You are here:

Bipolar Disorder/Bipolar Predisposition

Advertisement

Expert: - 8/6/2008


Question
Hi,
My mother and 2 of my brother's have been diagnosed with bipolar. My husband has recently been diagnosed with BPII at the age of 34, and we are certain that his mother has BP as well. I have also been treated for moderate clinical depression for the last 10 years. My husband and me have a 5 year old son together and I do not want to be too presumptuous concerning the "BP thing". However, I was wondering what the probability (percentage wise)of my son ending up with some sort of BP would be?

Thank you in advance!
Melanie

Answer
Hi, Melanie . . .

While there have been many studies of the genetics of bipolar disorder disorder I know of none that have studied families with  history such as yours.

I'd estimate that your son has about one chance in three of developing a depression at some point in his life.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bipolar Disorder

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.