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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Family History Of Schizophrenia. Will I Get The Same?

Hi, I m concerned that schizophrenia runs in my family. I have a great-aunt and a uncle (who has since committed suicide ) both on my mother side who have schizophrenia, and to be honest it scares me a bit. I m just about at the age (late teens) where a physcotic break is most likely to happen and i m getting more and more concerned about it. My step-mother wanted me to go and get checked out by a doctor but the whole thing just freaks me out. I didn t see much of my uncle when he was really sick, but what i did see and what i know about was horrible. I don t want that to happen to me.
Sat, 2 Feb 2013
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
Hi there ~

Though you have a greater chance of getting schizophrenia due to the family history, please do not be concerned to the point where you are stressing yourself out. There are two aspects to the heritability of this condition, one is nature and the other is nurture. If you already have the genes for the disorder (schizophrenia genes have not been clearly identified and there are multiple genes that have been associated with it), your social circumstances including but not limited to your upbringing, lifestyle and relationships also play a role in your getting the disorder. I think that there is no cause for concern right now, however having yourself be seen by a psychiatrist as well as letting someone you live with know about your concern is essential. Others would notice a change in your habits better than yourself. Hopefully this helped.

Take care.
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Psychiatrist,  Dr. Sundar Gnanavel's  Response
Hello.......
Thanks for your query. Though schizophrenia can be genetically transmitted, the genetics of the disorder has not been completely unravelled yet. The chances if one parent is affected is approx. 12%. There is no preventive measure you can take at this point of time. Hopefully, you belong to the other 88%. Hope you found the information useful.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist
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Family History Of Schizophrenia. Will I Get The Same?

Hi there ~ Though you have a greater chance of getting schizophrenia due to the family history, please do not be concerned to the point where you are stressing yourself out. There are two aspects to the heritability of this condition, one is nature and the other is nurture. If you already have the genes for the disorder (schizophrenia genes have not been clearly identified and there are multiple genes that have been associated with it), your social circumstances including but not limited to your upbringing, lifestyle and relationships also play a role in your getting the disorder. I think that there is no cause for concern right now, however having yourself be seen by a psychiatrist as well as letting someone you live with know about your concern is essential. Others would notice a change in your habits better than yourself. Hopefully this helped. Take care.