Question:
Could anyone provide some insight into the likelihood that a child will
have schizophrenia given that both parents are?
Answer:
From what I understand the chances of a schizophrenia-enabled
child, given both parents are SZ also is 40% to 60%. Given these
terrible odds, I would strongly advise finding another genetic
parent. If the deed is done, get a very pro-active psychiatrist
before ANY possibility of first psychotic break i.e. 9 year-old if
the child is male. The psychiatrist will monitor the situation and
following the latest practise prescribe anti-psychotics BEFORE first
episode that does vast physical damage to the brain.
As a person who had the fairly rare childhood SZ which stopped
only to "blossom" into teenage schizophrenia which has matured into
... to quote a film "god is a nasty ".
Of course, even the most recent medications are ineffective
against the schizophrenia in over 30% of patients. They have terrible
side-effects (even, good ole Seroquel, Resperidone, Zyprexa). As a
teenager I could only stop the cacopony of shouting, rude, stupid and
illogical voices after two and a half years work. Medications never
helped with them.
Enough rambling from me. This question disturbs me. Is this a
hypothetical question? I certainly hope so for everyone's sake.
The book Abnormal Psychology by Bootzin, Accocella & Alloy reports on p.404
that the incidence of sz in children when both parents have sz is 36%. The incidence when one parent has sz is reported as 4.4% (compared to about
1% in the population as a whole).
Sadly, this is not hypothetical. And I apologize if my inquiry came
across as someone doing their homework. No, this is a real situation.
My wife's sister is in her mid-30's and has been diagnosed with SZ
since the age of 18. This past winter she became pregnant by a man also
with SZ. Ultrasound shows a physically normal baby girl. My wife and I were married last fall. We met through our participation
on alt.support.depression (my wife also has some friends here on a.s.s.
but is unable to post/e-mail currently). For her own reasons, she wants
to adopt this baby. I see many practical reasons not to, amongst these
being that the baby will have Canadian citizenship while we are in the
US. Thus there will be immigration to deal with as well as the matters
of what abouta health insurance, etc.
I guess the thing to do next is contact some mental health
professionals I knew many years ago and discuss this with them.
Excuse me - but isn't it the anti-psychotics that have been proved to
do vast physical damage to the brain!? What about the 40 - 60% of this group of children who if following
your
advise may be revieving brain-damaging antipsychotic medication but
would never have the life experiances or stress management crisis
that
preceeds "triggering" a genetic pre-disposition for the disorder - IF
this pre-disposition happens to be present!?
Now you have me confused.. you appear to be advising that; people
like myself with a natural child by a woman who had also be so labeled - should
be pusing for pro-active antipsychotic medication of my son - when he
hopefully may never develop the disorder. Then you go on to say - "..of course the medication were no help to
me and had t e r r i b l e side-effects!" - So which is it pal.... the meds
don't help - they bring terrible side-effects but we should be pumping our kid full of
them anyhow.. just in case etc etc.
My book from 1969 sais that the risk is 16% if one parent are
if the both parent are 39% but its wery unusual that both parent are.
and to brothers and sisters to a schizofren is the risk 14%
and I got 9 brothers and sisters and Im the only one who got it.
