Pharmacogenetic testing in psychiatry: Perspective on clinical utility

Pharmacogenetic studies the influence of inherited characteristics on medication. While different from pharmacogenomics, which is a study of the entire genome in relation to medication effect, their distinction remains inconsistent, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Although the potential of pharmacogenomics in psychiatry is apparent and its clinical utility is suboptimal, the uptake of recommendations and guidelines is minimal and research into PGx is not diverse. This article offers an overview of pharmacogenetics (PGx) in psychiatry, explores the difficulties, and provides recommendations on improving its applicability and clinical utility

Bipolar disorder longitudinal study in Nigeria – Preliminary data on demographic and clinical findings of the study cohort

Background: Bipolar disorder, severe mood disorder characterised by its ability to swing between two contrasting poles of low and elated mood with a return to relatively normal level of functioning, has a lifetime prevalence of up to 2.4%, a heterogenous clinical picture, significant burden of disease, and a high co-morbidity rate. With significant lack of data from the African continent on bipolar disorder, this study was started with an aim to provide insight into the sociodemographic, biological, clinical, and cultural picture of bipolar disorder in Nigeria. Methods: Phase I of the study required the development of a bipolar registry and collection of data in a retrospective manner from patient clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the department of neuropsychiatry, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Data collection on demography, illness onset, duration to bipolar diagnosis, mood polarity etc., were extracted manually from patient case files using a data form developed by the research team. Result: Bipolar disorder has a mean age at onset of 27.43±10.56 years, with younger age at onset in males. There is a relatively high misdiagnosis rate of bipolar disorder with delay in making a bipolar diagnosis of 19.39 months. The data also show the presence of singular mood polarity in bipolar disorder. Conclusion: Preliminary findings from the bipolar disorder longitudinal study in Nigeria has provided much needed data for bipolar disorder in Nigeria. It also makes evident the need for a prospective, multicentre study of the life course of bipolar disorder as intended in the second phase of the study