Gene Testing for Mental Health Medications
Mindfully offers gene testing to improve the effectiveness of psychiatric medications. Gene testing for medications can guide dose adjustments and reduce trial-and-error, leading to faster, more personalized treatment for mental health conditions.
What is the Benefit of Genetic Testing for Psychiatry Medications?
Gene testing for medication management, also known as pharmacogenetic testing, helps your Mindfully psychiatry provider select the medication, adjust the dosage, and identify potential side effects for you. By tailoring your psychiatry treatment to your genetic profile, your Mindfully psychiatrist can make more informed decisions, potentially reducing the trial-and-error process and helping you find the right medication more quickly and safely.
What is Unique About Mindfully's Gene Testing?
Mindfully offers genetic testing through GeneSight®, to provide your psychiatrist or nurse practitioner with valuable insights into how your unique DNA may influence your response to psychiatric medications.
GeneSight® is unique because it uses a proprietary combination pharmacogenomic (CPGx) algorithm that simultaneously analyzes multiple genes to provide personalized guidance for psychiatric medication. Unlike single-gene tests, it considers how genes interact with each other to offer more accurate predictions of drug response, dosage needs, and side-effect risk. Recent enhancements also adjust recommendations based on smoking status.
How Does Gene Testing Work?
When you meet with one of our psychiatry providers in person during your initial assessment, they will provide you with a GeneSight® test kit for you to take home.
This kit is very simple, quick, and painless to use.
You gently rub a cotton swab inside each cheek to collect DNA, place the swabs in the provided envelope, complete the paperwork, and return everything using the prepaid mailer. Results are typically sent to your Mindfully psychiatry provider within a few days.
Professional Referral?
Are you a mental health provider or agency that would like to refer a client for psychiatry services? Please complete this form, or contact us.Â
Does Gene Testing for Psychiatric Medications Work?
Studies show that GeneSight® genetic testing can help psychiatry providers choose mental health medications that are more likely to work for you.
GeneSight® research shows that psychiatry patients who used GeneSight® had better outcomes. Approximately twice as many psychiatry patients saw their symptoms improve compared to those who didn’t use the test. It also helped reduce side effects and made it easier to find the right medication faster, which can save time and help people feel better sooner.
What is the Cost of Gene Testing?
The cost of the GeneSight® test depends on your insurance, but most patients pay $330 or less. Many patients with Medicare (Part B) or Medicaid often pay nothing at all.
What To Expect with Gene Testing for Psychiatric Medications
During your initial in-person meeting with one of our psychiatry staff, they will ask you if you are interested in the gene testing. If so, they will provide you with the self-testing kit to take home. The test is quick and easy to do. You will swab your cheeks and mail the test to GeneSight® in the provided pre-paid envelope. Your Mindfully provider will receive the results within a few days and will be able to tailor your psychiatric medications based on these results.
