We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: someone you know struggles with mental health. And, if they don’t, they might suffer from something physical, such as arthritis, or migraines or back pain. Either way you slice it, people you know have probably been through the ringer in terms of choosing which medication would be right for them.
We see it even with antibiotics for ear infections. We may have to see our primary care physician multiple times just to find the medication that works for us, or that doesn’t give us nausea or a rash. But for those who struggle with mental health issues, this process can become even more daunting.
Assurex Health has pioneered a potential solution to this problem. The GeneSight test, developed from technology used by the Mayo Clinic and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, aims to use a $3,800 genetic test to determine which medications a patient will be most responsive to, The Boston Globe reported Saturday.
A simple swab of the cheek seems like a wonderfully easy way to determine which medication is best for you. However, there are risks to this procedure. John R. Brown, a man profiled by the Globe who tried the test and switched his medication, had hoped for some clarity in his life. Instead, he became suicidal and checked into a mental hospital.
In reality, though, this could have happened even if Brown didn’t participate in the test. His usual medication wasn’t doing the trick, and he would have had to go through a trial-and-error process regardless of whether the test recommended a medication or his psychiatrist recommended it. Either way, there is so much variability in the way people react to medications.
What may seem like an intrusive genetic test can’t really be considered so, because patients are able to choose it. If this is something they want to investigate for themselves, then why shouldn’t they? There is no binding contract here, and patients can decide to take the medication or not, even after the test is performed.
That being said, for many people this could be a solution to the grueling process of going through medication after medication and doctor after doctor to find something that works. “The tests do hold promise. The basic science behind them is built on years of solid research — analyzing an individual’s genetic make-up to determine how they may respond to drugs,” The Globe reported. And while many people suggest seeing another doctor as a solution to inadequate medical treatment, this process requires a great deal of work, time and money that many patients just don’t have. The genetic test poses a solution to that egregious process.
All of this debate suggests that GeneSight may be a good tool, but it shouldn’t be the end all be all in deciding which medications a patient should take. It sounds great in theory — if the process works, a patient will potentially live a happier life. And perhaps, as Rachel Scott, vice president of clinical research and operations for Genomind, suggested to the Globe, this test could help to alleviate the stigma surrounding mental health. Perhaps when patients see that these medications are genetically proven to be the best option, they will realize that mental health issues are something you are born with or develop over time due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Instead of feeling ashamed, those who suffer from mental illness can recognize that having one isn’t their fault.
But while Scott and others believe this test may begin to alleviate the stigma, many people still won’t see the parallels between mental illness and Crohn’s Disease, for example. They may believe that taking the test will help define a medication, which will lead to a full recovery from the mental illness, just as they think it would for, say, a broken leg. But that simply isn’t the case.
All in all, this test seems like just another bullet point on the list of things people can do to treat mental illnesses. In other words, if your doctor suggests it, there is no reason not to try it. But at the same time, we have to keep in mind that this tool hasn’t progressed enough to be considered the final approach to choosing a medication — this is experimental. But if the GeneSight test proves to be successful and works to alleviate the prevalent mental health stigma, then perhaps it deserves to be given a chance.
