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It’s now 80 years since scientists first claimed schizophrenia was genetic. Yet, no such gene has been identified. Some private genetic research firms are now abandoning their search for a schizophrenia blood test, and a senior psychologist says the quest for the schizophrenia gene has been biggest failure in medical history. Is it? (1)
I’ve always found claims the claims of psychological difficulties having a genetic basis to be dubious. And yet, this is emphasized in the educational system for psychologists, psychiatrists, and other counselors. I ran across an excellent writeup that examines some of the historical perspective and recent research that found no significant genetic association for schizophrenia. While schizophrenia has been looked at for years as a nearly purely biological problem, the tide seems to be shifting. There is some increasing recognition, at least in some cases, that schizophrenia is amenable to treatment with psychotherapy. The role of psychological trauma in the development of schizophrenia is beginning to receive increased recognition.
CLPsych has an interesting post on a study that found that among patients with Medicaid in Oregon who were prescribed antipsychotic medication, only a minority actually had a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder (15% vs 27%). The rest had diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or PTSD. I think I’d like to add to this the fact disorders are often diagnosed for the medication as I’ve written about before (On Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Medication; Diagnosing for the Medication). In other words, there are times when the diagnosis is given in order to justify the medication that is prescribed. This doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen.
http://clinpsyc.blogspot.com/2008/09/atypical-antipsychotics-for-all-oregon.html
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