Can One Inherit Mental Disorders?
Can one inherit mental disorders? Many have asked this question, especially if they have family members who suffer from mental health problems. In addition, many studies show that mental disorders have a genetic component.
On the other hand , research has not been able to answer all the questions about how much our genes affect this. Research is slowly evolving. Bit by bit, we learn more about the genetic heritage of mental illness, although there is still much to find out.
We now understand that mental illness and general health are determined by both our genes and our environment. We also know that people do not want to inherit the mental illness, but only the conditions to develop it.
People with relatives who suffer from mental illness often worry that they may get this themselves.
What factors determine your health?
Whether or not you get an illness depends on many factors. This also applies in cases of dominant inheritance. If you do not have any genetic predispositions or triggers (the spark that ignites the genetic fuse), you may never get such a disease.
Because of this , researchers are using probability calculations. It is impossible to predict whether a child of a person suffering from mental illness will develop the same disease. On the other hand, they will still be more likely to be able to develop it. And if both the father and the mother suffer from the same disease, the chances will be even greater.
Let us discuss the likelihood of inheriting some common mental disorders.
The likelihood of inheriting mental disorders such as schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects many of the brain’s functions such as thought, perception, emotions and behavior. It is a psychotic disorder, which means that those who suffer from it lose touch with reality.
An estimated 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia. Various studies also estimate that 40% of the children of a father and mother with schizophrenia will develop the same disease. 15 out of 100 people will have psychological abnormalities, but not the disease itself.
The same prognoses are found among twins. However, identical twins are 80% more likely to develop schizophrenia if the other twin has it. This is due to a recessive gene, with an incomplete dominance over the carrier gene or genes.
The likelihood of inheriting mental disorders such as bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a serious illness that is both dangerous and disabling. It is also known as manic depression. People with bipolar disorder have abnormal mood swings. It is one of the most feared mental disorders.
People with bipolar disorder have manic episodes and sometimes feel very happy and lively. They are also more energetic and active than usual. Other times, people with bipolar disorder may have negative episodes and feel very sad and depressed. They have little energy and are much less active than normal.
About 0.4% of the population suffers from bipolar disorder. A patient’s risk increases when the parents have bipolar disorder. Among identical twins, the chance of one of them developing the disorder is 95% if the other twin has it. It appears to be a dominant gene, with an incomplete dominance of the gene or genes.
The probability of developing mental retardation
Most of the severe cases of mental retardation are caused by environmental factors. It could be an accident or illness that the patient was exposed to while the mother was pregnant or that happened early in life. Therefore, such disorders are not hereditary.
On the other hand, 80% of mild or moderate mental retardation are hereditary. When both father and mother have mental retardation, 80% of their children will suffer from the same mental illness. However, only 40% of children will get it if only the mother or father has a mental illness.
A negative factor is that people with mental retardation often stay together, thus increasing the chance of a genetic effect. If it is a hereditary gene, it appears to be recessive. It is possible to inherit a mental illness such as mental retardation, but most of the cases are caused by external factors.
Can one inherit mental disorders such as neurosis and other mental illnesses?
A person with neurosis reacts abnormally due to previous experiences and reasons in the environment. Therefore, it is not hereditary. Many cases of neurosis in the same family can be explained by “false heredity”. It does not happen due to genetic heredity, but due to a poor family environment. This is sometimes called an “emotional pathogen”, which tends to trigger the mental illness.
That said, hereditary neurosis has a rate of 70%. If one twin has it, the probability of the other identical twin getting it will be 83%. Identical twins have only a 23% chance of doing the same. Thus, the hypothesis of the “emotional pathogen” is still open to debate.
Neurosis does not appear to have a genetic component. In other words, it seems that there is a genetic predisposition to react neurotically to disease-causing experiences. Although some mental disorders are more likely to be inherited than others, studies on twins and family histories show that it is possible to inherit mental disorders.
