Posted by juniper on January 21, 2000, at 23:06:37
In reply to worried about my kids, posted by kelly on January 21, 2000, at 10:33:33
kelly,
even though you have a familial history of mental disorders, your children are by no means doomed to inherit one. it is commonly aggreed that mental disorders are caused by a complex interplay between genetics and environment(or experiences). i know of no test which can detect the latent presence of a mental disorder, and certainly no test which could do so with complete accuracy. (there are brain scanning devices that can detect a shortage of activity in certain brain functions related to mental disorders, but as far as i know these are used for research and not diagnosis.)
i do not think i would want to know if my child were predisposed to a mental disorder. what would i do differently? i couldn't protect him or her from every misfortune in life, nor would i want to (as stumbling blocks are a part of life, everyone's, and play an important role in growth). and i'd worry myself silly diagnosing if my child were suffering from accute depression or simply a broken heart.
you are obviously a very caring mother. i think that the best that you can do for your children is to be there for them, as you would regardless. it is also fortunate that you know the signs of many disorders, and will be attuned to their presence if they ever do emerge in your children. the earlier someone receives help, the better.
i wish you and your family peace and blessings,
juniper
> I've been thinking about if my kids are going to end up w/ this depression or like my sister that is schizophrenia? My father killed himself when i was 12yrs.old,his sister kill herself before i was born,My mother,her brother,&granma suffer w/ depression.
> I was wondereing if there's any test that could tell if they are going to have any of theses problems?
poster:juniper
thread:19332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000112/msgs/19376.html