Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Mental disorders affect one in five Canadians and influence employment, education, and relationships. The origin of mental disorders is unknown, but both genes and the environment are believed to play a role. Family members share part of their genes and environmental exposures. Therefore, it is expected that individuals are more likely to have a mental disorder if they have a family history of the disorder. This study aims to test if individuals are more likely to have a mental disorder if they have a family history of the disorder. The study also aims to test if mental disorder risk prediction can be improved using the entire family history of mental and physical health conditions. We will conduct a large study using claims healthcare databases in Manitoba; one of a few sites in the world with family linkage across the generations at the population level spanning 50 years. We will include all adult offspring residing in Manitoba between 1974 and 2020 and who can be linked to at least one parent. We will identify diagnoses of mental disorders and physical health conditions in these individuals and their family members (i.e., parents, grandparents, and siblings). Mental disorders will include mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, or substance abuse disorders. We will use machine-learning techniques to identify specific risk factors from these detailed health histories to predict mental disorders in the adult offspring. This innovative study will be the first of its kind; constructing thorough, objectively-measured health histories from existing databases to predict the likelihood of mental disorders. Identifying individuals at risk of mental disorders will help develop early support programs and inform healthcare resource decisions. Investigating the influence of family health histories with different degrees of relativeness will provide important information about mental disorders' developmental origins.