Rescripting Psychic Pathologies: CRISPR-Cas9’s Biochemical Reconfiguration of Mental Health in Cultural and Bioethical Contexts of Post-2000 Speculative Fiction and Autobiographical Narratives

Authors

  • Hamed Jamalpour *

    English Language and Literature Department, Karaj Islamic Azad University, Karaj 3149968111, Iran
  • Manzar Feiz

    Comparative Literature Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75080, USA
  • Zahra Jamalpour

    Medicine Department, Alborz University of Medical Science, Karaj 3198764653, Iran
  • Golbarg Darvishian Kermanshahi

    English Language and Literature Department, Karaj Islamic Azad University, Karaj 3149968111, Iran
  • Fateme Yari

    Biochemistry Department, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Mazandaran 4815733971, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55121/cci.v2i2.532

Keywords:

CRISPR-Cas9, Mental Health Disorders, Speculative Fiction, Autobiographical Narratives, Cultural Conflict, Cultural Integration, Bioethics

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas9’s potential to reconfigure the neurogenomic underpinnings of mental health disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and PTSD, heralds a biochemical revolution in psychic pathology, yet it unfolds amid profound cultural conflicts and aspirations for integration. This descriptive study explores how post-2000 speculative fiction and autobiographical narratives rearticulate CRISPR’s biochemical interventions, navigating the ontological uncertainties of psychic identity and bioethical dilemmas surrounding autonomy, neurodiversity, and stigma. Speculative texts like Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous imagine dystopian futures where genetic editing reshapes cognition under clashing corporate and individual values, while Elyn Saks’s The Center Cannot Hold and William Styron’s Darkness Visible narrate lived experiences of schizophrenia and depression, confronting Western biomedical stigma and advocating integrative, neurodiverse perspectives. Through close readings, this article examines how these literary epistemes employ narrative strategies, fragmented structures, and metaphorical imagery of neural flux, to mirror CRISPR’s molecular reconfigurations while addressing cultural tensions, such as Western pathologization versus Indigenous or Eastern holistic frameworks. The analysis reveals literature’s role as a sociocultural crucible, rescripting CRISPR’s promise and perils into narratives that interrogate selfhood and foster dialogue across cultural divides. This qualitative exploration offers a nuanced lens on how narrative forms mediate the biochemical, ontological, and cultural complexities of CRISPR-driven mental health interventions, contributing to broader discourses on identity and ethics.

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Vol. 2 No. 2 (December 2025): In Progress

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