purposes only and not for the diagnosing or treating of any illness |