The children of parents with bipolar disorder are nearly 8 times as likely as kids without bipolar parents to develop attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and six times more likely to develop two or more mental disorders, according to a Reuters story.

The research doesn’t say whether the increase is due to genes or something in the child’s environment. It does say that treating the parents might benefit the children.

On the downside, it is unfortunate that mental illness gets handed down so readily. On the upside, however, the research supports that the kids of mentally ill adults be watched more closely and diagnosed earlier.