Kids And Bipolar Disorder – What Is Our Impact?

Kids are a huge blessing. I knew early on in life that I wanted to be a father. When I learned that I had bipolar disorder, however, I questioned the whole idea of being a father.

If I Have Kids Of My Own, Will I Pass On Bipolar Disorder To Them?

I did research years ago to determine how much of a chance it is for a child to inherit bipolar disorder from a parent with bipolar disorder. There was a large inconsistency in the numbers.

At the same time, I did find one consistent theme – the chance of passing on bipolar to a child increases with one parent who has bipolar disorder. It increases even more so if both parents have bipolar disorder.

The chance for a child to inherit bipolar from a parent increases if a parent has any mood disorder. This includes depression. Research indicates bipolar disorder has a strong genetic component. I know some people with bipolar disorder have decided not to have children because of this very reason.

Impact of Kids

A Positive Routine

From my own personal experience, I know the positive impact kids can have on the parent who has bipolar disorder.

Those of you who are parents know the importance of having a schedule for your child. Routine, routine, routine was hammered into my head for not only my firstborn but for my second child as well.

Routine falls into alignment with the importance of managing our bipolar disorder. Creating a schedule that the whole family can follow creates harmony within the household.

Everyone has their own opinion about raising kids. I think we can all agree that having some kind of schedule is important. As an adult, we all have our obligations to family, work, friends, and anything else that is important in our lives.

Having kids automatically creates a schedule. For a baby, you need to feed them, change them, and put them down for naps, all on a regular basis. It is imperative for the household to function properly.

As kids and teenagers, they go to school and participate in extracurricular activities and other important daily rituals. All of these activities automatically create a routine.

For these reasons, kids have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the family and the parent(s) with bipolar disorder.

A Real Possibility

Have you ever heard of Social Rhythm Therapy? It is a model of therapy whose focus is based on routine. Daily routine and having a schedule have been instrumental in managing my bipolar disorder from day-to-day.

If you have never tried Social Rhythm Therapy, I recommend you try it – especially if you live with bipolar disorder.

A child with a sleep disturbance can directly impact your bipolar disorder. If you are a parent already, I know you understand how stressful it is when your kids are not sleeping well.

Having your sleep schedule thrown off can potentially trigger a mood episode. That is why it is so important to plan ahead by creating a treatment and crisis plan.

Last Thoughts

Like anything else in life, kids directly impact your bipolar disorder. Therefore, it is vital you create a treatment plan that allows you some flexibility in how you live your life.

I created a treatment plan that optimizes how I function each day. It focuses on prevention, as stress is the biggest trigger of a mood episode.

Yes, I have a daily routine and schedule that I follow in order to manage my bipolar disorder. However, I am prepared for the unexpected stress that enters my life. That way, if an emergency arises, I have put in the work so I can cope with any adversity.