Mental illness in your family

[mrcockburn]

Today I read that the onset of schizophrenia for women can be from age 30-40, as opposed to teens/early adulthood for men. With my grandmother having had it (and committing suicide, presumably because of it), and my prior misconception that it'd have manifested in my teens or early twenties....now I'm worried.

Does anyone else have biological relatives with mental illnesses? What kind? Do you worry about getting it, or do you already have it?

 

[Chloe]

I worry about getting a schizophrenia a lot! Nobody in the family had it, but given that I know a few people with schizophrenia, and I always think "omg he is actually more normal than i am"; i get worried. But they are on meds and I am on zero meds (i have real repulsion towards meds). I've read onset for women is 25-30 usually, but i guess that could old data.

You should probably do all you can to prevent it.. and just live your life. If you will get it - it is not the end of the world. Worrying about it is. Because you know yourself how much mental distress you create by worrying.

Maybe it isnt enneagram related, but I somehow doubt many 3s are prone to that. More like to narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial or workaholism.. because there is some correlation with Enneagram types and tendency to have a disease - for example, multiple personality disorder is highly (even maybe 100%) correlated with type 5, because 5s split things into different shelves, and detach from feelings etc...

do you know your grandmother's e-type?

most schizophrenic people i know are 4.

 

[mrcockburn]

I worry about getting a schizophrenia a lot! Nobody in the family had it, but given that I know a few people with schizophrenia, and I always think "omg he is actually more normal than i am"; i get worried. But they are on meds and I am on zero meds (i have real repulsion towards meds). I've read onset for women is 25-30 usually, but i guess that could old data.

You should probably do all you can to prevent it.. and just live your life. If you will get it - it is not the end of the world. Worrying about it is. Because you know yourself how much mental distress you create by worrying.

Maybe it isnt enneagram related, but I somehow doubt many 3s are prone to that. More like to narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial or workaholism.. because there is some correlation with Enneagram types and tendency to have a disease - for example, multiple personality disorder is highly (even maybe 100%) correlated with type 5, because 5s split things into different shelves, and detach from feelings etc...

do you know your grandmother's e-type?

most schizophrenic people i know are 4.

Thanks...I think I read that smoking was supposed to actually EASE schizophrenia symptoms, though of course that doesn't mean it helps prevent it. And probably temporarily at best, so I'm not going to start up that bad habit again.

Interesting thoughts on the enneagram. My grandmother was DEFINITELY an enneagram 4. She was, I think, an INFJ 4w5.

 

[Chloe]

Thanks...I think I read that smoking was supposed to actually EASE schizophrenia symptoms, though of course that doesn't mean it helps prevent it. And probably temporarily at best, so I'm not going to start up that bad habit again.

Interesting thoughts on the enneagram. My grandmother was DEFINITELY an enneagram 4. She was, I think, an INFJ 4w5.

there are a several things that prevent schizophrenia, from what i've read - like doing no drugs, appropriate socializing, psychotherapy.. dont know... i didnt heard that one about smoking...

interesting your grandmother was 4... i really think there's some [bigger] correlation. i mean... i can't really imagine schizophrenic 3... CEO with sch? we are known to put aside any problem in order to *function*
have you heard about the line that "3s are always a few levels more problematic than how they look", i can definately relate, people usually think i am super functional and very healthy and what not only because when i talk about stuff like plans and business i am assertive - they dont see my emotional chaos inside... (if they dont know me for longer )


just keep doing typical 3 stuff and you're schizo-free -this-is-my-plan-lol-

P.S. i've heard from several different sources/people that actually symptoms of schizophrenia (when on meds) are less problematic than of typical neurosis/depressions/personality disorders, so this is how they explained me why i see shizophrenic people as better functional (sometimes!!), they don't have typical neurotic concerns - at least just a few i know - they dont care what people think and like... maybe because there's no much "ego"? and ego keeps you sane......by driving you insane with worrying..

 

[INTP]

You shouldnt be worried about that, schizophrenia isnt all about genes, genes just give it an opportunity to manifest. Also if your grandmom has schizophrenia, that only increases your chances to have it sooo little that if you would get it, it would be more likely that you drowe yourself crazy by worrying about it, rather than you just magically getting it from your grandmother.

