HI Elaine Mecus,

Not everyone who has SZ hears voices or hallucinates, as I can vouch for in my own life.  Delusions and paranoia and false fixed beliefs could be symptoms that lead a psychiatrist to diagnose someone with SZ.  Even if the person doesn't have SZ, there could be a psychotic component to bipolar, in that a person with bipolar can have delusions, such as delusions of being Jesus or other beliefs, and the person could be paranoid, too.

As I tell everyone, don't get hung up initially with the diagnosis as long as it seems to fit at the time, because it can change over time.

Now, there is a chance she will develop SZ or bipolar, yet I wouldn't worry about that.  Did you tell me she was exhibiting symptoms?  I don't like to quote statistics because things could be different for your son and his daughter.  One set of identical twins turned out to have only one sister with SZ, and twins do have a greater likelihood of developing the illness together, yet only one twin did.  So I don't want to put fear in your mind.

Mostly, it's because a person diagnosed with SZ or bipolar can recover if they get into treatment early and stay in treatment, most likely requiring medication and therapy helps to boost the effect of the medication.

So please be hopeful.

Regards,

Christina