Hi,

I've been with my bf for over 5 years now and he has told me long ago that two members of his family were diagnosed with BD (father and sister only). His father has been stable for almost 10 years and his sis is suffering coz she refuses to take the medicine. On the other hand, my bf is very lucid and aware of the disease and the probability that he might get it one day. He's very creative and smart and articulate. We wanna get married soon and my family is so worried about me and they believe that im "ruining my life" by marrying him, that my bf will one day turn manic and that i'll have kids who'll suffer from the disease. Utimately leading to a divorce.

I love my bf more than anything and I can't possibly leave him for that because if he ever gets BP it will be my duty as a wife to support him and help him with love no matter how hard it is.

I need your advice on how to convince my family (and myself) that it's not a hundred percent sure that he'll get BD, that some people don't get it even though they have a family hist. I need anyone's opinion. Can anyone tell me the probabilities of him getting it? of my children getting it. He's in his early 20's and he's survived a very awful and tough childhood, he's a calm person, and doesn't exhibit any signs, plus i don't wanna look for symptoms because that means that every time he oversleeps or over eats or over spends or gets a little nervous, i'll attribute it to the disorder which won't be a fair thing to do. Help!
Thanks in advance...