Genetic cause for mental illness

The 3rd of December is observed as the World Disability Day. It provides opportunities for participation by the governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as the private sector - to focus upon innovative measures to implement international norms and standards related to persons with disabilities. Researchers have found a genetic mutation that causes obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other mental illnesses. This finding could make it easier to discover better treatments for the disorderResearchers at the Fujita Health University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan and at several U.S. institutions - including the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University - worked on the study. The gene is called the human serotonin transporter gene (hSERT), and helps control how the body uses serotonin, a message-carrying chemical or neurotransmitter linked with mood. Some anxiety drugs and antidepressants target serotonin. In molecular medicine, there are few known instances where two variants within one gene have been found to alter the expression and regulation of the gene in a way that appears associated with symptoms of a disorder. The researchers analysed DNA from 170 people, including 30 patients with OCD, 30 with eating disorders such as anorexia and 30 with seasonal affective disorder, which can cause depression and other symptoms in winter months. They also looked at the DNA of 80 healthy people. A specific mutation in the hSERT gene was seen in two patients with OCD and their families, but not in other patients. With such a rare mutation showing up, the researchers believe it is likely to be found in other families with OCD and related disorders. They interviewed relatives of the patients and found 6 of the 7 people with the mutation had an obsessive-compulsive disorder; some also had anorexia, Asperger's syndrome, (a form of autism), social phobia, or alcoholics.

Society is sceptical about a person's ability to work and perform his duties well after a period of mental illness. Significant advances in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses have helped many persons recover completely but still some remain disabled. We should understand that mental illness is just another illness and the mentally ill just need some care and medication to be productive members of society.

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