7 yo with Schizophrenia on Oprah

Published

I'm heading off to bed but have my VCR set to tape this one. Anyone else?

You are essentially advocating for eugenics.

Nope, just recognizing the reality of genetics. NCindasun21 didn't say anything suggesting that anyone not be allowed to have children because of the identified risk of genetically transmitted disease, just saying that s/he wouldn't encourage a particular couple to have another child, which I think is perfectly reasonable.

I agree completely that, when a couple knows that there is a significant history of a genetically transmitted disease that produces significant disability, physical or psychiatric, it's worth thinking long and hard about whether (and why) you want to have children.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I agree completely that, when a couple knows that there is a significant history of a genetically transmitted disease that produces significant disability, physical or psychiatric, it's worth thinking long and hard about whether (and why) you want to have children.

Me also and it shocks me that so few actually seem to consider these implications and so many become enraged when it is suggested. :confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Me also and it shocks me that so few actually seem to consider these implications and so many become enraged when it is suggested. :confused:

Yes -- in my NICU rotation in school, many years ago, I cared for weeks for an infant that had been born with a congenital syndrome that was incompatible with life. No child with this syndrome had ever made it past the 1 year mark. The baby was several months old when I was caring for her. She was her parents' sixth child, and each of their children had been born with increasingly severe birth defects (although none were fatal until this child -- they had five kids at home with varying degrees of disability!) I remember thinking at the time, gee, I would have gotten the message after the first few kids; I certainly wouldn't have kept going to six. (BTW, by the time I came into the picture, it was becoming pretty clear that the parents had abandoned this child at the hospital and were not planning on learning to care for her or taking her home ...) I sincerely hope that they didn't have any additional children after that poor little tyke.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i remember reading about a woman with 3 perhaps 4 sons with hemophilia, publicly supported, why more than two....her answer was it was god's will.......perhaps that is what is going on in some of these other cases?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg.

I watched this show and was amazed at the parents and their dedication. The State told them to have her admitted to an institution and they could see her yearly. They told them she's their daughter, they love her and would never consider institutionalization. So brave knowing the violence is just getting worse and her meds are already at the level of an adult. I thought Oprah did a great job. She seemed to get it, which most times I don't feel she gets life with kids at all. I think it also sheds light on how little is available for children in Ontario. We are admitting youth to adult floors. How would that ever be helpful? Large centres only have small floors for adolescents. I hope Jani's story opens the eyes to the world about child mental health issues.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Schizophrenia, gluten, and low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets: a case report and review of the literature.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19245705

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow! Eugenics...didn't see that one coming.

I would never suggest that people be prevented from having children. And I'm not trying to rid the race of genetic abnormalities, congenital anomalies, or mental illness. What I was saying is...

People need to to think long and hard about the implications of having a child, any child. Even under the best conditions, kids are exhausting, expensive, and a responsibility that lasts 20+ years.

Add to that a special needs child (or 2 or more) and life as you know it will never be the same. For many families it means a lifetime of care, financial hardship, and worries about who will take care of the child when the parents are gone. And what life does the child have to look forward to? In the case of a child with mental illness it can mean drugs that can make them a zombie, tics and EPS from the meds that are supposed to help them, little to no public education because of behavioral issues, little social interaction, family crisis - the list goes on and on.

It takes a special family like the one portrayed to handle the situation with determination and grace. People need to think long and hard about if they are that type of family. Heck, it's harder to adopt a dog from a shelter than bring home a baby!

BTW - One of the kids on our floor is an ADHD (along with many other dx) hellion. He's only 6 and spends his day running up and down the halls and getting into everyone's space. One of my teens recently told me that he was a walking poster for birth control. I loved it! :lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I agree completely that, when a couple knows that there is a significant history of a genetically transmitted disease that produces significant disability, physical or psychiatric, it's worth thinking long and hard about whether (and why) you want to have children.

