Mental health and genetics

[welcometowitsend]

I have been doing some research online and I am wondering how strong the correlation is between genetics and mental health.

Thought I'd do a little poll here to see if there is a correlation with our difficult child's mental health and family mental health and how closely it's related. This can be for adoptees as well if the birth family history is known.

Is there a history of mental health issues? Are they the same mental health issues? How close is the family tie? That kind of thing.

Just for curiosity sake.

 

[AnnieO]

They're definitely related. It doesn't account for all the issues, but Onyxx & Jett's biomom was likely un-diagnosis'd bipolar, alcoholism & addiction run on both sides... father in law is ADHD, Aspie or both... And I see traits in husband, sister in law, Onyxx, Jett, niece, nephew...

 

[InsaneCdn]

Not dealing with primary MH issues here - secondary ones are not genetic.

But... developmental stuff? Definitely has a genetic component. ADHD runs so strong in our family tree that we tend to assume the kids have it even if there is no diagnosis, and treat them that way (in terms of expectations etc.) Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is similar.

 

[SuZir]

As it says in my sig I come from the long line of difficult children, well documented from early fifteenth century on I can't come up with any mental or neurological disorder there has not been in my family tree, but in recent times there has been less more serious stuff. My mothers parents were somewhat normal (mother's grandparents are the different story...), my mother was more eccentric than anything (eternal hippie, didn't do responsibilities, very volatile love-life, very intelligent and well-read, managed to obtain PhD somehow) and I do suspect my father may have an undiagnosed Borderline (BPD), he also has some substance abuse issues. I'm fairly healthy myself. I do have a lot of common with my difficult child though. His biological father is very high functioning, but his family background was a mess, what I know about. It could had been situational though, life had been very hard for that family. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of difficult child's neurological flavours would come from there though. My husband, who is difficult child's social and juridical father and easy child's father has no significant mental health background.

 

[TerryJ2]

No question, in my mind.
Both bio-grandfathers are alcoholics and divorced.
The bio dad has had pot issues, and also has a history of rising to the top of a job, then falling flat on his face. Over and over.
The bio mom suffers from depression, has missed half of difficult child's bdays, and has been hospitalized 2 or 3X for gastrointestinal issues. I have told her and the gma that difficult child has a gluten allergy and that she should try eliminating it herself, but she insists on continuing with-her junk food diet.
The bio gma on the bmom's side is Aspie (my diagnosis ... she told us she had been to a psychiatrist and he got fed up and told her she was a know-it-all. She also tracked in dog poop to one of the adoption mtngs and never noticed, and when people pointed it out, she shrugged her shoulders.)
That's only what I *do* know.