Genetic Testing & Mental Health
- A form of genetic testing has proven to be successful in matching patients with the right mental health medication for them and on the first try.
- An expert, who uses this genetic testing, tells SurvivorNet that she’s seen a 95% first try success rate in matching the right medication for her patients.
- Depression and anxiety are common emotions for those who have received a cancer diagnosis or going through treatment. These feelings can impact results of treatment or the chance of recurrence.
Related: Coping With Chemo-Induced Depression: Survivor Kate Hunt's Story
Read MoreHow Does It Work?
The test which Dr. Plutchik uses, Genomind, tests for multiple factors before determining the medication that will both have successful results and minimal side-effects. In order to do this, there are two parts the test examines. First, the doctor will test for certain genes that are associated with responses to medication commonly prescribed for mental health issues. Secondly, the patient’s ability to metabolize medication will be tested. By doing this, it reduces the chance of negative side-effects and allows for patients to respond well to medication on the first try. Related: Treating Depression After a Cancer Diagnosis“About 95% of the time the first medication that I choose for them ends up being the right medication,” Dr. Plutchik explains. “In other words, we don’t have to switch it. They feel well on it. They’re having minimal to no side effects, and they just get to a place where they’re doing much better, much faster.”
In addition to the test, Dr. Plutchik also takes into account ethnicity and family history as these can contribute to struggling with depression, anxiety, and other conditions. While this test is simple for the patient to go through, don’t let that fool you. This comprehensive genetic test explores specific genes, such as the SLC6A4 gene variants, which can determine how the patient will react to antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
“If somebody has [a certain variant] that means they’re in a category where they have the highest likelihood of response, a good clinical response, and the lowest likelihood of side effects,” Dr. Plutchik says. “If you don’t do genetic testing and you just give the medication, the overall rate of response to the SSRIs is somewhere in the high 60’s. When someone has this variant in this SLC6A4 gene, then we know that the likelihood of them responding from the genetic standpoint is about 80%. There’s a big increase in the likelihood of somebody responding well to an SSRI and that’s important information.”
Currently, the cost of Genomind depends on whether your insurance covers it. For those paying out of pocket themselves, the test costs $2,000. However, for those who have certain types of insurance such as Medicare, they may not need to pay anything at all. Additionally, Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) can often help cover the entire cost of the test. The test may be offered by your physician, but that’s not always the case. In that case, you can request to order the test on the company’s website through your physician, and it will be shipped to their office. The test involves a cheek swab, which is then sent to the lab for review.
Cancer & Mental Health
While anyone can struggle with mental health, this is a particular hardship affecting those after a cancer diagnosis and while going through treatment. After being diagnosed with cancer, it’s common for people to experience feelings of grief, fear, anger, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, common treatments such as chemotherapy can cause side-effects such as depression. While it’s often not clinical depression, if a cancer patient is struggling with mental health during and after their battle, this genetic test may be the key in helping them take these struggles head on.
“Depression and stress make it harder to treat cancer [and] make it harder to tolerate the treatments,” Dr. Scott Irwin, director of supportive care services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “Actually, there’s data that if you have extra stress or depression that you may not recover or you have a higher risk of recurrence, so in treating the depression, we’re actually impacting the cancer care outcomes.”
Dr. Scott Irwin explains how addressing depression can impact cancer treatment
Mental health is a subject that’s made huge strides over recent decades, but there’s still much more work to be done. However, this genetic test has proven to be a strong step in making sure each mental health patient is prioritized and individualized to ensure successful results on the first try.
“When you’re working with a population of people who are dealing with cancer and even family members who are involved in the care of patients dealing with cancer, they have so much going on that it’s so important to address their mental health needs,” Dr. Plutchik says. “It’s such a scary and stressful, and at times, depressing situation for some people and taking their mental health needs seriously is just as important as taking their physical health needs seriously…I think it just makes people feel so much more hopeful right from the beginning that they’re not going to have to go through this painful process of trial and error.”
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