Chances of Inheriting Schizophrenia

[worriedguy]

Tonight I have just found out my father might have schizophrenia being diagnosed years ago but keeping it secret, my mum somehow found out ages ago and told me today. He also has depression and is an alcoholic, My household life has been rather unpleasant the last 4 years with him causing fights all the time and deluded thoughts, like everyone is against him etc...

I am 18 years old and through all this fighting has developed what I hope is an emotional wall to block out pain, feeling emotionless on the matter at home, and I somehow feel emotionless to many aspects of my life, for instance my mother could be balling her eyes out due to a fight and I could care less, that does make me feel bad, I wish I could feel sorrow for her...Im just hoping its an emotional wall.

I do have an above average IQ (not that IQ really means anything, you cant measure intelligence it is too complicated) but a very short attention span, almost like ADD.

I am also very impulsive and have snapped at a few friends, not in person but over texts and things like that. I hope I don't have schizophrenia, I have never had any schizophrenic episodes like delusions and stuff like that, just being impulsive, snapping, concentration problems and general apathy, I was depressed for a small part of last year and this year but that seems to come and go, but when it comes it comes hard and can last a day to a month.

I took mushrooms a few nights ago, and didnt have any episodes, it was a fun trip and I was planning on taking some more soon, It did end a little bad, not a full blown bad trip but just anxiety and small negative thoughts, but mainly due to me not expecting the trip to be as intense as it was.

I don't want to have schizophrenia as I know hallucinogens are a bad idea with it, but I really enjoyed my first mushroom trip. I am also smoke marijuana a fair bit, no bad episodes with that either.

What are the chances of me inheriting schizophrenia from my father? I know I must inherit the gene AND have a traumatic experience for it to activate (or a psychedelic experience).

I'm also thinking of seeing a psychiatrist to better understand these things.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Rogue Robot]

Anonymous -> TDS

 

[Mariposa]

Hi worriedguy,

I was in the same position as you, only it was quite evident and not hidden from me that my mother had paranoid schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder.

Schizophrenia is probably not caused by any one specific gene. There are many hypotheses as to why the disease occurs. The child or other first-degree relative of someone who is diagnosed schizophrenic has approximately a 13% chance [source needed; this is from memory] of developing the illness, whereas schizophrenia occurs in the general population at the rate of about 1%.

I was very closely monitored for symptoms throughout my life and now I'm 30. I have other psychiatric diagnoses (depression, panic disorder, GAD and now PTSD), none of which have any resemblance to my mother's schizophrenia. Per my past and present psychiatrists, I have as close to an "all clear" as I ever will as symptoms would have shown up much, much sooner.

I am familiar with the sense of dread you feel over possibly getting sick yourself one day, and I can only relay what my psychiatrist told me when I first saw my own at 18 (for panic attacks/depression). That was, basically, that if I started showing symptoms, to let her know right away, and that I probably wouldn't. I never showed any. I've used psychedelics in the past and had some major life traumas, including the death of my mother when I was 16.

From the statistic I cited from memory, you have an 87% likelihood of NOT ever becoming schizophrenic. Concentrate on that, really. Only time will tell, and you should definitely see a psychiatrist for the problems you presently have. It is obviously a personal decision to use psychedelics or marijuana. I'd advise against at least the first, and if marijuana has significant psychedelic effects in you (it does not in me) then it really isn't worth it, man.

More on statistics here:

Schizophrenia Facts

Most schizophrenics have an above-average IQ. It's also a taboo subject in many families. My mother's father will not admit, to this day, that she was schizophrenic. Yet if it brings you any comfort - my mom was one of 7 siblings. None of the others are schizophrenic. One of my cousins on my mom's side (out of ~30 cousins - mother's sister's daughter) did develop childhood schizophrenia (the "trigger" may have been abuse by her father) but she is now healthy, in her 20s, and thriving with a son of her own.

