Genes and chromosomal issues

Confused

Well-Known Member
Hi all. Hope everyone is good. I know I'm not here anymore but I been going through a lot of what ifs..
..whys..."wo is me"...(however it's said) and thoughts for the future. Sorry..I know this topic was brought up in the past but way too lazy to search...

So, because mental issues run in my family, my kids have their mental health issues.( again, yes one was born early and other had trauma coming out canal) can contribute and cause issues. But, I know genes play a role cause ALL other their half siblings ...other family are fine.

So, some people told me that if I had more kids ( I'm not- I been done) that they would have something wrong too. Even if their father ( different dad) had no mental health issues in their family. My kids dad and family says their family is perfect

Like chromosomes are missing when they are devolping ( in egg or sperm I heard too) and nothing can be done even through IVF and Gene testing because it's mental health..
But Downs is seen in the IVF ..right?

What are your thoughts? Your thoughts on having kids knowing something may skip to them or having another future child may also have issues ? (Again..I'm NOT having anymore..just curious)

All this violence and deaths are really so sad, I wish there was a miracle cure for all people suffering any mental and physical health issue.

Praying for you all..thinking of you all...silently supporting you all.

As far as us..it's going. Still dreaming of traveling
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
If genes or chromosomes are missing/duplicated,you are going to see some pretty profound defects. More common is that a gene codes incorrectly for something, causing more subtle defects.

As regarding genetic defects, my husband and I both carry one copy of a gene that codes incorrectly for "clean up" of mucopolysaccharides in the brain. (it's a lot more complicated than that.)

Basically, this garbage chemical builds up in the child's brain, causing increasing and painful disability, and profound brain damage, until the the child is no longer able to survive.

"My defect" is called Tay-Sach's disorder and it is a disease of Ashkenazi Jews. I am of Ashkenazi Jewish extraction as was my husband. (Me 80% and he 50%) so we both wound up with the gene, meaning we inherited it from a carrier parent. In my case I suspect my father because there's a history of babies that wasted away by 3 or four and never were functional. vb

After years of fertility work (nothing to do with genetic defects), my husband and I, upon finding that we had a 50% of having an afflicted child, and a 100% chance of producing a carrier child, made the decision not to be parents.

There's some fascinating reading on the subject of chromosomal and genetic defect out there, even some stuff on an educated laymen's level.

Believe me, I can't make sense of some of it, and I'm a little bit above educated layman...just a little bit, and I am finding, much of what I thought I knew to be fact, with the advances in science, no longer is.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Chromosone problems are not the same as inherited mental illness.

I decided not to give birth again after I had Bart largely because I believe everything from personality to mental illness can be partly inherited. I liked the idea of adoption anyway and I did not like the genetics in my family tree, including mine. My depression/anxiety was very bad until the right medications. I have changed a lot for the better. I like me now. But in general I saw a certain meanness and lack of compassion on both sides of my family tree on top of personality disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders. I decided not to continue passing on the DNA. I mean, my DNA folks are very smart ,(Bart is my most academically intelligent kid) but I didn't see much I liked beyond that.

I am NOT sorry. My adopted children are all kind, good and funny. Totally nothing like my DNA peeps.

Bart was more difficult and was treated for mental illness, but actually he is about 70 percent better now than he was at 20. I'm glad I only rolled the dice once. There is much good in Bart as well as some problems.

I have no idea if meanness and lack of compassion can be inherited. I don't think anyone knows yet. But that did influence my choice in how I had a family.

As far as I know we have no chromodomal disorders in our DNA.
 
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Triedntrue

Well-Known Member
I know that one of the things they look for in a diagnoses of bipolar is family background. I also read an article about something being developed where they can do a brain scan or MRI (cant remember which and use it to determine what medications would work best. That would indicate some sort of connection. I found a link that is related and attached it.

Common Genetic Factors Found in 5 Mental Disorders
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I know that one of the things they look for in a diagnoses of bipolar is family background. I also read an article about something being developed where they can do a brain scan or MRI (cant remember which and use it to determine what medications would work best. That would indicate some sort of connection. I found a link that is related and attached it.

Common Genetic Factors Found in 5 Mental Disorders

I think it's a DNA test that they do to find out what drugs work best and I don't know how accurate it is at this point.

My bipolar disorder diagnosis was actually DELAYED due to my family history. Both my sister and my father are/were bipolar. psychiatrists felt it was "too easy" to diagnosis me with-bipolar, especially since I didn't have a classical presentation.

As a result, I was treated for everything else under the sun before finally being correctly diagnosis-ed and medicated. My natural "swings" are between hypomania and mixed states. It wasn't until I went full-on manic due to a trial of Effexor, that I was finally diagnosed with-bipolar disorder.
 
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