A 46-year-old member asked:
Can manic depression or regular depression run in the family?
3 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Miroslava Foxanswered
Clinical Psychology 16 years experience
See Below: There's some evidence that depression and or psychiatric disorders, as well as suicidal behaviors have a familial relationship. As with many things, environment comes into play together with genes. If there are these issues in your family, please find a psychotherapist to help you work through them and create a "crisis card" in case help is needed.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes: that can occur. But there is usually a mix of genetics and environment at play. There may be skip generations. Penetrance for genetic predispositions is variable. You might look at a family line and see that one person has unipolar depression, another is bipolar, one has anxiety disorders and another suffers from substance abuse. In other words- it is not as simple as bipolar begets bipolar.
3.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Andrew Berryanswered
Clinical Psychology 15 years experience
Yes: Much of the time there is s strong family/genetic component of heredity in mental health disorders, which can be cross-generationally traced.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Oct 4, 2016
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
24/7 visits - just $39!
50% off with $15/month membership
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.