Patients may have a variety of emotional responses upon learning their genetic risk (Hoop, 2008). Laegsgaard et al. (2009) reported that 30% of psychiatric patients feared being unable to cope emotionally with the results of a psychiatric genetic test (anxiety > bipolar disorder, O.R. 3.2, p=0.013; anxiety > depression, O.R. 2.8, p<0.001; schizophrenia > depression, O.R. 3.2, p=0.021). Thirty-two percent of patients believed learning about their genetic risk could bring on the mental disorder in question (anxiety > depression, O.R. 2.6, p<0.001), a concern that may be particularly intense for psychiatric disorders, where psychological stress can play a critical role in precipitating episodes. However, many believed knowing their genetic risk would help them feel more prepared to fight the disorder (anxiety 54%, bipolar disorder 59%, schizophrenia 62%, and depression 59%, (n.s.)). Whether the same patients were likely to see test results as both stress-inducing and helpful in preparing for the future, or whether these represent two different populations with varying characteristics, is unknown but worthy of further exploration.