It is very difficult to be the son or daughter of a schizophrenic parent, in large part because of the societal stigma. I'd advise you to see a psychiatrist and also a counselor to ensure that your mental health is preserved.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, ask away. Hang in there, and know that the odds are very much on your side. You will increase the odds of a healthy mind and life if you don't mess around with your neurochemistry too much through using recreational drugs.

 

[SpecialK_]

I would also like some advice from this thread. My dads cousin or uncle was diagnosed as schizophrenic meaning this is around 2 or 3 steps up in the family tree for it to come from (as it is my dads cousin it is his mother/dad's brother's son - is this correct?) I am curious to how likely it would be for me to inherit the schizophrenia, out of my family (5 of us) I am the only who regularly participates in taking recreational drugs, by favourites being weed and LSD. I have took LSD numerous times and have had bad experiences and toke frequently, some time periods several times a day, every day. This has been ongoing for over a year, so is it unlikely I have schizophrenia. This has become a further thought in my head lately due to paranoia from weed and when I get paranoia with schizophrenia in the back of my head they both connect and so it makes things worse so it would greatly put my mind to rest. However I do not know much about schizophrenia or inheriting it.

 

[beagleboy]

My grandmothers husband, a professor at a private University, left her for his black male lover in the 1960's and the two moved to Fire Island and he became the mayor. She fell ill, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
I smoked meth for ten years, and while recentely in jail, made a scene in the visiting room. I was re-located from county jail to a New York State Department of Corrections Forensic Hospital. I mentioned Scientology to the psychiatrist there. He diagnosed me a paranoid schizophrenic. I had to serve mandatory time in a civil psyche hospital after my release. I was diagnosed schitzo-effective. The shit was following me around even after I was released from there, so I went to a psychiatrist in my city and explained myself. He gave me a diagnosis of mood disorder.
Schizophrenia isnt permenant by its own Dr's, and it isnt even a disease.

There are many hypotheses as to why the disease occurs. The child or other first-degree relative of someone who is diagnosed schizophrenic has approximately a 13% chance [source needed; this is from memory] of developing the illness, whereas schizophrenia occurs in the general population at the rate of about 1%.
I think the “pharmaceutical industry is looking at our children the way the logging industry would look at a redwood forest” (quote from an article in the LA Times recently). In reality, this is likely the most evil thing that we’re facing as a civilized world. They want to force children to answer intimate and embarrassing questions on a questionnaire which is designed to get them on pharmaceutical drugs.
Psychiatric evaluations aren’t based on science period! They’re just made up and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is growing with more and more fabricated “mental illnesses”.
Do psychiatrists really know what they are doing? It would all depend on what they were reading in their A-Z manual. In reality, they don’t know what they are doing. Their road map, or the references that they use, are not based on science; rather, they are based on their opinion of what the behavior is. There is no measurement of anything. Consequently, it’s not a science. It’s observation of human behavior. Observation of human behavior could be considered a science if you’re correctly identifying behaviors. But, to attribute that to a chemical disorder when you cannot measure it or find it or demonstrate it, here in the year 2010 is not reasonable.
Psychiatry is not science; it’s observations of human behavior, without any scientific backup. For example, diagnosing someone with a “chemical imbalance” is a fabricated diagnosis. They have no evidence whatsoever of any chemical imbalance. They can’t measure it, they can’t find it. So, there’s no chemical imbalance that’s measurable. That’s like saying there’s heart disease when you can’t measure anything other than symptoms. It’s contrary to all of medicine where you fabricate a behavior as a disease and then you say there’s a chemical imbalance. Then, they try and justify their results with a PET scan. Well, a PET scan can’t detect a chemical imbalance. Secondly, you can alter PET scans with natural substances such as arginine, vitamin E, etc.
They showed PET scan results on CNN saying that these tests show differences in brain function of people who are depressed. It seems to me that if you happen to be having a bad day, your PET scan could show diminished flow in certain areas of your brain. In that case, you could be diagnosed with depression and be prescribed a drug.
PET scans do not show a chemical imbalance. It can measure blood flows in the brain, for example. And, that’s not chemical. Some of the PET scan results may be consistent with some behaviors. You can improve PET scans scores using natural substances better than pharmaceutical drugs.

