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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
I was just curious how many of us here have a family history (genetic) link to depressive/anxiety disorders?
My family tree is really nuts:Father- Bipolar, OCD - his mother- Bipolar/suicide
Mother- GAD, major depression Her mother- sociopath, borderline personality disorder
Her father- major depression/alcoholic/suicide
Sister- Bipolar, ADHDI had a maternal great grandmother that was declared "insane" and a maternal great,great grandmother that was institutionalized.
When I think of this history, it makes me even more depressed.
It's coming from both sides.
Is there any way to avoid it, even if it's genetic??
Posted by Phillipa on September 25, 2005, at 22:09:28
In reply to family history???, posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
I just don't know Spriggy. My mother had anxiety[don't what it would be called now] Borlderline may too. Father alchohol problem anxiety. Sister alchohol anxiety/depression, lupus, daughter anxiety/depression, hyperactive as child, Son PTSD ,other daughter possibly functional manic depression high achiever. And my self after this article I just don't know. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by sleepygirl on September 25, 2005, at 22:24:58
In reply to family history???, posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
.....Yes, I'd like to return these genes please.
I'm sorry about all the pain in your family. Take good care of yourself.
Unfortunately there is a strong genetic component for mood disorders (especially bipolar) but it doesn't mean it has to happen to you, you may get a shade of it though :-( As far as avoiding it, what can you do? Take good care of yourself-physically and mentally.
Posted by Glydin on September 25, 2005, at 22:43:59
In reply to family history???, posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
I received a 50% hit from my maternal side. I do think genetics CAN play a role and I also believe in the "nuture" theory. The females on my maternal side were and are chronic worriers and ruminators - I think somehow equating that with good show of concern. I learned this behavior and it's a BIG factor.
My Dad's side does not have much in the way of emotional problems but are dentally challenged.
So, Mom gave me the brain and Dad gave me his bad teeth. The good news is, I found treatment for both: Lexapro and some really good looking veneers.
Posted by Racer on September 26, 2005, at 1:46:53
In reply to Re: family history???, posted by Glydin on September 25, 2005, at 22:43:59
That's my only explanation...
How my parents could ever have mated is beyond me -- mental illness of varying kinds on both sides.
Mother's family -- plain vanilla depression and anxiety disorders. At least they were easy to understand, once you got that part straight.
Father? Whoohee! I don't know what diagnoses he'd have had, but there would have been many of them. And severe, too. Let's just say that he came by them honestly.
Me? I have depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. But you know what? While the genetics are there, I also know that there are things I can do to help myself, so I am doing them. That's the best I can do, and it's the same as if I had any other sort of genetic or congenital sickness. (I do, actually, and it's the same thing: do what I can to minimize damage, and work out how to live my life with this as part of the reality. Same with depression, really.)
I'm too tired to make sense. Sorry. But I do believe that the fact that we have a genetic predisposition doesn't have to mean the end of any sort of hope. Well, realistic hope -- I keep hoping my legs will straighten, but not in this lifetime. Once we know we have this predisposition, we have to learn to protect ourselves emotionally, the same way I have to remember to protect my joints. So, I don't run for busses, and I try to calm myself before I go into panic mode. {shrug} Guess that's all we can do, besides flossing daily and wearing sunscreen.
Man, posting while impaired ain't such a great idea, huh? I'm gonna go sleepy-bye-bye now.
Posted by med_empowered on September 26, 2005, at 16:47:58
In reply to The life guard at the gene pool is off duty..., posted by Racer on September 26, 2005, at 1:46:53
Genetics are weird. Take my family: my fathers parents were *off*--ECT, lotsa valium, etc. (Quietly crazy in the 60s-70s suburbs). He's fine, siblings are fine. Now, me: *off*. Some people find it kind of endearing ("you're so quirky, and...different), some people think its not such a good thing (those people are generally called "psychiatrists"), but I still make it work. Plus, if you run up the other side of my family, everybody has something going on, but only a few people each generation get hit with full-fledged, hardcore problems...I may be the lucky one for my generation (yeehaw!). Anyway, the whole "genes are IT" theory is hogwash; if you look back, that's what they based the whole Eugenics Experiment in the US on (this would be the period in time in which the "insane" and/or "feeble-minded" were *legally* castrated and/or sterilized against their will, and they were also forbidden to marry.) Its also the theory that led to some of the less-mentioned "projects" in Nazi Germany--like the ones where German Psychiatrists sterilized, then killed, *thousands* of "insane" or "feeble-minded" individuals in the country at the time. The response of American psychiatrists? Jealousy...they wanted to kill some crazies too, d@amnit. Anyway, the point is the whole genetic theory is pretty weak; yes, genes set us up for certain things, but there's really no *good* evidence that they determine the development or course of any mental illness. There are some good critiques of all those twin studies...I'll try to find some sights. All in all, just keep in mind that biology is not destiny; human beings are infinitely more complex and complicated than the people at Pfizer or the american psychiatric association would lead you to believe...there's a *whole* lot going on when it comes to the development and progression of mental illness, and much (most?) of it isn't genetic (think of all the variables...age, social status, race, education, gender, marital status, childhood environment, current environment....) So, please don't fret; you're not genetically programmed to develop a mental illness...odds are, you'll be fine; if you do develop a problem, there's much more hope for recovery than many would have you believe, so it won't necessarily be a "life-sentence" to mental illness. Have a nice day.
Posted by crazy teresa on September 26, 2005, at 19:04:43
In reply to family history???, posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
My family is full on my mother's side; traceable back at least as far as the Civil War. The other side is full of alcholics. We're a fine bunch! ;~} Never a dull moment...
Posted by Ilene on September 26, 2005, at 19:36:17
In reply to family history???, posted by spriggy on September 25, 2005, at 21:20:58
Of course. My mother probably had an anxiety disorder, my maternal aunt suffered from depression, my cousin (her son) is extremely eccentric, and my maternal grandmother was somewhat eccentric. On my father's side everyone is stolidly unremarkable.
I.
This is the end of the thread.
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