Hereditary

[Mimiqt]

Hello everyone.

I read somewhere that mental illness is hereditary. What are the odds it won’t get passed down?

My dad never got diagnosed but he survived a suicide attempt when I was young. Conversations with him daily also contains suicidal ideation and excessive fears in almost every word. Plus he has other chronic illnesses.

My eldest brother had a history of drug abuse. My sister has anxiety disorder and I have major depression disorder. Seems like everyone in our family has it.

I fear for marriage now. I mean, getting into relationship is already a tough feat for me. Getting married and fear for future really made me feel undeserving of anyone regardless how i desire some care.

[Gambit62]

There are a huge number of genetic variants that can make someone more susceptible to depression and mental illness but all of them seem to require other environmental factors ie heredity on its own doesn't explain why many families see patterns of depression/anxiety etc.

You might find it helpful to look at techniques that build up your resilience to life's knock-backs etc, such as mindfulness.

This post might give you some ideas about how to cope yourself, and may be how to help your dad with his problems.

healthunlocked.com/couchtob...

[Mimiqt in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you. I’ll check them out!