What is it?
GeneSight Psychotropic is a pharmacogenomic test that analyzes clinically important genetic variations in your DNA. The results of the test can info rm your doctor about genes that may impact how you metabolize or respond to certain medications (Genesight.com). This can be a game changer for those of you who have tried various medications for your mental health disorders with little to no success. It can also help find the appropriate medications that can eliminate or greatly reduce the side effects you can often experience from psychotropic medications.

How it works:
The GeneSight Psychotropic test analyzes how your genes may affect your response to medications commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions (Genesight.com). The test results provide information about dosage, which medications are most likely to be effective and decrease the amount of side effects. Proven and peered review studies have shown a 30% response improvement over treatment as usual (TAU), and a 50% improvement of remission rate over TAU.
First-hand story:
For me Genesight testing CHANGED THE GAME. Let me start at the beginning. I have chronic depression and anxiety. The chronic just means it’s not going anywhere, I’m gonna have to put up with it for the rest of my life, which for most of my life seemed very daunting but now I’m very optimistic because of Genesight testing. For most of my life I was put on various medications that helped to manage my depression and anxiety but never really gave me a foothold. My mental health was always either on the edge of falling or already rolling down the hill, and I’ll be honest it was hard, very hard. And then my therapist told me about Genesight testing and I was willing to try anything at that point because I had no other options. I don’t remember how long it took to get the results back because at that point in my life I was under so much stress and so depressed that I had no concept of time. When I got the results back I was shocked, not only was I able to read it myself but it all made sense. It told me the drugs that I have been taking the majority of my life were chemically imbalanced to my body, meaning I was never going to do well on them. So we started some drugs that this little piece of paper told me I would do better on. And something changed, I got better. I was able to return to work, enjoy my life, and just have some hope for a better future. About a year later, I am still on the same meds and I am flourishing in my life. I was able to return full-time to work, something I haven’t done in years, conquer fears, make friends and finish therapy, something I had honestly never thought I’d do. Genesight testing worked for me. It gave me answers. It gave me hope. I hope it does the same for you.
Side note: What this past client of mine is not telling you is when we met 2 years ago she was highly suicidal and had no hope of getting better. I was seeing her 3x week just so we could keep her out of the hospitals. It was one of the most severe cases of depression I have seen. She had minimal trauma in her life and had tried so many counselors and medications with very few results. When I asked her to switch from her PCP to a particular psychiatric ARNP she was skeptical but willing to try. This ARNP followed my suggestion of doing the Genesight testing and it truly was the game changer. Less than a year later I was able to successfully discharge this client and know she was going to be alright.

Therapist’s view:

This is just one client’s experience, but as a therapist I have seen similar experiences time and time again. Why not take the guesswork out of medication management? It is possible to feel better without bouncing from one medication to another. However, sometimes the difficulty lies within your insurance covering it or doctors even believing it is worthwhile. My suggestion is to be proactive and advocate for yourself. Take the research to them and insist on having the testing done, especially if you have tried many other medications to no avail. Check out the Genesight testing website at genesight.com for more information and tips on how to talk to your doctor.

Written by Debra Winter, MSW, LMHC, LSWAIC