CLINICAL APPLICATION OF PSYCHIATRIC GENOMICS IN EUROPE - NOT LATER, NOW

Overall Abstract Clinical application of genomic testing in psychiatry - particularly for adults and individuals without intellectual disability - has historically lagged behind other areas of medicine despite accumulating evidence that rare and common genetic variation contributes to the etiology of severe mental illness. In recent years, however, several European centers have begun to implement genomic testing in clinical psychiatric settings. These initiatives aim to identify rare genetic conditions associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric phenotypes, improve diagnostic precision, inform medical management, and provide patients and families with more accurate information about prognosis and recurrence risk. At the same time, the integration of genomic testing into psychiatric care raises practical and conceptual challenges, including questions about patient selection, interpretation of findings, clinical utility, and integration with existing diagnostic frameworks. Across Europe, clinical implementation of psychiatric genomics is developing in heterogeneous ways, shaped by differences in healthcare systems, regulatory environments, laboratory infrastructure, and clinical traditions. This symposium will provide an overview of current efforts in four countries—The Netherlands, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—to implement genomic testing in psychiatric clinical settings and anchor it’s use within national clinical guidelines. Speakers from each country will describe the structure of their clinical programs, including referral pathways, patient populations, testing strategies (e.g., chromosomal microarray, exome sequencing, or targeted panels), and approaches to variant interpretation and clinical follow-up. Presentations will also discuss early clinical experience, including diagnostic yield, challenges encountered during implementation, and perceived benefits for patients, families, and clinicians. Together, these presentations will illustrate how genomic testing is already being integrated into psychiatric care in several European contexts. By comparing experiences across countries, the symposium will highlight both common challenges and emerging solutions related to clinical implementation. The session aims to foster discussion about how psychiatric genomics can move from research toward routine clinical practice, and how collaboration across European centers may accelerate responsible and evidence-based implementation.