Testing positive for a genetic predisposition to depression magnifies retrospective memory for depressive symptoms.

Depression, like other mental disorders and health conditions generally, is increasingly construed as genetically based. This research sought to determine whether merely telling people that they have a genetic predisposition to depression can cause them to retroactively remember having experienced it. U.S. adults (men and women) were recruited online to participate (Experiment 1: N=288; Experiment 2: N=599). After conducting a test disguised as genetic screening, we randomly assigned some participants to be told that they carried elevated genetic susceptibility to depression, whereas others were told that they did not carry this elevated genetic liability or were told that they carried elevated susceptibility to a different disorder. Participants then rated their experience of depressive symptoms over the prior two weeks on a modified version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Participants who were told that their genes predisposed them to depression generally reported higher levels of depressive symptomatology over the previous two weeks, compared to those who did not receive this feedback. Given the central role of self-report in psychiatric diagnosis, these findings highlight potentially harmful consequences of personalized genetic testing in mental health.

抑郁症和其他精神障碍以及一般的健康状况一样，越来越多地被认为是基于基因的。这项研究试图确定，仅仅告诉人们他们有患抑郁症的遗传倾向是否会导致他们追溯性地回忆起自己曾经历过抑郁症。 通过网络招募美国成年人（男性和女性）参与研究（实验1：N = 288；实验2：N = 599）。在进行了一项伪装成基因筛查的测试之后，我们随机分配一些参与者，告诉他们携带抑郁症的高遗传易感性，而其他参与者则被告知他们没有这种高遗传倾向，或者被告知他们对不同的疾病有高遗传易感性。然后，参与者在贝克抑郁量表 - II的修订版上对自己过去两周的抑郁症状体验进行评分。 与没有收到此类反馈的参与者相比，被告知其基因使他们易患抑郁症的参与者通常报告在过去两周内有更高水平的抑郁症状。 鉴于自我报告在精神疾病诊断中的核心作用，这些发现凸显了心理健康领域个性化基因检测可能带来的有害后果。