If we looked at everyone's genetics to see what they were carriers for, and looked at all family histories and cultures for any disabling conditions there wouldn't be many people left who would be deemed genetically disability / disease free. Many people with strong family histories of cancer continue to have children even though they know their child's risk of developing cancer is higher. I don't think it is necessarily selfish - the population would die out with no one with a disabling illness in their family reproduced.

I know a few families who had a child with a disability who then chose to have another child and the healthy child has brought a world of normalcy to their lives. That normalcy has also helped them to be a better parent to their disabled child. Having your entire life center around a child and their disability is an incredibly stressful and draining and having another child can significantly improve the parents' mental health from what I've seen.

The one family I know that has 2 kids with disabilities is planning on having a third child. They really don't see themselves as parents of kids with disabilities - they just see themselves as the parents of two wonderful boys who have their own unique challenges. To them having a disability doesn't change the 'value' of their kids lives and they look forward to seeing them grow up and achieve their full potential (different for each one). I don't really know what I think of that - I don't really see them as selfish and knowing their family - you see they are really a family just like any other family.

I don't know what decisions I would make personally as I haven't been in the situation but I do understand why parents who have disabilities in their families choose to have children.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If we looked at everyone's genetics to see what they were carriers for, and looked at all family histories and cultures for any disabling conditions there wouldn't be many people left who would be deemed genetically disability / disease free. Many people with strong family histories of cancer continue to have children even though they know their child's risk of developing cancer is higher. I don't think it is necessarily selfish - the population would die out with no one with a disabling illness in their family reproduced.

I know a few families who had a child with a disability who then chose to have another child and the healthy child has brought a world of normalcy to their lives. That normalcy has also helped them to be a better parent to their disabled child. Having your entire life center around a child and their disability is an incredibly stressful and draining and having another child can significantly improve the parents' mental health from what I've seen.

The one family I know that has 2 kids with disabilities is planning on having a third child. They really don't see themselves as parents of kids with disabilities - they just see themselves as the parents of two wonderful boys who have their own unique challenges. To them having a disability doesn't change the 'value' of their kids lives and they look forward to seeing them grow up and achieve their full potential (different for each one). I don't really know what I think of that - I don't really see them as selfish and knowing their family - you see they are really a family just like any other family.

I don't know what decisions I would make personally as I haven't been in the situation but I do understand why parents who have disabilities in their families choose to have children.

Again, I didn't say, or even mean to suggest, that families with an established history of genetically transmitted disease or disability shouldn't be allowed to, or even shouldn't choose to, have children -- just that's it's worth thinking seriously about all the ramifications before they do. Not everyone is prepared/equipped to parent a seriously disabled or seriously chronically ill child. The situation also has a negative effect on any other children in the family.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Again, I didn't say, or even mean to suggest, that families with an established history of genetically transmitted disease or disability shouldn't be allowed to, or even shouldn't choose to, have children -- just that's it's worth thinking seriously about all the ramifications before they do. Not everyone is prepared/equipped to parent a seriously disabled or seriously chronically ill child. The situation also has a negative effect on any other children in the family.

I agree that thinking it through thoroughly is necessary. I wouldn't say that having a disabled sibling has a negative effect on siblings. I think that depends on the family. It might mean more responsibility or other differences but it can also be an incredibly positive, enriching experience. The story of Alex and Frederic Bilodeau at the 2010 Olympics was a beautiful example of this.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych.

Re: The 'eugenics' issue.

This is always an interesting discussion when it's serious illnesses that are under consideration. Nowadays with in-vitro fertilization and advances in genetic screening, parents who are carriers for all kinds of conditions can just NOT select implantation of the embryos with the condition. That's what's being done now with cystic fibrosis. In theory, you could ultimately select this condition out of the gene pool. On the other hand, what you're really doing is assuring such individuals will never be born.

Tough issue with lots to consider: economic hardships, religious beliefs, effects on one's marriage and other children in the family, etc.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion