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Knowledge and attitudes about personalized mental health genomics: narratives from individuals coping with serious mental illness

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Potokar DN, Stein CH, Darrah OA, Taylor BC, Sponheim SR.
Community Mental Health Journal, October 2012

Abstract

The present qualitative study examined the personal accounts, elicited via semi-structured interview, of nine United States military veterans with serious mental illness to describe their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about psychiatric genetics, genetic testing and counseling for mental illness. The aim of the research was to elucidate issues from the perspective of adults with mental illness that may inform the education and training of mental health providers on basic genetic counseling. Findings suggest that participants had some basic knowledge about genetics, were interested in psychiatric genetic testing, and had an awareness of both positive and negative aspects of genetic test results. Participants tended to have overly optimistic ideas about current advances in psychiatric genetics and were motivated to undergo genetic testing for the good of their families and to benefit society. Implications of findings for research and practice are discussed.

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Additional Information

Would getting detailed results on your genetic makeup affect how you see yourself?  Should people with certain mental conditions not be given their personal genetic information because they might misinterpret it? A study by psychologists at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of people with serious mental genetics about genetic testing. Study participants had basic knowledge of genetics, were interested in genetic testing related to mental illness, and had an awareness of both positive and negative aspects of genetic test results. Participants tended to have overly optimistic ideas about current advances in mental health genetics and were motivated to undergo genetic testing for the good of their families and to benefit society.  There was no evidence that the presence of a mental disorder like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder would necessarily compromise the use of personal genomic information.