A test for the genetic basis of panic.

A recent ABC News article discusses the development of a blood test for the genetic "signature" of panic disorder (a recognized combination of genetic markers that's equated with a greater likelihood of developing the disease). (Previously discussed here.) From the article:

"Panic disorder will no longer be a purely descriptive diagnosis, but as with cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome and other conditions, a diagnosis based on genetic information," explained [Dr. Robert] Philibert, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

Philibert warned, however, that the test is only predictive and very costly.

"We're offering a test that won't be cheap by any standards -- anywhere between $200 to $1,000 to the patient or insurance companies," he said. "The ideal person for the test is someone for whom a difference in the course of treatment is worth the cost of the test."

Of course, some folks have concerns about the ethics of testing for gene signatures of this type:

[One] danger of report cards is overestimating the value of genetic test results.

"Genetic testing will have a limited predictive value, at least for behavioral disorders"...said [Dr. Charles Glatt, assistant professor of psychiatry at Weil Cornell Medical College]. "The risk is [in attributing] a very powerful meaning to it, even for people who know the predictive power of genetic tests is very small."

But Glatt cautioned that overestimating the value of these tests could potentially lead to people being denied insurance or employment simply because they show a genetic risk for a disease.