Is depression hereditary? The research conducted so far suggests that it is not. You can only inherit a tendency to depression - this means that children of people suffering from depressive disorders are at greater risk of developing this disease (by about 15-30% compared to children of he althy parents).

The inheritance of depressionis an issue that has been the subject of repeated research. So far, none of them have confirmed that depressive disorders should be hereditary diseases. Although genes are one of the factors influencing the development of this disease, they are not determinative.

Factors influencing the development of depression

Currently, the dominant belief in psychologists and psychiatrists is the biopsychosocial determinants of depression. This means that its occurrence is influenced by three types of factors:

  • biological - relate to gene transmission and neurotransmitter abnormalities;
  • psychological - refer to a person's mental structure, e.g. their reaction to stress, ways of building relationships with other people, etc.;
  • socio-cultural - include external factors, e.g. material and professional problems, the risk of pathology, violence, harmful family patterns.

Genes are therefore only one of the many reasons for the development of unipolar affective disorders, although it is difficult to assess to what extent they influence the emergence of the disease. They certainly do not confirm 100% that a child of a sick person will also have depression.

The role of hereditary factors in the occurrence of depression

Being related to someone suffering from depression by no means automatically develops it at a later age. The only thing that can be said is the increased susceptibility to depressive disorders in first-degree relatives - the probability of developing depression is 15-30% higher than in the case of children of he althy parents.

The genetic burden also affects the age at which the first symptoms of the disease appear - it has been noticed that people who have relatives with depression experience symptoms of the disease at an earlier age than those who have no family history of depression . Moreover, the lower the age of the affected parents, the greater the risk of developing affective disordersunipolar in their children.

Inheriting depression among siblings

Studies in monozygotic twins have shown that if one becomes depressed, the other has a chance of developing the disease between 22 and 67%. In the case of fraternal twins, the risk is lower - it ranges from 0 to 45%.

Importantly, even if the twins were separated immediately after birth and were raised in different families, both retained the same degree of vulnerability to depression.

Inheriting depression from parents - not always genes are to blame

Although the tendency to depression in those children whose parents suffered from mood disorders is greater, it does not have to be caused only by genes. The way children are brought up and the patterns of behavior communicated to them by their parents also have a great influence on the occurrence of the disease. If they are struggling with depression, their parenting abilities are somewhat impaired - they are not able to show their offspring enough warmth and take care of them. Hence, there may also be an increased risk of developing depression in their children.

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Traumatic experiences and the inheritance of depression

The main factor causing depression are emergency situations that cause a strong stress response. However, in this case, the risk of transmitting the disease to offspring should not exist - because depression is caused by external, not biological, factors. It turns out otherwise.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have observed that in rats, environmental stress contributes to certain genetic changes. The same changes were revealed in their offspring and in subsequent generations, even after the elimination of stress factors. On this basis, the researchers concluded that strong emotional responses leave a permanent mark in the genes of living organisms, which they pass on to future generations.

It may be similar in humans - inheriting changes in DNA caused by an emergency may result in greater susceptibility to depression and anxiety. This mechanism explains why descendants of Holocaust survivors have lower levels of cortisol - the stress hormone. This symptom is characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder, which may arise, among others, as a result of traumatic experiences.

Category:

Psychiatry