Will my child inherit my mental health condition?
If you’re living with a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, or OCD, you may have wondered about whether your children will face the same challenges. You may also be curious about whether you inherited your mental health condition from your own parents. Dr. Holly Betterly MD, Board-Certified Psychiatrist in Weston, FL, explains that when it comes to psychiatric disorders, inheritance isn’t so straightforward.
This post is provided for educational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have questions, always reach out to your doctor for more information.
Struggling with your mental health? Reach out for professional support. Dr. Betterly is a board-certified psychiatrist in Weston, FL dedicated to helping you overcome depression, anxiety, and OCD. She offers appointments at her office in Weston, FL, conveniently located in Weston Town Center, as well as via telehealth for patients across Florida. Request an appointment today to start your journey to better mental health.
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Do mental health conditions run in families?
If you’ve visited the doctor lately, you may have been asked if anyone in your family has medical problems. Doctors ask this important question in order to better understand your “family medical history”. Many medical conditions are influenced by our genetics. If your family member has been diagnosed with a medical condition with known genetic involvement, it’s possible that you could be at a higher risk for developing the same condition.
Why is this? We share some of our DNA (our genetic material) with our family members. The amount of DNA that we share with each family member varies depending on the nature of the relationship. We share more DNA with our mothers, for example, than with our cousins.
When we think about the role of genetics in our family medical history, we are specifically referring to biological family members (“blood relatives”). We don’t share genetic material with relatives who married into our families, such as aunts or uncles, or with those who were adopted. This means that if your adopted brother (to whom you are not biologically related) has a medical condition, you would not be at a higher risk for developing the same condition from a genetics standpoint.
We should note that the influence of genetics isn’t the only reason why family members may be at a higher risk for developing the same condition. The family environment in which someone was raised can also play a significant role.
It’s important to remember that mental health problems are medical problems- and just like high blood pressure, diabetes, or asthma, they can be influenced by our genetics. Because of this, if you have a biological relative with a mental health condition, you may be at a higher risk for developing the same condition. Along the same lines, if you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, your children may be at a higher risk for developing the same.
How likely is my child to inherit my mental health condition?
The likelihood that your child will go on to develop the same mental health condition that you have been diagnosed with varies depending on the diagnosis in question. Let’s take a look at some of the research data for three common mental health conditions.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
According to an article from Stanford Medicine, those who have a parent or sibling with Major Depressive Disorder may be two to three times more likely to develop this condition than the average person. The average person has about a 10% chance of developing major depression during their lifetime, which means that those with a parent or sibling with MDD have about a 20-30% chance of developing this condition. Those whose relative experienced recurrent major depression, meaning that they experienced multiple episodes of depression throughout their life, may be at an even higher risk of developing major depression.
Anxiety Disorders
An article from the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that children of parents with anxiety disorders were significantly more likely to have anxiety than children of parents without anxiety disorders.
A study from European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that compared to children without anxiety disorders, children with an anxiety disorder were two to three times more likely to have a parent with an anxiety disorder (either currently or at some point in their lifetime).
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
An article from Psychiatry Clinics of North America notes that first-degree relatives of people with OCD have between a 10% to 20% chance of developing OCD. This is significantly higher than the lifetime prevalence of OCD found in the general population, which is around one to three percent.
Will my child inherit my mental health condition?
As we can see from the research data we reviewed in the last section, the family members of people diagnosed with mental health conditions may be at a higher risk than the general population for developing the same conditions. It’s important to point out, however, that many family members do not develop the condition despite their increased risk. In fact, for many psychiatric diagnoses, the majority do not develop the condition. Many different factors influence whether someone will develop a given mental health condition, so it isn’t possible to predict with 100% certainty who will or won’t be impacted.
What factors influence whether someone will develop a mental health condition?
While genetics plays a role in the development of many common mental health conditions, there are many different factors involved. Some of these factors may include:
Genetics
Imbalances in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters)
Differences in brain structure
Family environment (including Adverse Childhood Experiences)
Life stressors
Lifestyle factors (such as sleep, diet, and physical activity)
Personality traits
Medical conditions
Medications
Substance use (drugs and alcohol)
