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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Chromosome abnormality

Down syndrome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Down syndrome
, Down's syndrome, or trisomy 21 is a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described the syndrome in 1866. The disorder was identified as a chromosome 21 trisomy by Jérôme Lejeune in 1959. The condition is characterized by a combination of major and minor differences in structure. Often Down syndrome is associated with some impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth as well as facial appearance. Down syndrome in a baby can be identified with amniocentesis during pregnancy or at birth.


What if mental illness was described as "chromosome abnormality"?

3 comments:

kat said...

my life would be far simpler. then again, maybe the grass is always greener on the other side...

Ana said...

It's more complex than I thought. Blaming the genes has many aspects and I'm not sure if it will reduce the stigma.

Anonymous said...

I believe that blaming the genes has really hurt me. They can't prove it is in the genes. The whole thing is a crock. I am not diseased. There are other issues going on which explain the our behavior...from diet, to emotional reasons.

They have had a long, long, long time to "find" the gene....and they can't...