Main description:

How to weigh genetic factors while choosing the best psychosocial interventions Psychosocial Interventions for Genetically Influenced Problems in Childhood and Adolescence explores empirically supported psychosocial interventions in light of our current understanding of the genome. It considers how interventions may be modified and enhanced as the products of genomic research continue to expand and why they offer the most promise for making substantial gains in treatment and prevention. Providing a clear, accessible assessment of our current knowledge, both of the genome and evidence based treatments, Psychosocial Interventions for Genetically Influenced Problems in Childhood and Adolescence provides practical advice to clinicians,policy makers, and others invested in treating young people who present with a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, substance abuse, and dyslexia. Rende discusses the current understanding of genetic etiology of psychopathology, and explores the support, or lack thereof, for various modes of treatment in light of new genomic knowledge.
The overall premise is that our advances in genetics will be put to best therapeutic use by fueling translational psychosocial interventions. Key points raised include: * The need for treating children suffering today, rather than waiting for a biological "magic bullet" * Discussion of how empirically-supported interventions mesh with genetic vulnerabilities * Ways in which interventions may change as genetic research continues

Contents:

Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii 1 Prelude: Great Expectations 1 Aren t Magic Bullets Possible? 10 So Aren t Similar Successes Imminent? 11 What Will be the Yield of Genetic Research in Terms of Intervention? 14 Where Will All of This Lead? 17 2 Autism Spectrum Disorder: Can We Use Environmental Intervention to Reprogram Genetic Effects? 21 Genomic Approaches to ASD 24 Is There a New Fundamental Etiological Model of ASD? 27 Genomics, Complex Disorders, Hype, and Hope 30 Using the Environment to Reprogram the Effects of Genes 34 What s Next? 41 References 44 3 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Reading Disorder: Illuminating How the Environment Shapes Highly Heritable Disorders 45 Genetic Models of ADHD and RD: Why Has Gene Discovery Been So Elusive? 47 Why Would the Environment be Important for Highly Heritable Disorders? 51 More Nuanced Models of Gene Environment Interplay for ADHD and RD 54 The Promise of Psychosocial Interventions 59 Concluding Remarks 66 References 67 4 Conduct Problems and Substance Use: The Underappreciated Role of Shared Environmental Influences 69 Genetic Models of CP and SU 73 The Impact of Shared Environmental Influences 75 Getting Molecular About the Environment 81 A Developmental Gene Environment Model 86 Family-Based Interventions and Genetic Epidemiology 90 Summary and Looking Ahead 95 References 96 5 Depression: The Importance of the Family as a Context for Gene Expression 99 High-Risk Studies of Offspring of Depressed Parents 101 Genetic Models of MDD 104 GxE Interaction and Depression 108 Depression in Adolescents and Children 112 Who Should be Treated in Families at Risk? 116 Implications of the Parental Treatment Studies 120 References 124 6 Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Complex Phenotypes, Genotypes, and Environments 127 Current Thinking on the Genetics of BP 128 Is PBD an Early Manifestation of Genetic Risk to BP? 130 The Clinical Complexity of PBD 138 Emphasizing Psychosocial Interventions for PBD 143 Conclusions 148 References 150 7 Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: The Intersection of Genes and Environments 153 The Heterogeneity of Anxiety Disorders: Focusing on Anxiety-Related Behaviors in Childhood and Adolescence 154 Anxiety in the Family: The Intersection of Genes and Parenting 164 Genes, Environment, and Anxiety: Newer Methdologies 168 Concluding Remarks 174 References 177 8 The Future: Why Psychosocial Intervention Will Matter Even More 179 Future Genetic Research and the Conceptualization of Disorders 183 Genomics May Refine Diagnosis and Point to Tailored Interventions 188 Genomics Will Lead to Earlier Intervention 191 Genomics Will Accelerate the Development of Psychosocial Interventions 193 Will We Discover Magic Bullets? 194 Author Index 197 Subject Index 203