Receiving genetic information can have a very powerful effect. Some people cannot anticipate how they will feel after knowing the results of their genetic tests. Because of the possible anxiety associated with receiving test results, many experts recommend that people considering such tests spend some time beforehand thinking and talking about how the knowledge about the genetic information may affect them. Some programs use genetic counselors, whereas other programs may have a psychologist or other specialist as part of the team.
If a woman has had breast cancer, she may think that nothing could be worse than a breast cancer diagnosis, and learning that she has a gene responsible for the disease would be no big deal. But sometimes finding out that inherited risk is present -- something that could be passed to a child, for example, or just feeling "imperfect" because of a genetic situation that is nobody's fault -- can cause great distress. Also, many women who lack the altered gene, but have close relatives that have the gene, often suffer tremendous feelings of guilt.
Psychological counseling can help with these emotional issues.
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