Does Mental Illness Run In Families?

Your mental health is more than what you think and feel. It takes into account your overall well-being, including your sense of self, habits, behavior, view of the future, ability to cope with stress, and relationships with others.

Both short- and long-term mental illness are common in the U.S. today, especially among younger Americans. But why do some people, facing the same challenges in their day-to-day environment, become mentally ill while others do not? Is mental illness genetic, and can you just inherit mental health problems from your parents? And what can be done about mental illness if it does develop?

Can I Inherit A Mental Health Disorder?

It’s complicated. First of all, mental illnesses do not follow the usual patterns of inheritance. Even among identical twins, one can sometimes develop a mental health condition, even a severe one, that will never affect the other, even though they have the same exact genes.

But does mental illness run in families? Yes, and genetic factors do play a role. There are genes and combinations of genes that can increase your risk of developing a mental illness (often revealed through your family history), either directly or indirectly.

While an exact accounting is not possible, experts on mental health, including researchers at Stanford Medicine, estimate that the influence of genetics on specific mental health conditions like depression is only somewhere between 30% and 50%. This is significant, of course, but it also means that genetics are only one piece of the puzzle.

What Else Can Cause Mental Illness?

Aside from genetics, there are many different risk factors associated with higher rates of mental illness.

These include:

ACEs

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include experiences like childhood bullying, neglect, abuse, poverty, loss of a loved one, discrimination, natural disasters, or living with a parent with an unmanaged serious mental illness (SMI). These experiences can leave lasting scars on a child’s developing psyche, making it more likely that he or she will develop a mental health condition in the future.

Trauma

ACEs can be traumatic, with more ACEs present indicating a higher risk of being traumatized, but other trauma can also play a role in the development of mental health problems in adults. Military action, serious accidents, losing a job, divorce, sexual assault, diagnosis with a serious health condition, and other difficult experiences may simply be too much for a person to cope with, leading to psychological injuries.

Isolation

Loneliness is an epidemic in the United States today. If a person doesn’t have strong relationships and support from family or friends, there is a far greater long-term chance that he or she will be mentally vulnerable and unable to cope with stressful or distressing situations, and will have a worse frame of mind and emotional state overall.

Instability

Daily stress and uncertainty produce mental strain, which can have damaging effects over time, including burnout and other chronic issues. Poverty, discrimination, financial insecurity, community violence, and unhappy family situations are all common real world examples, as are high-pressure or trauma-exposing occupations.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse can be both a symptom of mental illness, often due to self-medication, and a contributing factor behind it. In fact, at least 35% of U.S. adults who have a mental disorder also have some form of substance use disorder (SUD), according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Fortunately, both disorders can be treated together through dual diagnosis treatment programs.

How To Recognize Mental Illness

Mental illness is common but treatable, and many people either make a full recovery or learn to manage their symptoms long-term.

Specific signs and symptoms of developing mental health problems include:

• feeling sad, afraid, worried, guilty, or angry
• confused thinking
• extreme mood changes
• withdrawal from friends and activities
• fatigue and low motivation
• delusions, paranoia, or hallucinations
• trouble relating to unfamiliar situations and people
• alcohol or drug abuse
• major changes in eating or sleeping habits
• sex drive changes
• suicidal thinking

If you have been experiencing these signs and symptoms yourself, reach out to someone you trust like your doctor, therapist, a trusted friend or family member, or a religious leader. They can help you find solutions, including connecting you to local resources.

If you feel that you are in immediate danger, or you are experiencing severe or distressing mental health symptoms, treatment services are available to help. This includes short-term residential mental health care provided by Bedrock Recovery Center.

Bedrock Can Help

BRC offers crisis stabilization and primary mental health treatment for all forms of mental illness, including anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and others. Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring alcohol or drug use disorders is also available.

Our highly trained and compassionate mental health professionals can help you find stability while setting you up for long-term recovery success. To learn more about your treatment options, please reach out to our team today.