Just increasing and improving health will do wonders for the majority of people who have been labeled as being mentally ill. This goes for people who are experiencing fatigue, who may be depressed. Very often, we find that they have hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies or lack exercise.

(Do not make personal attacks or underhanded jabs at other BLers please)

If you would like to take a pro-active stance concerning your own mental health you should read and re-read Dianetics The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard.

The Church of Scientology has become the target of critics since actor Tom Cruise publicly bashed Psychiatry and public education. They say he isnt qualified to make such remarks.
In reality, the public isnt qualified to hear and understand such remarks.

I'm here to answer any questions you have about Scientology and clear up any misconceptions and false rumors.
(Your mention of other BLers by name is not necessary in this situation. )

Since 1985, at least 20 books by L. Ron Hubbard have become bestsellers.
In March of 1988, nearly four decades after its initial publication, Hubbard's "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health" was No. 1 on virtually every best-seller list in the country — including the New York Times.

heres a link.
http://dianeticsbook.com/

 

[WSB15]

There is now a very strong body of evidence indicating that cannabis greatly increases the risk of developing schizophrenia in people genetically predisposed to it (e.g., those with a close relative with psychosis). I'd be glad to send you links to recent studies. If I were you I would completely avoid it, considering how much suffering schizophrenia would cause you its just not worth it just to get high. Hallucinogens aren't a good idea either, in my opinion.

 

[panic in paradise]

i have read an equal amount of studies from places such as Oxford and Harvard supporting cannabis use for schizophrenia; their interest lies mostly in CBD's.

for me personally it gives me a much needed 3rd persons perspective, a window of actual charity where i recognize that yes, i "relapsed", and i need to get professional help.

ive seen it pull people out of bumbling lunacy on several occasions, AND I have also seen it make rational people, in a fine mood totally distraught, sceptical, anti social, and their ego shook.

these CBD meds are in the stir, and of unparalled safety and, hopefully expense... my marinol is $ 12 per 5 mg x 3 a day, and far less effective at fighting inflammation, nausea, and as an appatite stimulant. surely these meds will be packed full for fighting such a disease...

ive been diagnosed schizoeffective - BP by many doctors over the years.

when i saw this thread i wanted to say; you can't worry about it, remain conscience of it, stay away from amphetamines, psychedelics, and alcohol. talk to your dad, if that would be comfortable for the both of you, ask questions about the onset for him, are there different levels for him, is there any warning for him that he may be "relapsing" into that state.

as long as he is comfortable talking about it, it is important to you... but something he had been suppressing, and recalling too much can trigger the domino affect that schizoD/O, such as mine wait for.

actually, for $ 500 national geographic will let you in on your ancestries entire existence on earth (which my family did, very interesting) as well as a medical report, letting you know of any potential ' disease' that maybe hereditary. im interested in this as i have a schizo D/O and an utterly confusing/painful/progressive auto immune D/O...

the most important thing is to find an outlet, we are of abnormal intelligence, and imagination, being able to harness these positive side effects, and create is most important to us, and usually of great value to others as well eventually.

if it does happen to you, or if you are just reading this and do have a schizo type diagnosis, try and open your mind up and treat it as a rare ability, and unique insight into life as not many people are able to see or understand it as.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Brilliant post Mariposa, thank you!

I would also like some advice from this thread. My dads cousin or uncle was diagnosed as schizophrenic meaning this is around 2 or 3 steps up in the family tree for it to come from (as it is my dads cousin it is his mother/dad's brother's son - is this correct?) I am curious to how likely it would be for me to inherit the schizophrenia

As far as I'm aware the percentage of heritability decreases significantly with each separation in the genepool, for example if one parent has schizophrenia you're 13-15% likely to have the gene, if both parents have it, you're about 50% likely. If your identical twin has schizophrenia, you're about 40-50% likely to have it. If your sibling has it, you're about 9-12% likely. But for cousins and uncles and other general relatives etc, the rate of heritability is much less than all of those statistics.

