Genetic testing has given our modern society many benefits. Murder cases that are decades old have been solved, adoptees have found their biological parents and some people who are at risk of genetic diseases can put steps into place to avoid an early death. But the new tap of information can lead to distress when fathers discover the children that they have raised were not in fact theirs or people who managed to trace their siblings or parents, find that they are not wanted. And while the breast cancer you may have inherited from your mother's side could result in preventative action; the case of actress Angelina Jolie comes to mind, who decided to get a preventive double mastectomy because she carried a genetic mutation that greatly increased her risk of potentially fatal breast. The consequences of knowing you carry a gene that could give you a disease, may have a negative impact. As one friend recently told me who has tested positive for the APoE4 gene, which increases her risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, "I am losing my mind before I am supposed to lose my mind and there is nothing I can do about it." The stress and worry of knowing that she is carrying the gene is causing her to suffer and the assurances of her doctor that it does not mean she will develop Alzheimer's disease is not allaying her fears. In this article, the Wall Street Journal weighs up whether it is a good idea to access the information provided in a genetic test. – Linda van  Tilburg

Should you find out if you're at risk of Alzheimer's?