Psychiatric genetic testing: Attitudes and intentions among future users and providers

AbstractPsychiatric genetic research may eventually render possible psychiatric genetic testing. Whereas all genetic knowledge has certain characteristics raising ethical, legal, and social issues, psychiatric genetic knowledge adds more controversial issues. Ethical principles have been proposed as a guide in this field, but the optimal utilization of genetic testing has also been recognized to depend on knowledge of the potential consumers' attitudes. To provide knowledge to inform the public debate on mental illness and genetics, and the future conducting of psychiatric genetic testing and counseling, we surveyed attitudes toward psychiatric genetic testing among 397 patients with a psychiatric diagnosis, 164 of their relatives and 100 medical and psychology students. The results showed widespread interest in psychiatric genetic testing of self and child, but less support for prenatal testing. Psychiatric and somatic genetic testing attracted the same amounts of accept. General attitudes toward access to psychiatric genetic testing and information revealed substantial support for bioethical principles of autonomy and privacy. However, questions describing more specific situation