Also onset for men and women for schizophrenia can be what ever age, its just more common with women at 40+. Still most women get it from age of 24-32, for men thats mostly ages of 20-28, so the difference isnt all that big.

Also you might find it interesting that usually introverts are the ones that get schizophrenia. Jung went to a degree where he pretty much said that its an introvert illness.

Stop worrying.

Edit.
my aunt has schizophrenia, my cousin has bipolar, other cousin had depression(but pretty good reason for that), other cousins kid was depressed before she killed herself and my mom has had one depressive episode.
I never had any major illnesses, but i might have been depressed once.

 

[Randomnity]

My maternal grandmother has schizophrenia and my mom is undiagnosed but has some very schizo-like symptoms from an external perspective (mostly connected with religion).

Both parents have pretty severe depression and have been on meds for years and years, to varying degrees of effectiveness.

I suspect my mom has adhd-inattentive, but she isn't diagnosed. My dad has self-diagnosed himself with asperger's, but again, no diagnosis. My sister has I think diagnosed social anxiety (it's definitely pretty severe).

Also medical diagnoses aside, both my parents are seriously fucked in the head loony tunes, and both are (self-confirmed, and I mostly agree) intuitive, making them seem even more crazy than they actually are.

----------

For me - I've never ever brought up mental issues with a doctor, so not diagnosed with anything. I suspect I have mild social anxiety and moderate adhd-inattentive. I've had my periods of depression but not anything really crazy, and not for more than a few years at a time, so I kinda doubt I have clinical depression. I'm not that worried about schizo but I probably should be. Not worried about any other mental thing.

I have actually been thinking recently about asking a doctor about adhd - if I could reduce the adhd-like traits I have that would be omfg lifechanging, even though I'm not a complete fuckup yet. but the rampant self-diagnosis thing holds me back, and the mild "social anxiety" (heh) makes me terrified to look stupid by presuming to think I have a mental condition when I'm really just lazy/flaky.

 

[crayons]

Yes and yes I worry about it. My maternal grandfather had bipolar 2 as did my maternal uncle. My mom has crippling schizophrenia and refuses any medication.

I ended up diagnosed with bipolar 1 a year ago but I worry it could get worse and become 2 or that I could develop schizophrenia as I age. After all, my mom's side of the family's symptoms didn't get 'bad' until their mid 30's.

 

[prplchknz]

my uncle has bipolar, and my brother went through a major depressive episode in his teens, and my mom in grad school.

 

[Lily flower]

Even though schizophrenia is genetic, and skips a generation, it still only affects 5% of biological grandchildren and depends heavily on environmental illness. I have several relatives with bipolar and one with severe schizophrenia and it hasn't manifested yet in any of the grandchildren or great grandchildren. There is some degree of anxiety disorders and OCD, but no schizophrenia.

 

[Lily flower]

oh yeah - don't smoke pot. It causes a gene mutation that encourages schiz. to develop.

 

[Randomnity]

source?

 

[Halla74]

Today I read that the onset of schizophrenia for women can be from age 30-40, as opposed to teens/early adulthood for men. With my grandmother having had it (and committing suicide, presumably because of it), and my prior misconception that it'd have manifested in my teens or early twenties....now I'm worried.

Hey there, schizophrenia is ALOT more treatable in this day and age than during your grandmother's generation.
The fact that you know you're pre-disposed to it gives you another huge advantage IF it does manifest in your life, and that is EARLY DETECTION.
A good friend of mine is schizophrenic. It hit him out of nowhere because in his family, like many (mine included) the concept of "mental illness" was considered absurd and no one bothered trying to make each successive generation wiser than those before them as such.
But, even though he had to do his initial therapy/counseling inpatient, he has been diligent with his meds and also very good at keeping his overall life stress below a level that is discomforting to him, and thus has not had to re-admit himself. His initial onset of schizophrenia was 10 years ago.

Does anyone else have biological relatives with mental illnesses? What kind?

Two are prevalent in my nuclear family:

(1) ADD/ADHD runs rampant in my family. I'm not talking "slight cases" - more like, we're all basically bat shit.
(2) Also, my Mom, Dad, and myself have OCD.

Do you worry about getting it, or do you already have it?

Oh, I've got'em both!

