Two parents with mental illness.....

I don't know what the odds are but I'm sure it happens. It's possible for children of 2 parents with other medical issues to be born without them.

Well, the odds might be great. On the other hand, sometimes mental illness skips a generation. And someone who is bipolar has a much better capability for a normal life than someone who is schizophrenic. They key is for both parents to stay on their medication. If the child does end up with a mental illness, there is no reason that child cannot be taught to cope with it, and thrive on top of that.

It can happen and does. I know bipolar can be controlled with the proper medication. Don't know what can help schizophrenia except counseling. Don't know if there is a medication that keeps the disease in check. Bipolar is very common. We have a daughter who is in the field of mental health and she sees alot of clients with bipolar and they are fully functionable.

I often wonder about those odds too. We know a couple who has two cute little girls. The mother is bi-polar and the father has some problems too and both of them are on meds. I often wonder how the little girls will do. I would say they might have some predisposition toward mental illness later. I know that depression does tend to run in families although I don't think it is considered inherited.

I am troubled by the apparent assumption that mental illness is genetic. If these parents are contemplating having a child, they should reconsider, given that behavior is to a very large degree learned and/or induced by environmental conditions. It would appear that their plates are already full enough taking care of themselves and each other without the need to draw another human being into it. On the other hand, if such a child already exists, we must hope that s/he can overcome the odds and lead a full and productive life without impairment. Surely, the odds are very high that the child can be born free, but how long will the child stay that way? That is the question.

Well there is one here in our place. Her husband left her for another girl when she was pregnant and she went crazy,.. But she still have her daughter with her eventhough she's crazy she never left her daughter and still manages to care for her..

The chances of passing on a mental illness to children are purely genetic. The odds also vary greatly depending on the mental illness in question. For two parents with a history of mental illness in themselves or in their families should see a geneticist before considering children to recieve their own odds of producing a child with their specific mental illness. A genetic couselor will also help parents try to make the decision of whether or not they should have children based on their mental conditions and their chance of passing those conditions on to their children. In your specific question, I would like to say that schizophrenia is also influenced by the environment, it is not purely genetic. This should also be taken into account when determining the odds of passing the disorders on to children.