You say that like it's so easy.

My full sibling has been hospitalized numerous times for psychiatric disorders, but I'm perfectly mentally fit. No one else in our extended families has ever been hospitalized, either. We share both parents, and thus almost all the same genes.

Although some genetic factors we share have been shown in some small studies to contribute to depression (though I have never had it, and it's not the same gene described in this article), that does not explain all the other things wrong with my brother: OCD, paranoia, addiction, blackouts, rages, mania and tremors, and I've probably left some out. It's more likely that there are developmental factors at work in shaping the way his brain is wired, not just genetic.

The fact is that treating mental illnesses is difficult, because each patient presents and reacts to treatment differently. Identifying common causes in the genetics of mentally ill people would likely require identification of the specific way that multiple genes and environmental factors influence and react to each other, which is nearly impossible to do with any kind of scientific rigor.

My sibling has had several bouts of severe depression and a few hospitalizations. I have had none of this. When I get stressed, I go to the gym or find something constructive to do. My sib takes to the bottle and then neglects her kids. We have the same parents, we grew up in the same enviromental situation.

What gives???

CJ: I agree. The genetic factor causing depression creates personal behaviors, both by the afflicted and those around them, that aggravate depression and the varous ways it manifest itself. Other environmental factors, community norms, public policies, and economic factors further complicate life for the individual with depression. Sorting all this out is extremely complicated and the longer one goes without effective treatment, the more complicated it becomes. Early diagnosis and treatment is key.

Drug makers can use this to make better drugs.

Ha, that was my first reaction, as someone who has suffered severe clinical depression since before adolescence. But the therapeutic value is two-fold: 1.) it can help people suffering from depression to being to reinterpret their feelings - if there is a genetic/biological component then it's not something they did or responsible for, and 2.) it can point to gene therapies, chemical interventions etc. that might neutralize the underlying biochemical process.

These things are still only the beginning - often a life marred by depression has developed so many other concerns that will need to be addressed. But by removing the severe darkness that people with depression feel all the time, at least they might be in a better position to start improving their lives back to the point that other people take for granted.

Also, I can say that the one and ONLY thing that has ever truly helped me was acupuncture. I have tried medication, therapy, exercise, sex, sunlight, blah blah until I was blue in the face, but none of them truly transformed my situation. I found an acupuncturist that does REAL old-school Chinese acupuncture, NOT the "Traditional Chinese Medicine" junk that is just a watered-down version created by the Chinese communists as part of their "cultural revolution" to eliminate anything that might make China look backwards in the eyes of "modern" people. If you can find an acupuncturist that was trained in the real old-school methods, I highly recommend it. But avoid the TCM people, they mean well and might help somewhat, but you will get a much better result with someone trained in the older methods.

There are plenty of people who believe that certain things are genetic, and people who have those genes should be descriminated against because they are polluting the gene pool.

People will find any excuse to justify their prejudices; genetics is certainly one.

No. The study only applies to human genetics - your off the hook.