Poor recall Let s say your patient recalls Uncle Joe having died of stomach cancer. Further investigation of medical records and death certificates might reveal Uncle Joe s primary site of cancer as colorectal - a prime candidate for further genetic inquiry. Sometimes such investigations have revealed that Uncle Joe was no blood relation to the consultand, or that he never died but was ostracized from the family. Or, let s say your patient recalls several women in the family as having suffered from breast cancer. You need to check carefully to see whether these women were actual blood relatives of you patient.
Patients are often inaccurate in reporting family histories of mental illness.
Mental illness is frequently misdiagnosed - or not diagnosed Because of the stigma associated with mental illness, parents often withhold or alter the information given to their children. Sometimes the parents themselves misunderstood the nature of the mental condition. Careful history taking and reviews of past medical records can often clarify the family history of mental illness.