Psychological impact of the development of a presymptomatic test for Huntington's disease.

For the first time, a genetic probe can provide individuals at risk for Huntington's disease (HD) with diagnostic information regarding this progressive genetic disorder before symptoms are exhibited. This article investigates the effects of such a technology on the at-risk HD population. At-risk HD individuals were informed about the genetic probe, and their level of anxiety was assessed. A group conference format was an effective means of providing information regarding the HD probe to a large number of at-risk families. Findings from the measure of anxiety demonstrate that the at-risk HD population is no different from a normative population or from an at-risk HD population unfamiliar with the new technology.