The role of hereditary depression is not clear-cut. Having a parent, sibling or child with depression does raise the chance of developing it. We inherit genes that decide the color of our eyes, the color of our hair and our gender. Our genes also determine what illnesses we may be more vulnerable to, at some point in our lives.
Is it nature – a genetic trait that is passed from parent to child? Or is it nurture – that growing up with depressed parents teaches children how to be depressed? Most experts believe it is a combination of the two and that there is a two to three-time increase in lifetime risk of developing major depressive disorder. Also, If you have a parent or sibling that has had major depression, you may be 1.5 to 3 times more likely to develop the condition than those who do not have a close relative with the condition.
At this time there is much that we do not know about how genes may predispose a person to hereditary depression. Research has yet to identify a clear link between a specific gene and a vulnerability to depression in everyone. Rather than the possibility of only a single gene being responsible for the development of clinical depression, it appears to be more likely that a number of genes acting together may cause a person to become vulnerable to depression.
Even though a person may inherit a gene for hereditary depression, it does not mean that you will be destined to develop a depressive disorder. It is believed that a genetic influence is only partially responsible for causing depression. Other factors may also play a role.
Risk Factors for Clinical Depression Include
- Experiencing trauma as a child
- Social isolation or having few close relationships
- Suffering from a serious medical condition, like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes
- Living with chronic pain
- Taking certain medications (e.g. certain drugs used to treat high blood pressure)
- Abusing alcohol or drugs