I didn't worry about them because my family also was oblivious to recognizing "mental illnesses" as part of any of their lives.
In military families PUSH-UPs are considered the "Ultimate Therapy." I'm not kidding. My Dad said that ALL THE TIME whenever any of us (me, my Mom, my brother, and even my niece) were having a hard time mentally with anything. Whereas when he was having a bad day, it was simply a matter of "The whole God damned world is fucked up!!!" It's good to be the Colonel, I guess.

So, I had both for quite some time before I moved out and started living on my own.
A friend of mine is a social worker, and she flat out told me that I was the ADHD and OCD poster child.
Then she asked me to clean her kitchen. :yim_rolling_on_the_
Tough love!

It took me years before I saw anyone about it.
I take meds for the ADHD (Adderall) but don't take meds for the OCD.
I did not react well at all to SSRIs, they really fucked with my brain.
Zoloft made me feel like I was freaking wasted on speed.
My pupils got massive and black when it was in my system, and my friends pointed it out to me, and said "by the way, you're acting strange too, you might want to switch meds." They were right. Then I was prescribed Lexapro, and I felt like a zombie. Seriously, I felt dead. I would rather suffer with OCD than be on Zoloft or Lexapro. That's just me. I've gone to a good bit of counseling for it and learned coping strategies that work for me when it is really acting up off the chain. I basically have to manage my stress and also re-direct the OCD when it hits into things that need to get done, instead of letting it take me off schedule and fuck up my life. Also, I'm big on lists, because they help me manage my ADHD and OCD. When I have all things on my daily list crossed off, I can relax, and just be myslef and all is well. Watching me do it all is kind of fucking terrifying to alot of people, but that's not my problem, LOL!



-Alex

-Alex

 

[INTP]

oh yeah - don't smoke pot. It causes a gene mutation that encourages schiz. to develop.

It doesent cause any gene mutations

Its just that it can work as a trigger for schizophrenia, pretty much like highly stressful long term situations or major hit on the head. People who are prone of developing mental illnesses, cant handle the psychedelic aspects of cannabis or other psychedelics. Since some aspects of being high resemble schizophrenia(brains function in abnormal ways), its like some light switch that you cant switch back to normal if you play with it too much, because gene gets activated, also called epigenetics. Heavy drinking can have same effect, but you need to drink more often than smoking weed, with stronger psychedelics than cannabis the trigger is even stronger.
Its basically just about you mental balance, if you have genetic disposition for mental illnesses, any disturbance in yoir mental balance can trigger the disorder. With alcohol this balance isnt rocked from side to side so much on the intoxiacatiln itself, but if you drink many days in row, it will have pretty strong effects on your mental health. With cannabis, its that it has steonger effect on your mental 'health', but its more temporary and only lasts as long as the high does, for healthy people that is. Drinking heavily many days or weeks in row, it lasts even after you stop drinking

 

[INTP]

What comes to heridity of schizophrenia, normal % of schizophrenia in population was 1.1% if i remember right, if one of your parwnts has it, its 2.1% if i remember right. If both of you parents has schizophrenia, thats when you are fucked and actually have notable risk of getting ill yoirself.

 

[Jules]

My father was diagnosed with manic depression though he was probably suffering with what we now know as bipolar II, and he killed himself when I was 17. Today is the anniversary of his death and he would have had a milestone birthday just a few days ago. He was an intriguing and brilliant freethinker but also a selfish narcissist who refused to take responsibility for his actions/mistakes. My mom has long-standing anxiety issues, in part from living with my dad's illness and strong personality for 20 years. My mom left at the beginning of my senior year in high school and things got pretty hairy - I had to have him hospitalized and boundaries were inappropriately crossed. Mental illness runs in his family; his father was mentally ill and his brother killed himself as well.

 

[Lily flower]

Well, researchers know that schizophrenia is related to specific gene mutations, and they know it is aggravated and dramatically increased in people who smoke marijuana, and they know that marijuana causes gene mutations. But they have not directly identified the connection, so it could be causing a gene mutation or it could be causing a chemical inbalance. Either way, it's not a good thing to do if you are trying to avoid psychosis of any kind.

 

[INTP]

Well, researchers know that schizophrenia is related to specific gene mutations, and they know it is aggravated and dramatically increased in people who smoke marijuana, and they know that marijuana causes gene mutations. But they have not directly identified the connection, so it could be causing a gene mutation or it could be causing a chemical inbalance. Either way, it's not a good thing to do if you are trying to avoid psychosis of any kind.

