Mental health history affects us all. It doesn't discriminate. In fact, you may have mental health history that you aren't aware of because the culture was so hush-hush decades ago. Within adoption, hopeful adoptive parents get any known mental health history of an expectant parent.
The most common to see are depression, anxiety, and/or ADHD (which again, so many of us have in our own mental health history). The less common are bipolar, schizophrenia, OCD and/or autism. The big question that many hopeful adoptive parents ask when considering mental health history is: Is it hereditary?
The question, while simple, is so complicated. Mental health disorders are all on a spectrum from mild to severe and many are triggered from trauma experienced or substance abuse. A child may be predisposed to a mental health disorder through their genes, but that doesn't mean it will develop. It's also important to note that many of these disorders are treatable with medications and therapy. Nonetheless, let's dive deeper into these disorders:
DEPRESSION
We know that depression runs in families, which implies the influence of particular genes that may render an individual vulnerable to the illness. However, genes are just part of the picture. A child not only inherits genes; he or she inherits a family. Very often, families with mental or behavioral disorders are also families in which there exists a considerable amount of dysfunction. That implies the influence of environment as well as genes.
Population studies reveal that depression is more likely to occur in homes where abuse and conflict are persistent. Further research has shown that individuals who come from an environment with emotional conflict suffer more severe forms of depression and are less likely to respond to existing medications or treatments.
ANXIETY
A study sponsored by The National Institute of Mental Health has established that genetics do play a part in at least some portion of the population experiencing an anxiety disorder.
Where statistics are concerned, around half of all patients experiencing panic disorder have one or more relatives who have been diagnosed with it. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is slightly less hereditary with only 40% of patients having family members with a similar diagnosis.
While heredity may be one of the reasons, other elements such as environmental influences like family issues, work pressure, or a traumatic event may cause someone with no family history to develop an anxiety disorder.
ADHD
We know from the research that kids with ADHD are highly likely to have a parent and other blood relatives who also have ADHD.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar disorder seems to often run in families and there appears to be a genetic part to this mood disorder. There is also growing evidence that environment and lifestyle issues have an effect on the disorder's severity.
Environmental stressors also play a role in triggering bipolar episodes in those who are genetically predisposed. For example, children growing up in bipolar families may live with a parent who lacks control of moods or emotions.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Having a first degree relative (FDR) with schizophrenia is one of the greatest risks for the disorder.
While the risk is 1 percent in the general population, having an FDR such as a parent or sibling with schizophrenia increases the risk to 10 percent.
Along with genetics, other potential causes of schizophrenia include:
- The environment - Being exposed to viruses or toxins, or experiencing malnutrition before birth, can increase the risk of schizophrenia.
- Brain chemistry - Issues with brain chemicals, such as the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate, may contribute to schizophrenia.
- Substance use - Teen and young adult use of mind-altering (psychoactive or psychotropic) drugs may increase the risk of schizophrenia.
- Immune system activation - Schizophrenia can also be connected to autoimmune diseases or inflammation.
OCD
A 2000 study aimed to solidify OCD’s hereditary nature and put the matter to bed once and for all. The research, published in the Archive of General Psychiatry, investigated nearly 350 relatives of 80 people with OCD and compared them with 73 controls. They found that people who have first-degree relatives with OCD are five times more likely to have it themselves.
OCD may require certain environmental triggers in order to fully activate. For example, a child who grows up with an obsessive-compulsive mother will not only have a genetic predisposition but will likely observe their parent’s rituals (such as compulsive hand washing) as well. It’s likely this plays a role.
AUTISM
In short, autism is hereditary. But there are other risk factors that can play into its development, such as biology and environmental factors. These causes merely factor into the cause of ASD — they are not the primary reason a person might develop autism.
Some of the most common risk factors for autism, in conjunction with genetics, include:
- A child born to older parents
- Serious infections during gestation
- Birth difficulties/complications
- Genetic disorders such as fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Down Syndrome
- Males are four times more likely to develop autism than females.
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