by Chris Gorman M.D., F.R.C.P.C.
(About Dr. Gorman)(This question answered on or before: 2007-06-01)
Dear Doctor,
My mother is bipolar 1 sometimes diagnosed with Affective Schizophrenia. She has been this way since her early twenties and gave birth to I and my sister's (3 girls) one after the other over a 3-4 year period, so she would have given birth 1964, 1965 and 1966! It seems she was diagnosed after the birth of her last child. There does not appear to be any record or knowledge of any other member in her family, parents, grandparents etc who had the illness. Neither I nor anyone of my siblings have it, although there is definite PMS! What is the chance that my children will have it?
Thank you for your help.
Thank you for your very important question. Diagnosis is sometimes difficult in psychiatry, especially as diagnostic issues change over time. Specifically, it sounds like your mom has schizo-affective disorder. In some people this condition is more like schizophrenia and in others it is more like bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder in your mom would put your chances of having the disorder at 10%. That would mean that 90% of your children will not have the condition. Because the genetics of this is tied to the environment also and many genes are involved, you could have an increased risk for schizophrenia, manic depressive illness, bipolar disorder type 2 and depression.
One thing is for sure, if you have a mood disorder in your family, it is more likely that you will have relatives that are more kind, more compassionate, try harder and are often more creative and energetic than others. We need more people with connections to bipolar disorder, rather than less.
Schizophrenia is a more serious and less treatable illness which has less potential to be passed on in families, even though it still does have a genetic component. From what you have told me, I would proceed with having kids and realise that the odds are on your side for your children to be fine. If not, they will not be all bad with all the traits these conditions also have attached to them.
I hope that helps, and thanks again for the question.
Dr. Gorman
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