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4everhis, I think you have to educate yourself first then search your heart. Schizophrenia can be so so scary for people, mostly because they are so unfamiliar, there are many unknowns and what is presented through the media is so sensationalized. It is serious and can mean constant attention, advocacy and awareness, as a parent, but so can many many other things. We do not know how our children's lives will progress; we can give them love and the tools to be safe and succeed, but things happen all of the time that are entirely out of our control.

My mother was diagnosed with debilitating rheumatoid arthritis when she was 25 years old; she is still walking, healthy and loving life though some days are an incredible struggle for her. Her own mother, my grandmother, was advised to have no more children. She did not listen and had my mother. She died of congestive heart failure when my mother was 15 years old. My own son has a heart condition; it is scary but manageable. His developmental prognosis at birth was questionable at best because of his very traumatic birth; today he is a healthy and wonderfully happy 7 month old. My daughter is highly gifted and has, statistically, a huge predisposition to depression and maladjustment. My son's cardiologist, who refers to my daughter as a prodigy, told me last week that I will worry ten times more about her, her emotional adjustment and her education than I will ever worry about my son's heart condition. (his own son is also gifted and he knows the incredible stress that can accompany the fun and rare experience of parenting such a child) My cousin, is schizophrenic; he was diagnosed in his mid thirties, which is quite common. He had no familial indicators and never experienced any mental health issue. He experienced an emotionally traumatic event that may have triggered any predisposition. He takes medication everyday, runs a company and is a happy, responsible contributing member of our society.

Environment can play a huge role in the success of treatment and management of symptoms and even in the likelihood that the illness will present. Missy, gave you great information; while there may be precursors to schizophrenia and other Axis I diagnoses, it is unlikely to present until post puberty or later. Do you have an internist or know a psychiatrist with whom you feel comfortable and trust? I would contact her/him and talk, ask questions, etc. Find out from the social worker, when sharing is permitted, how the mother is doing on medication; is she stable? Finally, you will have a built in safety device with the knowledge of illness of what to be sensitive to and will have access to professionals that can assist you in finding valuable community resources, such as child psychiatrists, psychologists and parent support groups. I wish you luck and peace.