But please keep in mind, environmental factors also play a huge role in developing schizophrenia. This includes drug use, particularly amphetamines and hallucinogenics, including pot. If any relative has got schizophrenia, you should be really really careful with your drug use and just be aware of the potential changes/symptoms, and get yourself checked out if you think anything might be cause for concern.

Schizophrenia isnt permenant by its own Dr's, and it isnt even a disease.

Consequently, it’s not a science. It’s observation of human behavior. Observation of human behavior could be considered a science if you’re correctly identifying behaviors. But, to attribute that to a chemical disorder when you cannot measure it or find it or demonstrate it, here in the year 2010 is not reasonable.

Psychiatry is not science; it’s observations of human behavior, without any scientific backup. For example, diagnosing someone with a “chemical imbalance” is a fabricated diagnosis. They have no evidence whatsoever of any chemical imbalance. They can’t measure it, they can’t find it. So, there’s no chemical imbalance that’s measurable. That’s like saying there’s heart disease when you can’t measure anything other than symptoms.

beagleboy, I appreciate and understand that your experiences with psychiatrists have been less than satisfactory. But your opinions are hugely misinformed. Psychiatry is indeed a science, it has been classified as a science for many many decades, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of research papers to support any clinical findings for any particular psychological disease that you want to mention, not least of which is schizophrenia. The brain, and indeed the mind, is an organ, just like any other organ in the body. Your attitude that human behaviour and brain function can't be measured scientifically is a really archaeic view and just goes to show that you don't really know much about modern psychiatry at all.

Again, I appreciate your experiences but please don't come in to threads like this and spout your misinformed views on everyone. Do yourself a favour and do some research on methods of modern psychiatry and clinical research in to psychological disorders, to bring yourself up to speed with the rest of us.

 

[panic in paradise]

i would like to add, that when i blindly read about scientology, i felt a total relation in a lot of what i was reading, but as i went on with my mind open and liking what i was seeing, i became quickly turned off at some of the views/beliefs.

scientology offers some important insights, a lot actually, but some i remember being dangerously misconstrued and extreme; and sadly has proven to be for some celebrities, who seem like genuine caring people...

if i were you, i would soak in what i have learned about scientology, and take a step back and see what sticks as logical. a lot of scientology beliefs need to be shared, but medicine is necessary now, maybe if we had such insight earlier we wouldn't but its too late for that.

lithium was an ingredient in 7up for a long time, are any of these preservatives precursors, how long does high fructose cornsyrup take to digest, when did bi polar really start making the top ten for psych publications, how long had america had adolescents with type 2 diabetes, how many hours of advertisements does a child see before they are 5.

scientology is passionate about these things, as am i, but some things we wish were not are necessary, because of our mistakes, greed, or experimentation as a society before we were born.

 

[beagleboy]

Brilliant post Mariposa, thank you!



As far as I'm aware the percentage of heritability decreases significantly with each separation in the genepool, for example if one parent has schizophrenia you're 13-15% likely to have the gene, if both parents have it, you're about 50% likely. If your identical twin has schizophrenia, you're about 40-50% likely to have it. If your sibling has it, you're about 9-12% likely. But for cousins and uncles and other general relatives etc, the rate of heritability is much less than all of those statistics.

But please keep in mind, environmental factors also play a huge role in developing schizophrenia. This includes drug use, particularly amphetamines and hallucinogenics, including pot. If any relative has got schizophrenia, you should be really really careful with your drug use and just be aware of the potential changes/symptoms, and get yourself checked out if you think anything might be cause for concern.



beagleboy, I appreciate and understand that your experiences with psychiatrists have been less than satisfactory. But your opinions are hugely misinformed. Psychiatry is indeed a science, it has been classified as a science for many many decades, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of research papers to support any clinical findings for any particular psychological disease that you want to mention, not least of which is schizophrenia. The brain, and indeed the mind, is an organ, just like any other organ in the body. Your attitude that human behaviour and brain function can't be measured scientifically is a really archaeic view and just goes to show that you don't really know much about modern psychiatry at all.

