[Guest]

My wife recently told me that her grandmother (whom she never met) was schizophrenic and committed suicide.
She also believes that her other grandmother had some type of mental disorder, not schizophrenia. Her mother and father have no signs of illness.

My wife is only 22. She is very smart and ambitious, but I worry about what her future may hold due to her genetic background.

She never mentions any fears of having problems and I would never bring up my concerns to her. I know that there are no gurantees, but is there anything I can do to decrease the likelihood that she will develop mental illness? She is an extreme type A personality, a workaholic, and perfectionist. I assume that these traits aren't good for my concerns. Any advice?

[Guest]

There are no good ways to prevent the developement of Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder that we know about. It is good to avoid stress, but what is stressful to one person is not a stress to another. It should be noted that her parents are OK. It should be noted that all of us, even you, are also at risk. So we all should try to manage our lives in such a way as to maximize growth and minimize wear and tear.
[quote] My wife recently told me that her grandmother (whom she never met) was schizophrenic and committed suicide.
She also believes that her other grandmother had some type of mental disorder, not schizophrenia... [/quote]