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- Title
The potential impact of genetic counseling for mental illness.
- Authors
Austin, J C; Honer, W G
- Abstract
Mental disorders are relatively highly heritable, yet complex with important interactions between genetic risk and environmental factors in determining illness expression. Due to the high prevalence of these complex disorders, steady increase in knowledge about genetic contributions, and increasing public awareness, this area may come to represent a significant proportion of all genetic counseling. The potential impact of genetic counseling in mental illness is broad. As well as the conventional expectations, genetic counseling may have the positive outcomes of reducing the guilt, shame, and stigma associated with mental illness, even within families. However, like many interventions in medicine, genetic counseling for mental disorders could potentially have unintended consequences resulting in increased stigma, guilt, and shame. The potential impacts of genetic education and providing recurrence risks on stigma are reviewed, as well as the role of education about the environment as a way of modifying family members' guilt. The review allows a preliminary formulation of a series of suggestions for genetic counseling in mental illness.
- Publication
Clinical genetics, 2005, Vol 67, Issue 2, p134
- ISSN
0009-9163
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1399-0004.2004.00330.x