Support for the Availability of Prenatal Testing for Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions in the Psychiatric Community

Abstract

Faculty and residents of the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, members of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AMI), and university students were surveyed to elicit attitudes toward the availability of prenatal testing and genetic therapy or enhancement for early- and late-onset psychiatric diseases compared to neurological disorders and human traits. They were asked to complete a written questionnaire designed to assess their opinions as to whether prenatal testing and genetic therapy or enhancement should be applied to 16 selected "disease" phenotypes or human traits: eight early- and late-onset psychiatric conditions, four neurological disorders, and four human traits. Twenty-two percent returned the written survey. The majority of all respondents supported the availability of prenatal testing for well-defined, serious psychiatric or neurological phenotypes and found testing for human traits less desirable. The percentages of respondents supporting availability of testing increased if in utero curative gene therapy was available. Response to the survey differed on the basis of gender and age, as well as personal versus professional familiarity with the condition. The results of this pilot study suggest that a majority of the population, including psychiatrists, will support the public availability of prenatal diagnosis for serious psychiatric or neurological phenotypes, even if no in utero curative therapy is available. Support for testing for human traits was not strongly endorsed.