Genetic information can be very powerful. Some people cannot anticipate how they will feel about genetic information. 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 this information may affect them. Some programs use genetic counselors, and some 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 there is inherited risk-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 do not have the gene but have close relatives that do, often suffer with tremendous feelings of guilt.
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