Depression is one of the most common mood disorders in the world and one of the most common psychological problems that are treated during consultations with psychologists and psychiatrists, however, can depression be hereditary?
This condition can affect any age group, with different symptoms at each stage of development in which the person is located.
In children, somatic symptoms are more common than in adults, where cognitive and mood problems predominate.
This disorder can involve different changes that affect all areas of a person’s life functioning, generally, these changes may include:
The causes of depression have been investigated and are currently being investigated with the aim of improving the effectiveness of treatments that can be applied to combat it.
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether depression can be inherited. The answer is, according to many studies, that depression has a genetic component, like most other types of diseases.
When analyzing a patient’s medical history, we found that there is a significant percentage of depression cases with a family history, whether depression or other mental disorder.
However, this itself does not determine that someone will inherit the disease, as a number of other important factors also influence the onset of the disease. These factors relate to the events of a person’s life, social and psychological factors.
Then there are people who are more vulnerable than others to developing depression. For these people, not only will genetics determine inheritance, but all of the above factors influence each one to its own extent.
Studies on the genetic component of depression have reportedly been involved in genes that are still influenced by environmental and behavioral factors.
In so-called endogenous depressions it can be verified, after an assessment of the person, that the external factors are not as decisive, that is, in these cases depression is due to internal and organic causes of the functioning of our brain. , where the hereditary component can be better analyzed.
In such cases, if the person has a family history of depression, there may be a genetic factor involved, but this will never be decisive.
In depression, the physiological functioning of the brain changes in certain neurotransmitters, responsible for regulating emotions, so that these changes occur you do not need to have a family history of the disease.
Based on the findings of studies on the subject, comparing the general population with people with a history of depression among first-degree relatives, there is a higher prevalence of the disorder in this second group.
With regard to the functioning of depression-related neurotransmitters, if they are impaired, there may be a greater vulnerability of the person to negatively interpret the situation or events that occur around them, or even their view of them.
Depression can be inherited, but we must also remember that the way we think, the interpretation we make of situations, and the beliefs and patterns (which we have about ourselves and the world at large) are also learned.
The environment in which we grow and develop directly influences the way we see the world.
For example, if one of our closest relatives, a person we call a parent, tends to see the world and things negatively, with verbal expressions and negative attitudes or behaviors, the child will most likely get used to it. kind of thinking and may have the same way of interpreting what’s around you. , making it more prone to depression.
Depression can be hereditary in the sense that genetics is a component, but it is an additional component, it is not the only one and it is not determining, the interaction of several factors, as we have seen, is at the root of this complex disorder.
Traumatic life events, such as death of a loved one, separation or divorce, losses in general, major changes, etc. All of these factors are risk factors that can contribute to the development of depression.
Studies indicate that the risk factors mentioned can increase a person’s genetic risk, so it is the interaction of all factors that would lead to depression.
Research has been conducted to provide evidence of the legacy of depression with families, twin and adopted siblings, in order to determine from every possible perspective whether genetics and biological inheritance could be a single factor or not.
Today all the results lead us to the same conclusions, what seems scientifically more likely is that depression is not exactly hereditary, although the genetic burden has a significant percentage of influence.
In mental disorders, it is always necessary to take into account several aetiologies and causal factors, which determine the origin of a disease; for psychological treatment, this is even more important and necessary, especially to intervene on the factors that underpin the problem.