Genetics and Mental Illness

Today's New York Times featured an article(click here) on genetics and mental illness. The article focused on the research of Bernard Crespi and Christopher Badcock. These scientists have developed a theory on brain development that says that the father's and mother's genes compete and the victor sways development along a spectrum. When the father's gene is dominant, the brain develops towards an autism spectrum. When the mother's gene is dominant, the brain develops toward a psychotic spectrum. The article goes on to say that this is a new direction for neural and genetic research. I'm suspicious because this seems to revert us to the days when mothers were blamed for their children's mental illnesses. It's like Freud with ten times the science. Since we know that schizophrenic parents make their children predisposed to the illness, what do the scientists think about the children of schizophrenic men. Who has more influence over the genes then, the schizophrenic father or the mother whose genes may cause a sway towards the psychotic spectrum? I hope they find an answer in their research.

BBC

The Art of the Question II

Today I had two PPTs and they were both successful. One was for a new student who is having some difficulty making the adjustment to our school. Mom requested a PPT immediately and we've had the opportunity to meet and learn more about her son before the meeting, which is always nice. There were things that the mom told me in private about the student's history that I wanted to share in the meeting, but I felt like it was off-limits until she mentioned them. Luckily for me, she opened the door with some choice comments about her family's history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression. This admission led to other questions that we all had about the medication the student is currently on and his behavior at home. I felt like a lawyer in a tv drama where there is evidence that is inadmissable but then the defendant makes a statement that allows for a certain line of questioning. I felt on edge because I was afraid that we would end the meeting without discussing some of the bizarre behaviors we had seen, his medication regiment, or our thoughts about further testing. We were so focused on making the meeting a positive and safe experience for mom, who evidently has her own mental issues, that I was afraid we were treading too lightly and would leave the meeting with no substantial knowledge gained. Fortunately, Mom was forthcoming with some of the information, but as someone once told me, for every one thing admitted, there's most likely two or three more alarming things that are omitted. In the meeting she mentioned that her son was "institutionalized" (to use her word) over the summer. When I spoke to her before the beginning of school she told me why this occurred. During the meeting she didn't mention the reason, but she talked about the boy's issues with his absent father. Classically Freudian or Oedipal, take your pick. As the mother was talking I felt myself enter the zone and all of a sudden not only did I know what to ask, but I also knew how to phrase it in a way that would give me what I wanted without making the mother defensive. My clinical interview skills are improving. I felt like I accomplished what I wanted to do. This student will require a lot of brainstorming and program reviewing because I feel that we will have to change our strategies frequently to meet his needs.

BBC