Expert: Joyce A. Anthony - 12/31/2006

Question
hi, my name is heather. I am the mother of too small children, but my youngest child is 10 months old now, and i have some concerns about him. Because his father has schofective disorder, schezafenea, a.d.d, and server depression and biopolar and his mother and 3 brothers and 2 sisters all have serious mentally problem as these one and more and i am afraid my child will be affected. what are the chances of him having these things? He crys all the time, and won't sleep. i am very worried about him. what should i do, can i do? thanks, heather

Answer
Hi Heather:

I can understand your concerns.  The child who has one parent affected by these types of disorders has a fifty percent chance of also inheriting them.  When both parents are diagnosed, the chance increases to 75 percent.  For each generation previous to the parents, the chances increase by five percent.  This said, there is a strong chance your child will inherit some kind of emotional disorder.

This need not be seen as a sentence.  You are obviously very involved and, when emotional disorders are discovered early, there is a very good chance that intervention can enable the child to grow and live a virtually normal, and very productive life.

A ten month old child who cries and won't sleep could have several reasons.  First, I would suggest mentioning your concerns to your family doctor.  Explain the family history, but have him/her check your child for possible physical reasons.  He may simply be prone to stomach aches that can be easily fixed.  All physical causes must be ruled out first.

Once this is done.  If there is still concern, look in your phonebook or contact a local mental health unit at a hospital.  As if they can direct you to any early intervention programs.  When a child's family has an intense history of emotional disorders, there are organizations that have started in recent years that will follow your child's development and watch for any signs of a problem.  

They will help you learn to cope with any symptoms and be able to let you know if there is indeed anything to worry about.  

Please feel free to contact me again should you have further questions.
                           Joyce A. Anthony