Will My Child Inherit My Bipolar Disorder?

The deciding factor is knowing that there are several safe and natural treatment options. It will never be easy and things can and will go smoothly for a period of time and then just as quickly, they’ll be almost impossible to deal with… But with love, faith and perseverance the possibilities are *endless*.

Unfortunately, the word “bipolar” is used as a catchall. People in mental health have done a tremendous disservice to millions of people with their loose use of the word, throwing it around no matter whether a person is severely afflicted with bipolar 1 to the degree of hallucinations and multiple siuicide attempts or whether a person has been merely LABELED because he/she had a single major depressive episode and a single hypomanic episode, or 3 or 4 in their entire lifetime of 65+ years and went to a shrink. That latter 65+ person, or 20 yr. old, or whatever age person would be labeled “bipolar II” and considered by friends, relatives and incompetent shrinks as being just as “crazy” as they’d think a person afflictd with bipolar I of the severest degree was. The word “bipolar” is too broadly used. It’s a dangerous catchall. Find out EXACTLY, I mean EXACTLY, how serious this bipolar condition you both think you have is before falling for all this overblown, confusing psycho babble.The shrinks and drug companies are getting rich off of millions who may not need medication at all. Yes you may be bipolar. Bipolar I or bipolar II. The point I’m making is that since shrinks use this devastating term, if there’s the slightest hint of a hypomanic episode or 3, you are being labeled and medicated and given therapy and have appointmensts with the shrink every 3 or 4 months and everybody but you is getting rich and happy off of a catchall And the overlapping symptoms of the myriad of confusing psycho babale dignoses possible. A look at the disorder diagnostic codes in the psychiatric “bible”, DSM IVis disturbing for it lists a mental condition for eveything from pots and pans to the kitchen sink.A fraction, a mere fraction, of the disorders listed includes: Adjustment disorder. Alcohol disorder.Bipolar I doisorder;Bipolar I disorder, mixed; Bipolar disorder, single; Bipolar diorder not otherwise specified; Cannibus induced disorder; Factitious disorder; Major depressive disorder (recurrent); Major depressive disorder (singl episode);Medication induced disorder; Borderline personality disorder; paranoid personality diordr; Schizoaffective disorder;Delusional disorder. I’ll stop here becaue the shrinks are delusional if they think that all of these disorders with so many similar symptoms will be discovered in sesssion number 1 lasting one hour as they often do. Everybody has some type of diaorder becasuse there’s no real dfinition of “normal”. Nobody’s normal. We’re all different. And some of theseemingly “abnormal”, weird, personalityless people I’ve evr met are shrinks. It’s all too complicated and has so many cubby holes to put people in thattheirs a cubby hole for everyone, maye even God! No oe who ever went to a shrink, even if it was just for depression, single occurence and walked away without a label; a cubby hole; a name for what ailed them. And another appointment. No one is going to escape without a label, a prescription for some possibly unneeded medication and likely another appointment with the shrink who has bills to pay and needs rpeat customers in order to pay them. If you have not been affected by true manic episodes–hjallucinations, promiscuity, extravagant spending and the like, get some help. If you have hasd a “hypomanic” episodes or 2 or 3, seek some guidance. Check the shrink out ocver the internet. there are websites which will get you his/her record of complaints and credentials. Even then do not let these shrinks with their mumbo jumbo, catchall “bipolar” for everyone, find a mental problem at all cost approach snow you. Most of them could use some mental health treatmentof their own, and if one went to another shrink, he/she too would leave labeled with something and holding a prescription in his/her hand and scheduled for another appointment with their that splitting shrink because he/she, too, has bills to pay.I’ve seen about 10 therapists in my life. They weren’t worth a sneeze. Not one of them. And I’ve seen about 12 psychiatrists. All because I suffered depresion. they jumped on the bipolar label and plied me with anti depressants, which I needed, and anti psychotics, which i didn’t need. but I took the anti psychotics because I thought shriks knew everything. I’ve now studied about being bipolar. I’ve spent thousands of ours studying it n the internet. It is an absolute specialty in itself, yet shrinks in as single day might see a person bipolar, another schizophrenic, one with Alzheimers, another with alcoholism, another with paranoid personality disorder and on and on ad infinitum. And these shrinks are supposed to know all the symptoms of, drugs for, and how to treat this myriad of symptoms and disorders? Baloney. There’ll bever be anyone that smart. The brain is the most complicated thing in the entire world, yet shrinks want to be “general practioners” of it Well, they aren’t good at being general practicioners. it’s too complicated. Medical doctors have many specialties Genecholog. Dermatologists. Gastroenterentology. Cardiology.Ear,Nose and Throat. Opthamology.Osteopathy. Even chiropractics and podiatry.Etc. etc. Shrinks don’t. Why not? They’re largely misguided men and women who may mean well, but do they do well? I think most times they do not “do well” by us. And a lot of harm is done by them as they prescribe medicines like candy while having not nearly the pharmacological education of a pharmacist at CVS.
Good luck, and don’t dispair. All these statistics about hereditary bipolarism may very well have come from flawed statistical studies. Get yourself a copy of those studies. Take them to a Phd Statistician at a university perhaps. That statistician may very well say that the studies were flawed and is not an acceptable predictor of the inheritability of bipolarism. After all, the shrinks are flawed. Those who participated in the study were flawed. If you’re good with research, you can probably get the answer over the internet as to th validity and reliability of those studies. I’m willing to bet hat you can find some opinions saying the studies were valid and other opinions saying the studies were flawed and not valid. Only the shrinks and drug companies gain from all this myriad of diagnoses of hundreds of disorders. And tomorrow, they’ll add a few more. with strikingly similar causes and symptoms. It’s bananss! They’re bananas!See: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/dsmcodes.htm
My name is Mostlyskeptical and I am exactly that.
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My family has experienced 4 known generations of bipolar disorder (which presents in varying forms and with varying degrees of disability) I have no doubt that this is a genetically transmissable disease. There are many repected folks in the field, Kay Jamison- coming immediately to mind-that determined that the risk was simply too great to chance parenting. I respect her decision-but made a different choice. I believed and continue to believe that knowledge is key to the successful managment of children who inherit this disorder. Unfortunately, both my children suffer from mood disorders. My own knowledge has made what could have been a worse situation better–but it certainly did not make their lives “normal” and did not solve the major issues that they have both encountered. That being said, and despite their disabilities, both of these young adults are creative, intelligent and vibrant human beings. They add much to the lives of those around tham, and I cant imagine the world without them. So, I guess what I have to say is– take the leap–if you are prepared from the beginning to deal with the issues that these illnesses can cause. There is no certainty when you have a child that they wont have physical or mental diabilities. When you take your calculated risk, know and ACCEPT that you may be creating for yourself a lifetime of complex parenting challenges that can only be resolved with knowledge,persistance, patience and a great sense of humor–which may–or may not- result in healthy, productive and life-affirming young adults.

This is a serious topic that needs lots of attention.

Why on earth would ANYONE want to beget another biplar? Life is hard enough without having to deal with such issues.