Depression May Be a Family Affair
Nearly 60 percent of children whose parents and grandparents suffered from depression have a psychiatric disorder before they reach their early teens, according to a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
This is more than double the number of children (approximately 28 percent) who develop such disorders with no family history of depression.
Major depressive disorder affects approximately 9.9 million US adults, or about 5 percent of the US population age 18 and older in a given year.
Nearly twice as many women (6.5 percent) as men (3.3 percent) suffer from major depressive disorder each year. These figures translate to 6.7 million women and 3.2 million men.
While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-twenties.
The study, led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, is the first to follow three generations of high-risk families and has taken more than two decades to complete.
The research team began studying 47 first generation family members in 1982, then interviewed 86 of their children several times as they grew into adulthood.
The team has collected data from 161 members of the third generation, whose average age is 12.
Results found that most of the prepubescent grandchildren with a two-generation history of depression developed anxiety disorders that developed into depression as they aged into adolescence.
This trend was also found when the researchers previously followed the children's parents through adolescence and adulthood.
"We have shown that the risk of depression is carried through several generations and that it intensifies as more generations are affected," says the study's lead author, Dr. Myrna Weissman, chief of the Department of Clinical and Genetic Epidemiology at New York State Psychiatric Institute.
"Children with a two-generation family history of depression develop anxiety disorders earlier than other children and tend to experience more impairment," Dr. Weissman says.
Previous studies have shown that the children of a depressed parent are at greater risk of mood and anxiety disorders, but the Columbia study is the first to illustrate how the risk intensifies across three generations.
"Children of parents and grandparents with depression are at extremely high risk for mood and anxiety disorders even when they're very young," Dr. Weissman says.
"They should be considered for treatment if they develop anxiety disorders, or at least monitored very closely," she says.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Some types of depression run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Studies of families in which members of each generation develop bipolar disorder found that those with the illness have a somewhat different genetic makeup than those who do not get ill.
Not everybody with the genetic makeup that causes vulnerability to bipolar disorder will have the illness, states the NIMH. Additional factors, possibly stresses at home, work, or school, are involved in its onset.
In some families, major depression may occur generation after generation. However, it can also occur in people who have no family history of depression. Whether inherited or not, major depressive disorder is often associated with changes in brain structures or brain function.
People who have low self-esteem, who consistently view themselves and the world with pessimism, or who are readily overwhelmed by stress, are prone to depression. Whether this represents a psychological predisposition or an early form of the illness is not clear, states the NIMH.
In recent years, researchers have shown that physical changes in the body can be accompanied by mental changes as well.
Medical illnesses such as stroke, a heart attack, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and hormonal disorders can cause depressive illness, which may make it difficult for a person to care for his or her physical needs, suggests the NIMH.
Also, a serious loss, difficult relationship, financial problem, or any stressful (unwelcome or even desired) change in life patterns can trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of a depressive disorder.
Depression Symptoms
Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom, according to the NIMH. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time.
Symptoms of depression may include the following:
persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
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feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
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feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
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loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
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decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
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difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
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insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
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appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
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thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
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restlessness, irritability
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persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain
Always consult your physician for more information.
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