Again, I appreciate your experiences but please don't come in to threads like this and spout your misinformed views on everyone. Do yourself a favour and do some research on methods of modern psychiatry and clinical research in to psychological disorders, to bring yourself up to speed with the rest of us.

do some research on methods of modern psychiatry and clinical research in to psychological disorders, to bring yourself up to speed with the rest of us.[/

So what are you trying to say? I wouldnt be well revieved at a pity party?
I'm trained in Scientology. In Scientology you can spend hundreds, thousands of hours with another trained auditor digging up your abberations and engrams (fears, anxietys, moments of physical duress, engramic phrases) A good theraputic session can last up to 72 hours long. In Scientology, its best if you start out by being to able to audit others, so you are able to understand the methods and techniques for yourself.

Your very lucky if you can get 3 hour long sessions a week with a Psychiatrist or Psychologist.

don't come in to threads like this and spout your misinformed views on everyone.

your opinions are hugely misinformed.

Everything I posted was from Dr. Whitaker. I can give sources in APA/MLA format too.

heres the link
http://www.hissheep.org/health/dr_whitaker_and_psychiatric_diagnoses.html

Psychiatry is a barbaric industry IMHO, and thats why I belong to psychiatry watchdog groups like The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
The Church of Scientology makes it very clear "the psychiatrist is The Known Local Enemy". What that means is any trouble maker psychiatrist that shows up on my radar is liable to be subjected to personal harassment. Every year the Leader of my Church reads the results of our campaign. Last year we ruined the professional careers of over 250 psychiatrists. They were convicted of charges ranging from kidnapping, income tax fruad, sexual abuse of a minor, possesion of CP, the list goes on.
And such companies as Dell, Philips, Coca-Cola and 7-11 are helping the church in a media campaign against the psychiatry profession.

has been classified as a science for many many decades, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of research papers to support any clinical findings for any particular psychological disease that you want to mention, not least of which is schizophrenia.

You might be in over your head. Do you know how to critisize someones work? Do you know why you would? Have you written your own papers, done research in a scholastic setting?

there are literally hundreds of thousands of research papers

And I think that this is the reason that when fans of psychiatry/pschology get together in a room or in an internet forum and try to fix themselves and one another through the writtings of a professional published in the latest Industry Journal it is fail and pathetic. I will never again do something as tacky as that. And thats my opinion that I'm entitled too. I havent put anyone down for trying to better themselves or imitate some other guys work and come up with answers that satisfy me.

I am versed in research on methods of modern psychiatry and can understand other professionals clinical research in to psychological disorders.

I'll help you out and give you some direction. Because what you did makes me uncomfortable. You choose not to discredit Scientology.
If you google what I had posted right off a internet page:

Since 1985, at least 20 books by L. Ron Hubbard have become bestsellers.
In March of 1988, nearly four decades after its initial publication, Hubbard's "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health" was No. 1 on virtually every best-seller list in the country — including the New York Times.

you would have found the rest of the article

Sheldon McArthur, former manager of B. Dalton Booksellers on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, said, "Whenever the sales seem to slacken and a (Hubbard) book goes off the bestsellers list, give it a week and we'll get these people coming in buying 50 to 100 to 200 copies at a crack — cash only." He said that while he was working at the B. Dalton in Hollywood, some books shipped by Hubbard's publishing house arrived with B. Dalton price stickers already on them. He said this indicated to him that the books had been purchased at one of the chain's outlets, then returned to the publishing house and shipped out for resale before anyone thought to remove the stickers.
"We would order more books and … they'd come back with our sticker as if they were bought by the publisher," Hamel said. Mike Gonzales, a non-church member who worked in accounts receivable, said one supervisor gave him hundreds of dollars for weekend forays into bookstores.

