Expert: Ivan Goldberg, M.D. - 11/29/2007

Question
Hi.  I am wondering what the risk of giving a baby bipolar is.  I know this guy and both his parents seem to have a mental disorder bipolar/schizophrenia.  His sister (17) also is showing serious signs of bipolar.  He has absolutely no symptoms and is healthy - but is a diabetic.  My birth mom is bipolar/schizophrenic and so are 4 of her five sisters, possibly her mother, and I don't know beyond that, as I am adopted.  I know nothing about my birth father.  I have no symptoms of a mental disorder, either and am healthy except for ragweed allergies.

What would the chances be, if we were to get married and have children, of our children being bipolar?  I would not want to give any child a mental disorder that can cause so much pain.

Answer
Hi . . .

In the general population the risk of having bipolar disorder is 1-2 percent . . . although if the milder forms of the disorder are included the risk in the population is probably 4-5 percent.

When it comes to predicting the risk when the disease is in families, but not in the parents, of a child, it is impossible to calculate the risk. It is probable higher than the risk in the general population but by an unknown amount.

When it comes to parents having bipolar disorder the risk is as follows:

If one parent has bipolar disorder the risk of each child having it is 15 percent:

If both parents have bipolar disorder, the risk to each child is 50 percent.

Best regards . . .
Ivan