Is depression a genetic problem

Post Reply New Topic

Many people take SSRIs for more serotonin and less depressed state.

But is depression really an inborn thing, or something that happens inside brain we cant change? I mean, people may live in bad situations and that may be the reason that they are depressed. Is it related to brain chemistry or something that develops over time because of life conditions?

It does seem to run in some families, but many genes and circumstances may be involved and it can be very different for different people. In my own family, I could trace one line of my Mother's side back to the late 1700s and there were suicides in every single generation. Men over age 50, women under 30. Amazing when I was able to see that on paper in black and white. It explained a lot! The interesting thing is that this is the family line that seems to have autism too, although that is difficult to document. Many of the suicides may have been due to struggles with autism,

Yes, science has proven there is a likely link to depression in many families. We are still very early in the stages of learning about autism, depression, and understanding the physical/neurological/developmental, and biochemical basis for many diagnoses. Interesting, isn't it?

I want to add that many things can be done to help people who have depression today. There are meds, therapies, accommodations, and so much more. There is no reason for anybody to experience constant emotional and sometimes physical suffering due to depression. There are so many alternatives to be used alone or in combinations, that can help us today.