In one month alone, he said, he bought and returned to Bridge 43 books in Hubbard's "Mission Earth" science fiction series. And, according to Gonzales, he was not alone.

"We had 15 to 20 people going all over L.A.," he said.

During a shopping spree at B. Dalton in the Glendale Galleria, Gonzales said, he bumped into three Bridge co-workers.

"There we were, four people in line buying 'Buckskin Brigades,' and (the clerk) blurted out, 'You know why they do that? To get on the bestsellers list!'"

Corinda Carford, who was Bridge's sales manager for the East Coast, said she was instructed by two superiors to go to bookstores and buy Hubbard's books if sales were sluggish.

"They would tell me to go and count the books and … if it looks like they're not selling, go and buy some books," Carford recalled. She said she was troubled by the request and bought only four copies of one Hubbard paperback.

Carford said Bridge executives also asked her in late 1988 and again in early 1989 to obtain the names of bookstores whose sales are the basis for the New York Times bestseller list.

"It happened more than once," she said. " … My orders for the week were to find the New York Times' reporting stores anywhere in the East so they could send people into the stores to buy (Hubbard's) books."

Carford said she questioned several bookstore operators but they refused to cooperate.

Scientology is very real. It is an exact science that is applied by ordinary people like bankers, artists, nurses, police and truck drivers. And they dont accept anyone that wants Scientology for un-moral or un-ethical reasons.

According to our world stats. Scientologists outnumber Psychiatrists and Psychologists 500 to 1.

I have read your posts on BL N3 and I really think you're a great person and all. And I do realize that a study, like Scientology and Psychiatry need a practitioner thats been properly schooled, understands it and measures his/her success in results.

you don't really know much about modern psychiatry at all.

Well, I do own the current edition of Psychiatrict Axis' and Diagnosis.

I'm just curious, what therapies have you studied, are trained in, have applied to yourslef or others in a clinical setting or not, and can explain in detail off the top of your head? CBT? What have you found results with?
Modern Psychiatry/psychology is an industry. Scientology is a religion. We dont use drugs, and dont charge $100 an hour for a shoulder to cry on

Scientology/Dianetics auditing goes on between two trained humans. L Ron Hubbard describes the amount of time in training a person interested in becoming an auditor equivelent to a 12 year university student.

And I dont reccomend anyone else posting weak quotes from the net like "hubbard said I want to start a religion, thats where the money is" or express sympathy for that McPherson lady who died, or forced abortions for Sea Org members.
Scientology is watching. Want proof? Just go to Youtube.com and find how many anti-Scientology videos you can dig up. Not many cause those that would list negative things against the Church are criminals and liars. Scientology has youtube in their pocket.
The new Leader of Scientology Dave Miscavige has moved away from Xenu The Space Prince story. He says "Yea, you're right, its a fantasy, who would believe that"?

 

[rangrz]

beagleboy: usless rant°°°°°/<Edit PET imaging of psychotic illness is complex, but tends to show over activity at dopamine subtype D2 receptors, and possibly under activity at NMDA receptors.....sort of why stimulant psychosis (dopamine release like meth or re uptake inhib like coke) resembles schizophrenia. ...also probably why drugs which blockade dopamine. (say chlorpromazine, olazapine or haloperidol) tend to resolve both substance and organic psychotic disorders.

oh, its worth noting Parkinson's patients on levo-dopa therapy also can develop psychotic symptoms.

Its a simple enough neurotransmitter imbalance. Now get back to the seaorg.

 

[Mariposa]

n3o, thank you for the acknowledgment. Your statistics are consistent with medical research which has been done over decades, as you stated. You truly have a gift and I thank you.

OP, the only thing that is relevant here is your mental health. However you choose to approach and improve your mental health is up to you.

I am advising - informally - that OP, you see an expert in the field, as in a licensed psychiatrist (MD) or other licensed counselor.

