Over the past 20 years, there has been a lack of funding, resources and research for mental health disorders in South Africa. The majority of large-scale genetics studies on mental health use data collected from European populations, which has left African populations under-represented and under-studied.
This was according to Dr Nathaniel McGregor, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) department of genetics. McGregor’s current research is focused on sequencing information on genomes that are representative of South African diversity in mental health disorders. The research is ongoing, with plans to release new publications in the near future.
Mental disorders are among the costliest of disorders to society. The costs stemming from mental disorders are not just health care costs — there are enormous indirect costs too. Some examples are the societal burden of unemployment, wide-ranging functional impairments and decreased quality of life. This was according to Prof Soraya Seedat, executive head of the department of psychiatry at Stellenbosch University. PHOTO: Unsplash/Jakayla Toney
“When looking at mental health disorders in large and diverse population groups, like those in lower- to middle-income countries, and specifically sub-saharan Africa, we find that diverse population genomes are absent in large studies being done globally,” explained McGregor.
Dr Nathaniel McGregor, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University’s department of genetics, explains the difficulty of prescribing treatment for mental health disorders to under-represented population groups.
Approximately 78% of large-scale genetics studies have been focused on European populations, but these populations make up only about 16% of the global population, according to Prof Sian Hemmings, head of the neuropsychiatric genetics research group at SU.
“There is a real need for increased diversity in genetics studies,” said Hemmings.
Dr Nathaniel McGregor, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University’s department of genetics, talks about how impoverished individuals can struggle to access mental health support.
The lack of diversity in genetic studies poses two main problems for the field of psychiatry. Firstly, diversity in studies is necessary to improve the prediction and identification of mental health disorders in patients before they become seriously ill, said Prof Soraya Seedat, executive head of the department of psychiatry at SU, in email correspondence with MatieMedia.
Secondly, diversity in genetic data is important for optimising the treatments that patients receive. In other words, it is important in ensuring that the treatments administered to patients of a specific ethnicity are both effective and safe, added Seedat.
Dr Nathaniel McGregor, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University’s department of genetics, explains the need for a holistic approach to mental health.
“If we want to attain the goal of ‘precision psychiatry’, and more precisely diagnose and manage patients with mental illness, then considering diversity (in terms of genetics and other diversity factors) becomes very important,” explained Seedat.
South Africa has a unique burden in terms of our mental illness profile — a quadruple disease burden, according to Prof Soraya Seedat, executive head of the department of psychiatry at Stellenbosch University. INFOGRAPHIC: Kirsty Bucholz