The lack of attention paid to the millions of children born to a parent with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or recurrent major depression is out of phase with the massive need in primary care and the available scientific evidence.
says Michel Maziade in a Perspective article published in the March 9 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. A recent article by Jean Hamann of the campus newspaper Le Fil, reports Dr. Maziade's message:
It is time to bring medical practice in line with the latest knowledge on psychiatric diseases that run in families, in particular for youth who have a parent affected by one of these diseases.
About 4% of the population of G7 countries suffer from schizophrenia or mood disorders (bipolar disease or recurring major depression), says professor Maziade. "This means that between 8 and 10 millions of children and teens in those countries have a parent affected by one of these diseases. In Quebec, this means 10,000 to 12,000 children. Their risk of being affected is 15 to 20 times higher than that of other youths. We can no longer consider these youths as a marginal or isolated population. "
Read the article in Le Fil (in French only):
Read Dr. Maziade's perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine:
At Risk for Serious Mental Illness — Screening Children of Patients with Mood Disorders or Schizophrenia, Michel Maziade, New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 376, Issue 10, p.910 - 912 (2017) (subscription required)