I have the troll on ignore and I don't intend to discuss "religion" in any manner in this post. Everyone is entitled to believe as they choose. I believe the OP should seek an opinion from a licensed physician. I stand by that belief, OP, you've got nothing to lose from seeking medical advice.

I continue to wish you the best.

 

[rangrz]

To let OP and troll know, before I became a troop, I was studying pharma chem (drug discovery more or less) in uni, with an emphasis on dopaminergic substances, both direct agonist, indirect agonist and antagonist.... both types of agonists where liable to produce psychotic symtoms. antagonists tended to diminish said symptoms.....20mg of haloperidol is fucking way more effective then dieeeeeaaantics at stopping acute psychosis.

 

[panic in paradise]

staying on topic is a must in any thread, and this is personal and a fairly sensitive subject.

if the OP wishes to hear more about scientology im sure he will ask, in the mean time lets stick to the questions and concerns he asked.

 

[Bidcore]

I am also interested in this thread. I am a very rational person (I like to think so, anyway, and most of my friends call me a 'realist') and I am sometimes concerned if my drug use could bring out schizophrenia that is genetically wired into me (I wonder if you can get a DNA test to see if you are genetically predisposed).
Also, beagleboy, take your pseudoscience and get out man. Stop spreading disinformation and lunacy.
By all means, spout annoying quotes that no one reads or cares about, but don't do it here.

 

[panic in paradise]

as i mentioned above national geographic can run a test from a DNA saliva sample, and tell you your entire ancestry line, and genetically bound health related predispositions. i have schizo effective and an autoimmune disorder, but with out the chromosome marker, so im very anxious to have this done, and see what my children may be going through...

its all so rare and freakish, i am extraordinarily lucky! i don't know, or will be able to tell if my kids will have the same sense of humor, really, i could hardly live with my self if i knew this would be passed on, and it was to my child.

the test for ancestral information, plus the health information is around $500.

 

[panic in paradise]

you made your point, and did so with a lot of thought, this can be rare and is valued , a few of us, my self included responded, you have responded to what was said; that's fair enough all around, now please out of respect for this young man and his family, lets leave our scientology debate out of his life.

unless he asks got more info.

 

[Bidcore]

>Snip>

To my knowledge OP, schizophrenia doesn't involve emotional walls, more like a lot of muddled emotions that seem confusing. I used to think maybe I had it, but after studying the symptoms, I realized I was just being paranoid. Ironically, this led me to jump to I HAVE PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA!!!
But really... if you are that worried check out online the symptoms, if you are further convinced, go to a psychologist and work through the situation.
Best advice I could give you is do the exact opposite of anything Beagleboy says.
Dianetics. Give me a break.

 

[Bidcore]

Thought I'd just add that Dianetics is in favor of a non-germ theory of disease.
That should give you a pretty good idea of the sort of intellectual gems it describes.

 

[w01fg4ng]

What are the chances of me inheriting schizophrenia from my father? I know I must inherit the gene AND have a traumatic experience for it to activate (or a psychedelic experience).

I'd say the chances are likely, but not most likely. I like to think of it as a dramatic change, not necessarily a traumatic experience or a psychedelic one to 'activate' most mental illnesses. Don't fool yourself, this dramatic change can be as simple as falling in or out of love.
From what you have described, it sounds like you have a good basic understanding of the illness and yourself. This can be a bigger help for you than you might realize. You might not always be able to go see a doctor to get a diagnoses (on a regular basis), but with your own education on the matter, you might be able to spot problems as they occur in your life.

If you notice great CHANGES in the way you perceive your life, that's a good time to slow down and check yourself out. Get help as soon as you notice anything majorly wrong with the way you are thinking/feeling.

I am going through the same thing OP, except I have made it through my 20's (TBH a very likely time something like this would show up).

It's not easy, but you can make it through this in a healthy and responsible manner, no matter if you have inherited his illness or not.

Stay grounded and good luck.