Can a Mental Illness be Inherited?

 It makes sense that if you have a mental condition, you would want to know where it came from and whether you might have inherited it. But it's difficult to say whether mental disease is inherited.

According to research by Trusted Source, mental illness most certainly includes a genetic component, but it is also most likely brought on by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Furthermore, compared to other mental health conditions, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression are more closely linked to heredity.

There is still more to learn about the links between heredity and mental disease, according to continuing studies. Here is what we now know about the relationship between genes and mental disease, as well as how to get the support you require to feel more like yourself once again, should you receive a mental illness diagnosis.

According to study analysis from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), four major elements commonly combine to produce mental illness:

• genetics
• biology
• environmental factors
• psychological factors

Although research on this topic is underway, there are currently no genetic tests you can take to find out if you contain a gene that increases your risk of developing a certain mental disease. Instead, you might consider your family history to learn more about your hereditary propensity for mental illness.

For instance, your risk rises if one or more family members who are close to you suffer from a specific mental illness rested Source. Having a higher risk is not a guarantee that you will experience the mental illness, though. Only your inherited genetics contribute to the emergence of a mental disorder.

However, the NIH reports that some mental and behavioural disorders are more likely to have a hereditary component. Among them is Trusted Source:

• autism
• bipolar disorder
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• major depression
• schizophrenia

Several genetic variables, such as CACNA1C and CACNB2, are present in all five of these illnesses, according to the NIH (Trusted Source) (genes that regulate the activity of calcium on neurons). On addition to this, researchers discovered that all five illnesses were associated with changes in chromosomes 3 and 10, albeit it is still unknown how these genetic differences affect disease development.