TX
A 26-year-old female asked:
38 weeks pregnant if the baby's father is bipolar is their a chance that the baby will inherit the disorder?
1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Mark Reynolds answered
Psychiatry 33 years experience
Yes, but........: Bipolar disorder is thought to be polygenic, meaning multiple genes interact, some provide protection and some vulnerability to developing psychiatric illness. That risk then interacts with the environment (not all identical twins both show the illness). Be careful in looking any number quoted as they represent groups and may over or under estimate the risk to an individual.
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Last updated Oct 7, 2017
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