Wow, I had no idea the statistics were like this. I've heard for years it's 50/50 but I guess I really didn't want to believe it!

Soozya's post I can relate with...
"He's even offered to pay for me to move out before I go insane (we really think my mother is either bipolar or schizophrenic, but we would never dream of telling her that for the rage she would unleash), but I just can't. I don't want to abandon my father and sister."

My parents divorced when I was 6 but got remarried six months later (for the sake of me I suppose). I remembered just now (it was locked away really deep) that I was forced to choose who to live with. Wow, that had been locked away for 24 years. :line Anyway, after they remarried it was all down hill from there (as if it could have gotten any worse i thought but oh man did it ever). They got pregnant shortly after getting back together and had daughter #2. After that my mother started living in the bed. My dad worked 12 hour shifts and had to come home & cook and clean, etc. She was VERY grouchy 24/7 and it got to where I was glad she was always asleep but it really made me sad because I'd see other mothers and daughters doing stuff together and all mine did was yell at me to do what she should have been doing. At 9 I was cleaning the whole house, cooking meals, doing laundry, you name it.

Anyway, to soozya - i totally relate to your situation because we found out a few years ago that my mom is bipolar. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with all the bad memories (there's not many good ones) but I guess it's a relief to know that she doesn't truly hate me for existing (because that's the way she still makes me feel to this day) but that she sorta can't help it. I just always thought she was truly evil. Her rage was unleashed more times than I can count. I truly think she has enough demons in her to kill us if we ever crossed her.

My dad passed away five years ago of cancer and only two months afterwards, my mother had a live-in boyfriend who turned out to be an alcoholic. She is now an alcoholic as well and all I had to put up with as a child was verbal and mental abuse. My two sisters who still live at home are having to deal with mental, verbal, and physical (not towards them) abuse. I tried to help and felt the mother's wrath. She's very manipulative.

Well, that is my story! I spend my days trying to be the best mother and wife to our four kids all the while praying to God that I DO NOT turn out like my mother. It is a daily struggle.