My bother is schizophrenic. Whats the chance I will be too.?

the disease can travel in families, but most families don't have many members who have it.

that tends to be the rarity.

i think you should talk to a doctor about it though; that could help reduce the anxiety you are feeling, which must be awful.

but listen - this is important - DON"T DO DRUGS. a new study just came out that found that people who have schizophrenia in the family, or have a predisposition to it themselves, show signs much, much earlier or have the disease start, once they do drugs - even marijuana. in fact the study focused on pot, and found a very obvious link to the disease and the drug.

stay away from drugs altogether, because they can drop kick a person who has the disease in the family, over into psychosis

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,200...

people who do harder drugs tend to have the same problem, and can even have worse problems.

you are most likely going to be OK - i am so sorry your brother has this. that is so sad, and i know how hard it can be for someone with the disease, and how hard it is to live with someone who has it.

but did you know that third world countries have a cure rating of like 80%?

it tends to be that people in those communities are much more supportive - everyone helps out. the support is the thing they feel makes the difference. when someone is that mentally ill, the isolation and shame that is dumped on them in this society, tends to make things worse. they tend to go inside themselves, or become very angry, and act out.

the acceptance and love of everyone in the culture in the third world, and the lack of stigma seem to help people so very much. so remember that love and acceptance see to heal.

and there is this - lets say you do get it. that is terrifying, but there are treatments that can work. i know a guy who has it, and you would never know. he takes a medication that really works for him, and he lives like an ordinary guy.

finding the right one is hard, but once you do, you are going to be so much better off.

if the worst does happen, don't lose hope!

there will be a med for you, and there will be treatments to try.

i am really sorry you have to face this fear. i am sorry about your brother.

i hope you don't mind, but i am going to say a little pray for you.

all the best to you!

What do the voices say?

I am just mean and nasty. You have a 9% risk of having it too. If you didn't have any relatives with it, your risk would be 1%. SO you're 9 times more likely to get it than the general population.

You have to do a couple of things to reduce your risk:

1. NO drugs or alcohol !!! Schizophrenia is caused by damage to the brain. Both drug use and alcohol use also damage the brain. THey will increase your odds.

2. Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Stop with hours and hours of video games. Limit yourself.

3. Learn how to relax and reduce stress. Stress and worry also damage your brain. Try meditation.

Schizophrenia is a horrible disease, but treatment is a lot better now than it used to be. Even if you do get it the rule of thirds says that 1/3 of the time you'll get better pretty much by yourself, 1/3rd of the time you'll do better with treatment. Its only that last 1/3 - the hard core cases - that are so difficult for the family and the patient - and will be a life-long struggle.

You need to believe you CAN deal with it. Everybody has mental issues. We all need to deal with them. SOme are just are really tough. I wish you well, kiddo. And even a horrible disease like Schizophrenia has some lighter moments. Its not all just Hell. Breathe deep and enjoy the world's beauty.

The chances of you getting it are pretty low, but likely higher than that of someone who doesn't have it within in the family. I think I read somewhere that if a parent had it you're at a 10% chance of getting it, but within the normal population it's 1%