As many as 1,000 patients will be tested.

The three-year research was expected to start next year once sufficient volunteers were available, explained Dr Verayuth Praphanphoj, the head of the Rajanukul Institute Centre for Medical Genetic Research.

All subjects will be psychiatric hospital patients suffering from depression only.

The Mental Health Depart-ment together with five leading medical schools will undertake the study.

"This is a step forward in figuring out the cause of problems in mental illnesses," said ML Dr Somchai Chakraphan, the department's director-general.

The DNA profile of patients will be studied and compared to discover if there are common threads and if they are related to depression, explained Verayuth, who will lead the study.

The findings should help shed light on the association of biological factors and mental illnesses, he said.

Previous studies in the West had provided some clues but further investigation was required in Thai subjects in order to isolate any genetic differences.

"In the future, not only will it help doctors understand mental and neurological problems better, but the genetic study of mentally ill patients will contribute to the improvement of diagnoses and treatment of mental conditions," Somchai said.

Verayuth explained that while every individual's DNA profile was unique, researchers were hoping to find genetic similarities in those who suffered from depression.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation