Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me?: Frequently asked Questions about Genome scans and Genetic Testing

New tests that scan all of a person’s genes – that person’s “genome” – or large parts of his or her genome are now on the market. Anyone who can afford the new scans can buy one, without a prescription or a health professional’s advice, by mailing a saliva sample to a company that sells the scans. Advertisements suggest that the company then can provide information about clients’ risks of developing specific diseases, based on variations found in their genes.
it s too early for these new genome scans to give people a complete picture of their risk of mental illnesses or to diagnose them. scientists don’t yet know all of the gene variations that contribute to mental illnesses, and those that are known, so far, raise the risk by very small amounts. Genetic research might make it possible – one day – to provide a more complete picture of a person’s risk of getting a particular kind of mental illness or to diagnose it, based on his or her genes. that day isn t here yet, although studies are underway now.
in the meantime, it s important to know the difference between the new genome scans being advertised today and the kinds of traditional genetic tests doctors have been ordering for many years. traditional genetic tests look for specific variations clearly shown by research to be the cause of certain rare diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, that generally are caused by variations in a single gene.