People with faulty genes that can trigger schizophrenia, cant restore the chemical balance properly after it has been tampered by cannabis, stress, lsd, killer hang over or what ever that triggered the schizophrena. Also i think that they cant properly destroy faulty connections made by the brains. For example someone normal taking lsd or shrooms and thinking that they turned into carrot while being high, can destroy these connections properly once the effects wear off, but schizophrenic might not be able to do this and end up thinking that he is a carrot even after they arent high anymore, and would continue building up to this faulty neural branch and cause him to make more delusions and hallucinations. Or maybe this is because of chemical imbalance?

 

[Randomnity]

Well, researchers know that schizophrenia is related to specific gene mutations, and they know it is aggravated and dramatically increased in people who smoke marijuana, and they know that marijuana causes gene mutations. But they have not directly identified the connection, so it could be causing a gene mutation or it could be causing a chemical inbalance. Either way, it's not a good thing to do if you are trying to avoid psychosis of any kind.

I know that smoked marijuana causes gene mutations in the lungs, like every other kind of smoke. What I am curious to know, hence asking for your source, is whether any mutagens can cross the blood brain-barrier to reach the cells in the brain, which would be far more interesting. Is there any evidence of that, even in animals? That would be a fairly strong link. Mutations in the lungs can't affect brain function, of course!

I've read a bit on the subject previously, due to my family history, and what I found was:

A) there is definitely a correlation between smoking as a teenager and earlier onset of schizophrenia, but

B) nobody knows whether smoking increases schizo or schizo increases smoking
i) smoking is more effective and more addictive for schizophrenics, so it is reasonable to expect that more of them would smoke
ii) any studies need to be corrected for gender, because males develop schizo much earlier and are also far more likely to smoke pot as teenagers
iii) due to illegality issues it's difficult/impossible? to do a real controlled study, so I haven't been able to find anything establishing a real causality link
iv) despite pot use skyrocketing since the 50s, schizophrenia rates have stayed fairly constant at 1-2% of the population

C) smoking at age 17 or younger is much worse for you than smoking at age 18 or older. most studies I came across found no permanent changes in brain physiology when smoking occurred exclusively after 18, although admittedly I didn't look that hard.

D) there's belief that there is a genetic "weakness" to schizophrenia that pot may exacerbate, but it isn't guaranteed from a family history, and the "pot sensitivity" genes have not been identified so this is really just speculation at this point.

Anyway, my conclusion from what I've read so far has been that there may be a link, but it doesn't seem to be a strong one, and it's not proven at all that pot is actually causing schizo - it may be a symptom rather than a cause.

Have you heard recent information that contradicts my impression? I didn't research it very heavily since the information I found kept mentioning that there is no conclusive scientific evidence, despite the media blowing everything out of proportion as per usual (see: everything causes cancer!!!!1111 also, everything prevents cancer!!!!111 often the same thing!)

 

[Falcarius]

Falcarius' eldest sister almost certainly has schizophrenia, his mother has bipolar disorder or schizophrenia depending what psychiatrist one believes, Falcarius oldest nephew has been in a psychiatric hospital for the last four years and obviously has some serious mental heath problems. Falcarius wishes he was making it up but the truth is all three are beyond help.



Falcarius does not worry about suffering from a mental illness, as he believes that if he was going to get one he would have done so by now.

 

[INTP]

[MENTION=206]Randomnity[/MENTION]

Dunno if you have heard of it, but some schizophrenics might be actually using cannabis for self medication. It might sound weird, but cannabis also includes some antipsychotics(amount of them vary from strain to strain and effects what sort of high the strain gives) and schizophrenics might find some relief from some strains of cannabis.

Also one thing you should look at is the early onset symptoms of schizophrenia, which might start from early childhood, many years before they get diagnosed. But the problem with these early symptoms is that they arent direct indicators of any mental illness, but can be seen in normal people too. So they are more like normal traits of personality, which are more common with schizophrenics. Its pretty unclear what all of those traits are, some of them are more common and more clear indicators(but still rarerily clear enough to give diagnosis).
i only know few of these, but i wouldnt wonder if reckless behavior, need to experience altered states of consciousness, addictive behavior etc(that might lead to substance abuse) would include.

What comes to genes of schizophrenia, quite many genes for schizophrenia has been found, but this stuff isnt simple as this gene gone wrong = schizophrenia