Family studies have long demonstrated an hereditary component to various mental illnesses (Smoller et al., 2008). With recent advances in genetic knowledge there has been great optimism that genetic research will uncover mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and lead to newer and better therapies (Braff & Freedman, 2008). However, the advent of genetic testing in psychiatry has also raised many questions and concerns. First and foremost is the normative question of whether and under what circumstances (now or in the future) genetic testing should be pursued? Related to this are questions about how policies should differ for specific patient populations (fetus vs. child vs. adult). What should be done with the information- especially when the patient is asymptomatic? Should genetic information be treated differently than other health information? (Tsuang et al., 2001) Who may access genetic tests, and who may access test results? Finally, there are empirical questions of whether patients (and physicians) will request genetic testing. If they do, how will patients respond to the results, particularly if they indicate a risk for psychiatric disorder?
