Tay-Sachs screening: social and psychological impact

Participants in two Tay-Sachs screening programs were generally satisifed with the organization of the tests and the results. There was no evidence of adverse impact on reproductive plans or interpersonal relations, and the respondents professed to believe in the value of screening. While the carriers discussed their condition freely with others and were no less favorable to the idea of screening than the noncarriers, about one-half of their number expressed discomfort in being told they were heterozygotes. These feelings were allayed by counseling, but there was evidence of some residual unease. It is suggested that this anxiety would be less prominent and more easily reduced if screening were done under conditions of ordinary primary medical care rather than outside the conventional system.