Genetic Counseling : A New Field Emerging From An Intersection Between Genetics, Medicine, And Psychology

1. What is the likelihood that any of their children (sons and/or daughters) will be born with the disorder?

As you can see genetic testing is very important and can affect a child's and parents lives for the better and the worst. Children all over the world have serious genetic diseases that affect their life on a daily. Some of these diseases are Achondroplasia, Down syndrome, and Turner's syndrome. Many believe genetic testing is a good way to test for these genetic conditions before the child is even born, but others think that it can harm the baby very badly and even cause a miscarriage, so they choose not to do this kind of testing. Knowing about the most serious genetic diseases is very important for expecting parents to be informed as well as being

In order to review their inherited genetic risks and help them understand and provide counseling according to their specific needs the genetic counselor should know the Trosacks ' have already established that their unborn child has Tay Sachs disease and based on those needs they should be provided with appropriate guidance and counseling as they progress through their pregnancy. The discussion should include what causes genetic disorders, and what that means to the Trosack couple specifically, including dominant, recessive and x-linked disorders. However, recessive disorders should be fully discussed in this case. Another topic to include in the discussion are what genes and chromosomes are, and the relation to Tay Sachs disease.

The benefit of genetic science for individuals is that it can determine if the person has a possible genetic disorder and give them

The BLS states that the employment outlook for the genetics counseling field is quite promising. They project it to grow at 29 percent until the year 2024, which is much faster than average. Keep reading to learn why the employment outlook for this exciting medical field is so good.

Genetic Counselling is used to provide support advice and information about genetic conditions. This could include learning about the health condition that runs in the family and how it is inherited and who can be affected by it. An

Although the gene chip will enable an individual to know whether he/she has a genetic disease, that person may not want to know the information. Many people are frightened that a positive finding on a genetic test will result in discrimination and ostracism because the society will consider them abnormal (Easthope 2005). The other concern is that with genetic test information one might lose or might be unable to get a job or insurance. There have been concerns that with the knowledge of one’s medical information after a gene test, he/she might suffer a psychological problem especially when the results reveal that one suffers from a terminal disease or has high possibility of suffering from one (Willis 2009).

I primarily chose this topic because initially had no idea about genetic counselling, in fact, I did not even know that there was such a thing. The field of genetic counselling is quickly expanding especially in this new found era of genomic medicine. Genetic counselling is very pivotal in clinical health care, education as well as for providing emotional support for individuals and families that are facing the uphill tasks of dealing with genetic and inherited diseases. Genetic counsellors help by providing services to patients as well as to the families of patients who are at risks of inherited diseases. They assist in genetic testing, counselling diagnosing as well as giving information on how to prevent and manage diseases. Furthermore, they also offer ethical guidance so as to help patients stay informed about health care as well as reproductive decisions. This research paper provides a review of genetic counselling and the role it plays in at the front lines of genetic health, the impact it has on medical research, patient care as well as in education.

In the case of the relationship between GC and consultand, items discussed would include: medical history, genetic history, family history, and risk assessment. If a consultand is seeing a GC that specializes in cancer, cancer will be the main focus of that conversation. If a consultand is seeing pre-natal counselor, family histories of miscarriages, autosomal disorders, and congenital malformations will be the topics of conversation. The influence of genetics on the life of the consultand is the main goal of the professional relationship. This kind of relationship is also defined by its limitations. According to the National Society of Genetic Counselors, a genetic counselor is someone who uses “the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological, and familial implications of the genetic contributions to disease”. These main goals of a genetic counselor outline the limitations of the relationship. All professions that involve one on one interaction with clients or patients have a limited skill set, and therefore a limited

Furthermore, his family members undergo genetic testing to determine if their genes were also mutated. This genetic tests helps to provide affected individuals with the opportunity of reducing their risks of developing different types of cancers caused by LS. Since, they are much aware of their risk status, they utilize early cancer screening tests and other risk reduction strategies. Public health function known as assurance is manifested here, such that individuals who tested positive to LS genetic test are linked to personal health services. Likewise, the public health goal of informing the public about health issues and prevention strategies is achieved. Future application of genetic testing could be seen in the improvement of health outcomes in mental health. Genetic testing could be used to determine the appropriate drug for any mental health condition, for example depression, specific to an individual. Public health goal of research for new insights and innovative solutions, in this case, innovative solutions to mental health treatment and management will be

genetic testing, everything has changed. She notes that clinicians now have the ability to diagnose, treat, and monitor a patient’s illnesses or disease progression in an entirely different manner. This is a far cry from the old medical model of responding to a disease (or defect) only after it appears, and then prescribing the recommended medication or intervention. These genetic medical advances sound miraculous and promising, but the ability to test, screen and provide early intervention does not come without many major ethical dilemmas.

Mrs. Covar explained to me, “A geneticist is a medical doctors that studies genetics, their roles, task, and impacts on living things.” With this in mind, I knew a geneticist would be the perfect occupation for me, for it was a form biology, which effectively facilitates living organism. Nowadays, geneticist can not only diagnose disorders, but also cure and treat disorders as well. In addition to my interest in disabled people, specifically physical and genetically inherited individuals, becoming a geneticist would be the most significant way in helping them.

People who may be especially interested and advised for testing might include couples with a family history of genetic disease, those that might have a birth defect, pregnant women over the age of 34, couples who already have a child with a genetic disorder, and couples concerned about specific disorders that occur more frequently within their ethnic group (March of Dimes 1997).

Every living thing is the product of the genes that were passed down from ancestors. Genes make up everything we are. One gets their traits from their parents. Most people live full lives with relatively good health. However, some people inherit mutated genes or faulty genes. This could lead to genetic disorders that could be life threatening. Even today, many genetic disorders still remain incurable, leaving many people without hope. Genetic therapy could be their answer. It is through this research that the cure for genetic disorders can be found. Though some people believe it is unethical or immoral to alter genes, current therapeutics have not been able to save the lives of the patients with these diseases. Genetic therapy

To learn more about human genetics and molecular mechanisms involved in the various genetic disorders, I decided to pursue a comprehensive undergraduate course at Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla University, (Raipur, India). My undergraduate studies gave me an opportunity to learn a wide variety of concepts in human genetics along with chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biotechnology. As part of my curriculum, I worked for a summer research project involved with Human Cytogenetics in Genetech which is India’s one of the leading genetic testing laboratory based in Hyderabad. This gave me a hands-on training in handling patients sample and performing karyotyping on the same. During this program, I also got an opportunity to participate in a few genetic counselling sessions which not only made me aware of radical approach the counsellors follow to help the families in understanding the