Say you’re high functioning and you’re able to have and raise kids, you gotta tell them obviously…since the risk factor is higher for them and they should know. But what age?
Also what age do you tell your kids you’re an addict/alcoholic…especially if you’re in recovery from it and doing well?? Gotta tell them sometime but it can’t be too soon…
I wouldn’t say anything just focus on raising your kids to be healthy and strong. If one day they were struggling with similar symptoms when older you should be well equipped to help
I personally don’t have much of a clue myself because I can’t have kids right now, but I imagine that I’d tell them when they have reached an age where they can comprehend things better, so maybe when they’re in their toddler years or a few years after that.
As for being an alcoholic, I’m not sure about that either because I’m not one, but personally I’d do it when they’re slightly more older (maybe 11-12). But it could help to tell them earlier ahead of time. Just my opinion.
You may be right because it might scare them. And if you say you’re an alcoholic or addict too early, they might tell their teachers and friends and everyone will gossip (same goes for SZ too). But I’d tell them eventually for sure. If not 18<, then 18+ for sure I think.
Interested in other feedbacks though
I think it also depends on the kid, their level of maturity, character, etc…
I’ve never mentioned anything about my past addictions/alcoholism to my kids, and don’t plan to until maybe their teen years.
I’ve talked with my middle daughter who is almost 8 about the fact that daddy’s brain works differently from most people’s, but only because we have noticed things and she has told me things that have led me to believe she may have her own issues, but she has been to a therapist and child psychiatrist, and so far they don’t seem concerned.
I let my boy’s know when they became early teens thought they should know they are at risk and marijuana is a trigger. They don’t remember when I was in bad shape so I don’t think it scares them that they are at risk. But they know enough about the side effects that they might avoid marijuana.
I’m the last person to ask this but I too am worried about when to tell my partners little sister and her nieces and nephews. There is no chance of hereditary but they know something is different about me compared to other adults in their lives. They figured out on their own that my partner and I were gay and I worry they will notice something off about me and draw their own conclusions
As someone with no kids and no addictions and therefore no meaningful opinion, I always imagined I would tell my kids when they were little. That way they wouldn’t learn to be afraid of the label first. There is a book I want to check out called Pretend Friends that might help explain things. I was thinking about getting it for my niece anyways, for when she has questions about why her daddy lives in a condemned shack/apocalypse bunker.
When my parents told me at ten years old that my cousin had sz, I became more intrigued by her. Next time I saw her I tried to approach her or get her attention but she got really paranoid. She was a severe case. Sadly she passed away young tho. My first cousin too.
I knew my father was an alcoholic at 12/13… I knew he was bipolar at 27 …! It was hush hush in my family, that changed with my illness.
that’s where you lost me
I don’t know when I’ll tell my little one…but luckily he’s much too young to understand right now so I can put it off…for now…
I have some little nieces, and they don’t know I’ve schizophrenia yet. Currently we’re convincing them that my ecig is something else, so I think the conversation about schizophrenia is a long way off. 
My frigging pride--------@-
First hospitalization all I cared about was getting my daughter to her clinic appt
They put me on haliperidal
and I passed out in the hospital and they started an iv
Then couldn’t drive so my cousin drove us out to my daughter’s appt
I tell my son what i think fit for him and the situation at each moment. Right now he is 5 and knows mummy needed to go to hospital because she went through some difficult things and her head needed some rest. I want to tell him around end primary school - before the age they can start with alcohol and drugs - that both his father and i had a sensitivity to psychosis and he should be more careful with weed etc. I wonder how to balance honesty and being careful with not frightening him too. I try to adjust it to his level of understanding.
The only good answer to that question is this: DON’T have kids in the first place. You’re hurting them by them even being born.
Sometimes the kid is there before the disease… And not every kid automatically suffers because their parent has schizophrenia. I have a son who is incredibly happy about being alive!