Whether or not to have children can be one of the most difficult decisions people will make in their lifetimes.
Prospective parents often worry about issues like affording child care and other expenses, maintaining a career, and navigating global crises like climate change or political instability.
Another area of concern: the role that mental illness can play in a family.
On Reddit and elsewhere online, people worry that they might pass on a mental illness to their hypothetical child; that their mental health diagnosis will make parenthood more difficult; or that they will struggle to care for themselves with the added responsibility of a child.
Studies have shown that health-related issues are part of the reason some U.S. adults say they did not have kids, although there is not much research to help quantify how mental health concerns factor into the overall picture. Meanwhile, the fertility rate in the United States has continued a downward trend that researchers have been tracking for two decades, falling to a record low in 2025.
If you have debated whether to have children because of mental health reasons, we want to hear from you: Did you pursue parenthood despite those reservations or decide to forgo it? Perhaps you’re still struggling with the decision.
Fill out the form below, and a reporter may be in touch about including your story in a future article. We will not publish any aspect of your submission without getting your permission first.
Christina Caron is a Times reporter covering mental health.
The post Have Mental Health Concerns Influenced Your Choice to Have Children? appeared first on New York Times.
