If you have a mental illness, there is a 33 per cent chance your children may develop one as well.
If you and your spouse both have a mental illness, there is a 66 per cent chance your child will develop one.
But just because one of your parents has a mental illness, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll develop one as well.
"If mental illness runs in your family, the chances of you getting one of the many mood disorders increases," said Karen Liberman, executive director of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario in midtown Toronto.
For Liberman, her mother had bipolar disorder while both she and her brother have severe depression. Liberman herself has both a son and a daughter and she said she is constantly watching them.
Often one of her children will say to her, "Mother, I am just having a bad day, relax.
"The reality is that there is not a lot (one can do) to do to prevent it," she said. "You can eat well, sleep well, have a good life. .... (The) reality is no one lives in a bubble. Some of us draw short straws, arthritis, cancer, some (develop) mood disorders."
Dr. Roger S. McIntyre, head, mood disorders psychopharmacology unit, University Health Network, and associate professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto, agreed that eating well and being active goes a long way in helping fight mental illness.
"Not only does this improve the quality of life physically, it also improves the life of (one with) bipolar disorder."
McIntry used the example of running, which makes some people feel good.
"...Exercise will not only feel transitionally good but improve the mood."