[Artchic528]

Looking back on myself, my mother and her sisters, and her mother before her, we've all had some varying degree of mental illness. So, I guess mental illness is something that can be hereditary or genetic. I've seen news reports where they've discovered certain genes and gene mutations that are linked to mental illness, so it wouldn't be far fetched to think whatever plagued my grandmother was passed on to my mother and her sisters, and then on down to me.

I'm beginning to see how deep the rabbit hole does indeed go now.

You bet it is. I am sure my mom was bipolar too and her eccentric brother I am convinced was schyzophrenic. There is talk of their father, my grandfather, that suggests to me significant mental illness - made all the worse by obvious wartime PTSD.

In my generation I have two cousins with mood disorders. One's son is schyzophrenic and the other's son has GAD so bad he can't go to school.

I worry about my own children. My daughter is exhibiting some signs I recognize all too well as bipoar and my son himself admits he suffers terribly from Anxiety and OCD.

Hereditary? Heck yeah!

Couldn't agree more. My family is all sorts of screwed up with everybody in my immediate family having either bipolar, schyzophrenia, drug or alcohol addiction issues, and/or personality disorders of some kind.

Hell, one of my great relatives was a hitman even so that tells you just how screwed up my family is.

I'm just grateful I'm not schyzophrenic myself.

[LadyShadow]

I believe this too, although I was the first one to be diagnosed. I am pretty sure my grandmother had it, my father is angry controlling and a drunk and my mother is manic and emotional and had an episode when she was in the hospital herself (for something else).

It definitely runs in the family.

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by Artchic528

Looking back on myself, my mother and her sisters, and her mother before her, we've all had some varying degree of mental illness. So, I guess mental illness is something that can be hereditary or genetic.

I'd like to throw some cold water on this idea. First of all, your grandmother's behavior can well have influenced your mother, and she influenced you. So I don't see how anyone can say it is all genetic.

I think the "biopsychosocial" model is most likely correct: there are influences from all of these: one's biological (hereditary) makeup, plus psychological influences from one's family experiences as a child, plus the effects of society -- those cannot be insignificant. People are naturally variable in their vulnerability to outside influences, so whether one becomes "mentally ill" is not due only to one factor.

[BadWolfC]

About 75% of my relatives have some form of un-triggered MI, so yes it is probably genetic in my case. But I don't think it is so in every case. It depends on the type of MI, honestly.

[eskielover]

There is some MI's that are passed on like bipolar or schizophrenia & some types of depression.

HOWEVER, these same MI's can be induced by illegal drugs, or situational experiences. My anxiety was TOTALLY SITUATIONAL. When I got out of the situation, that depression, anxiety & suicide attempts ended completely & so did the anorexia I was struggling with.

Pachy is right....there is also a bio psychosocial model that explains a lot of what can be causes also.

The reasoning is not simple or straight forward & can't be given a simple explanation as to where MI comes from in a person

[divine1966]

I think it's a known fact that many mental illnesses are genetic and some are partially genetic etc

[NUKEDANGEL]

it hit 1 in a generation in my family. my dad, me, 1 of my daughters, sure is a pattern

[Artchic528]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I'd like to throw some cold water on this idea. First of all, your grandmother's behavior can well have influenced your mother, and she influenced you. So I don't see how anyone can say it is all genetic.

I think the "biopsychosocial" model is most likely correct: there are influences from all of these: one's biological (hereditary) makeup, plus psychological influences from one's family experiences as a child, plus the effects of society -- those cannot be insignificant. People are naturally variable in their vulnerability to outside influences, so whether one becomes "mentally ill" is not due only to one factor.

I think you might have something there with how predisposition and psychological influence might go hand in hand.

[Yours_Truly]

My mom and dad suffered from depression their entire lives and 3 of their 4 kids have some variety of MI. I used to joke that the one without MI of the 6 of us was the white sheep of the family.

[GetOffMeds111]

they can also be caused by how you were raised. If you saw a lot of violence, if your parents were violent, etc.

Some people have disposition to certain illness, and the environment helps activate them. So, I think it's not accurate to say that mental illnesses are (only) genetic.

[avlady]

I think it can be genetic and environmental

[MommaD]

There's a theory called the "diathesis stress model" that says genetic predisposition and environmental stress are involved in the development of mental illnesses. If the combination of genes and stress exceed a threshold, then you developed issues. So this theory says you can have a clear genetic predisposition but if you have minimal stress (and stress can be a lot of things--traumatic events, physical illness, neglect, abuse etc), you won't develope MI. Or you can have a minor genetic predisposition but if you have a whopping dose of stress or repeated stressful events, you'll develop MI. But you have to have both.
Interesting theory generally supported by twin studies.

[ByMySide]

I think mine was, to some degree, triggered. My grandmother has schizophrenia. My mother has lived with anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember. She was hospitalized for drug abuse and depression when I was younger. My father was hospitalized for anger issues and likely has some form of MI. My brother has BP 1. Still, my mood swings have been triggered by events and immense stress. I honestly think that if certain stressful events had not occurred, my MI probably wouldn't have come to fruition.