Psychiatric Genetics: Applications in Clinical Practice

As more patients seek information about family risks of psychiatric illness-an
interest likely to increase as gene-identification studies are publicized-most
psychiatrists agree it is their role to discuss these issues but admit they are
ill-prepared to do so. Psychiatric Genetics addresses that need as the first
book to focus on clinical applications of genetics in psychiatry. It covers
issues involved in genetic counseling, the interpretation of familial and
genetic information for clinical use, information regarding risks associated
with specific psychiatric disorders, risk/benefit considerations related to
medication use during pregnancy, and the ethical and social implications of
psychiatric genetic knowledge and research-including the prospects for genetic
testing.

While other books have been written for the genetics community,
this volume is addressed to practitioners: a clinically relevant resource that
can help them understand the often bewildering flood of information about
genetics-information difficult to interpret, let alone integrate into
practice-and enable them to respond to patients' requests to predict the risk of
recurrence of psychiatric illness or provide information about reproductive and
pregnancy-related issues. Experts from psychiatry, genetic epidemiology,
molecular genetics, genetic counseling, cognitive psychology, and ethics focus
on issues that have received little attention elsewhere yet are of increasing
importance to clinicians. Written at a level that assumes no particular
expertise in genetics, the book features these immediately applicable benefits:
It offers a framework for understanding and critically evaluating the
psychiatric genetic research literature, enabling clinicians to better
understand the meaning and limitations of genetic discoveries when patients
raise questions about media reports. It provides a resource for clinicians who
would like more information about the role and content of genetic counseling,
outlining a typical counseling session while demonstrating how risks are
estimated and discussed. It summarizes genetic aspects of major psychiatric
conditions-from childhood-onset disorders through psychotic, mood, and anxiety
disorders to dementia-as well as neuropsychiatric manifestations of other
genetic disorders. It alerts clinicians to risk/benefit considerations related
to medication use during pregnancy. It covers the ethical, legal, and social
implications of genetic research and counseling, illustrating the dilemmas that
arise with new advances. Whether used as a clinical guide, reference, or
ancillary text, this book sets the standard for the application of psychiatric
genetic knowledge in everyday practice. Psychiatrists, mental health clinicians,
and genetic counselors will find it an essential resource for all patient
encounters in which genetic issues arise.