Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Outreach in psychiatric genetics bridges the gaps across research advancements, clinical practice, and public understanding. Effective communication with a range of audiences faces multiple challenges, including the complex nature of psychiatric disorders and of genetic findings, the chronicled and ongoing misuse of genetic data, and the rapid growth of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. This is particularly true in the internet and social media era, which has accelerated the spread of inaccurate information with serious consequences, including perpetuating stigma and increasing shame. Yet a significant gap remains in outreach: a recent survey found that only 51% of psychiatric genetics researchers participate in outreach, largely attributed to their perceived lack of skill and support. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) developed an Outreach Committee to organize and catalyze initiatives including: the Worldwide Lab, an online seminar series covering new and important approaches that is then posted on YouTube; the PGC Video Textbook, which has resources for clinicians, researchers, educators, and the broader public; patient and family engagement programs; and social media campaigns designed to inform both researchers and affected communities about new developments in psychiatric genetics. These initiatives were developed to demystify psychiatric genetics research and empower broad audiences with reliable, actionable information. Along with research and traditional teaching, the psychiatric genomics community should continue to prioritize and recognize engagement as a core component of our academic mission and values.
Source: Behavior Genetics
Authors: Helena L. Davies, Niamh M. Ryan, Kylie K. Reed, Natasha Berthold, Jared G. Maina, Ruth McNulty, Abigail R. ter Kuile, Ofure A. Ubah, Eva Trujillo-ChiVacuan, Eva C. Schulte, Jessica Mei Kay Yang, Melanie M. de Wit, Estela Maria Bruxel, Joseph D. Deak, Maria Koromina, Thomas Sollie, Alice Braun, Cynthia M. Bulik, Cathryn M. Lewis, Danielle M. Dick, Jerry Guintivano, Howard J. Edenberg
Institutions: King's College London, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, St. James's Hospital, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, Murdoch University, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, LMU Klinikum, Institut für Psychiatrische Phänomik und Genomik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Cardiff University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Baylor College of Medicine, Yale University, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Broad Institute, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Karolinska Institutet, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana University School of Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,390
Award: G4782823791
OpenAlex ID: W7128073635