Tag Archives: inherited mental illness

Asperger’s or not Asperger’s?

We’ve all heard of common mental conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders. We may also have knowledge of less mainstream disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, borderline personality disorder and Tourette’s syndrome. Yet there are many other conditions that affect humans that do not fall into such clear- cut categories but which nevertheless are indicative of problems in the sufferer. We discussed one such case in the article on Munchausen’s by Proxy. Many more strange and puzzling afflictions affect the general population and today’s blog describes one of them. It involves the diagnosis of … Continue reading →

The Parental Blame Game in Mental Illness

When a child is diagnosed with a mental illness, it is understandable that parents go through a series of powerful emotions, including fear, sadness, grief and anger. The parent questions: “Why us?” There is a real and legitimate fear as to what will happen to their beautiful teenage son or daughter who is suddenly diagnosed with schizophrenia, for example. There may also be disbelief, denial of the condition, and extreme anger. All of these are normal reactions for a parent to experience when the shock of diagnosis has hit home. Some mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum … Continue reading →

“I’ve Given my Child The Family Illness!” (1)

I often have parents come to me with tears, fears and truckloads of guilt that they have passed on a mental disorder to one or more of their children. “There’s a history of depression in my family, now I’ve passed it on to my son!” Or, “I have chronic anxiety and I can see it starting up in my little girl! It’s my fault; I’ve given it to her!” While it is only natural to take the blame for passing on what you see as a family trait, it is not realistic to beat yourself up about it. Mental illness … Continue reading →