Archive 1992–2014

Due to the dynamic development of molecular genetics it can be expected that genes involved in the etiology of many mental disorders will be known in the near future. Therefore, it will be possible to carry out predictive genetic tests. The purpose of the study was to analyze respondents' opinions on problems related to the possibility of predictive genetic testing application in psychiatry. Participants in this study (N = 394) were 63 psychiatrists, 79 patients, 195 students and 57 teachers. Items of the questionnaire: "Ethical problems related to genetic examinations" used in the study were concerned with genetics and psychiatry. Patients, as compared to psychiatrists, significantly more often displayed a positive attitude towards genetic predictive testing in the form of obligatory examinations, examination of minors, and prenatal tests.