What can our genes tell us about mental health and well-being?

Mental health problems affect nearly half of the population during their lifetime, but still remain challenging to prevent, detect and treat due to our limited understanding of their etiology. In this seminar, I will discuss how large biobanks and genetic data can help make progress. Specifically, I will:

1. Explore the role of genetics in mental health conditions and traits;
2. Discuss phenotypic heterogeneity as the key challenge in research on mental health and well-being;
3. Introduce the Estonian Biobank “Well-Being and Mental Health” Study which includes data from over 86,000 Estonians — approximately 10% of Estonia’s adult population; and
4. Outline future directions and ethical considerations for integrating genetics into personalized health care for mental health problems.