I think I understand your concerns. I just want to say you are taking some long leaps to some concerns/conclusions.

Whether diabetes or mental health is inherited ... in some cases .. indeed it can be, but your post addresses different times and different people. To worry that you may be in for what your uncle experienced is a huge stretch. Both diabetes and mental health care have progressed since he was involved.

You should discuss whatever health care questions you have with your doctor. When you do, I think you will be reassured of what I have stated.

Mental hospitals did and does house mental patients AND mental patients with diabetes.

I guess I do understand that treatments for mental health and diabetes has improved over the years. My mother told me he died from the diabetes but never mentioned the hospital. Now I wonder about this poor man and what he went through. The hospital was closed eventually because the conditions were so poor and actually led to national mental health care reforms. I guess it was just a shock to find this out and now have no way of knowing what he was like and what he went through.

I am going to mention it to my doctor though. Sometimes I think I am insane but sometimes I think I am normal and the rest of the world is insane. I used to just think of him as an uncle who died young but now I feel like he may have been like me. This is stupid but I wish I could have done something when I wasn't even born yet.

QP

>>Sometimes I think I am insane but sometimes I think I am normal and the rest of the world is insane.

I certainly don't know you, but I would say odds are you are NOT insane. Besides, there has to be a distinct definition of the word ... and from the dictionaries I have checked ... I would say you are DEFINITELY not.

You are rational, obviously compassionate, curious, and SLIGHTLY obsessed (not necessarily a bad thing) with your ancestry etc. NONE of these observations suggest insanity .... all are quite normal ... in my opinion.

I don't know how far back your uncle was in the family tree, but you might have no reason to worry...plus, even if mental illness does run in your family (as it does in mine, fairly heavily) there is NO guarantee that you're going to inherit.

But...your story reminded me of a relative of mine. Family 'lore' was always that he died institutionalized, and everybody assumed it was for mental health issues. But my mom is big into ancestry, and she found out that yes, he was institutionalized, but it was for EPILEPSY.

They did that, back in the day. So yeah, I don't know if your uncle was that far back in time, but it's something to keep in mind. Also, not that long ago, people were tossed in a mental hospital for things which are easily and commonly treated with therapy and medications today, stuff like depression and bipolar.

Sorry for the long-winded response. Basically, just wanted to say it's nothing to worry over.

He may have been a mental health patient who also had diabetes. My grandmother, cousin, aunt and mother have all be hospitalized for mental health issues. My grandmother died from diabetes complications and also had bipolar disorder. And it's on both sides of my family. It's amazing that I am even functional with those genetic odds.

You may have gotten it passed down genetically but you have an advantage that your uncle didn't - the medical world has progressed a lot in the treatment of mental health and diabetes.

Hi,

Thanks for the responses. I guess it was just a shock to find out because I never knew. The thing is if anyone has insanity in their family I wouldn't think anything of it. I did hear about epileptics being put in asylums. I think they put a lot of people in there when they may have been just different. It was a while ago but I feel bad because those places years ago were horrible. Medical treatment has advanced a lot since then and there are so many people with something in their family background. Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

QP