My brother in law is a schizophrenia patient. After my marriage i came to know that my father in law too had faced some problem before his marriage (details not know), two more first cousins have had stints of depression. Is mental problem hereditary? What are the chances of my children having such problems? Are there tests to check if the child is ok before the delivery?

Dr. Ajay VashishthaPsychiatrist9yrs exp

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Yes. A proportion of mental disorders are hereditary but as it is not autosomal dominant or sex linked genetic disorder it can not be predicted surely that the child will have it or not. Yes, definitely the chances are more than the general population, in which the family history is negative. No in utero test can determine about a child to get mental illness in future. There is a two hit hypothesis proposed by scientists that genetic predisposition plus stressors in life can increase the chances of mental illness to occur. 

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