Running In The Family...

[Blundetto]

Hi guys, I am curious about what you're opinions would be on wether such things as social phobia/anxiety/depression can be genetically passed onto you from other family members, as I've started to think it's possible this could of happened to me.
My family history, from my mother's side, has had certain experiences with depression. Two of my mum's uncles, who she told me about a couple years ago, both ended up being clinically depressed, both on different sorts of medication. I don't know any specific details about their lives or situations, or what possible causes could have led them to sink so far into depression, because all this was way before my time, when my mum was still a young girl.
Anyway, in the end, both of those uncles killed themselves...It'd obviously became too much for them and they took their lives. One of them took an overdose of different pills, and the other put his head in the oven. Awfull, I know...
Now, I'm thinking it's possible there is a certain depression prone gene that can occur through our family history. I know it's not something that is automatically going to be passed on to each new-born family member, but I think selectively, over a number of years, there's going to be the unlucky one who does inherit this, me being that unlucky one this time around.

 

[Blundetto]

I agree jinxed, most of it is to do with the social factors/society/enviroment hurdles which we encounter and are affected by, but I think there has to be something inside of us that makes us so fragile when faced with these things.
Although saying that, I do know for a fact that I haven't always had social anxiety, I can still remember the way I use to be years ago, when my life use to show a little more promise than it may do now, when I was filled with so much excitement and enthusiasm for life.
My social anxiety has developed more over the past years due my enviroment, the people I've been around, and certain situations ect...
But the idea of a certain weakness which can make you more prone to these sorts of things than others, being passed onto you through family, I find fasanating...scary, but also fasanating.

 

[maggie]

hiya Blundetto...interesting question..i wonder that myself too, if this is genetic??..but, my Mom is really outgoing, loud, opinionated, was kind of a bully...my Dad, kinda quiet..but certainly doesn't seem to suffer from anxiety..and you should see my siblings :evil: ..outgoing as anything...it kinda annoys me that i feel like i'm the only one in my family that suffers from this..even though i wouldn't wish it upon them obviously, but makes me wonder why it's just me :roll:

 

[Blundetto]

I wonder the exact same things maggie, I have two younger sisters who are both full of life and very outgoing, just like I was at their age. I don't think for a second that they will develop the same issues/problems as me in later life, nor would I wish them too. Neither of my parents have ever shown any signs of social anxiety, but neither have I to them as I stated in my first post, my mum is not loud, but is very outgoing and friendly, and my dad is very much a 'man's man' tough sort of person, which I think contributes slightly to my issues a little bit, as I feel I've got alot to live up to in comparrison to my father.
When I talk about certain things being genetically inherrited, I'm not saying it neccersarily has to come from you're immediate family such as you're parents...
For example, the last known case of depression in my mum's family history is around 20-30 years ago, and maybe I'm just cunfortunate enough to be next in line to be prone to such things as depression, anxiety etc

 

[rubyted]

well , i personally would say it could be passed on, or maybe because you are around people who are down. my mum had severe depression and my dad when i was younger and my dad also had bi-polar disorder aswell . so i would say that will have had some impact on me in some way. i also no my mum was very shy when she was my age.