Can Depression Be Genetically Inherited - 2368 Words

Goodwin 1 Holly R. Goodwin Mr. Garner English 12 12 March 2015 Can Depression Be Genetically Inherited Sited from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ â€Å"Depression, also major depression, clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest. Depression affects how the person feels, behaves and thinks.† Now the world has yet to fully understand the different disorders and diseases that surround us today, but we learn more and more every day. One illness the world is well aware of, is Depression. Depression affects millions of people around the world, and can be very common. But one question remains...Can depression be genetically passed or inherited to us from†¦show more content†¦An example of this could come from PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sited from http://www.aventurastressrelief.com/ â€Å"This is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs when one has gone through an extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death. PTSD most likely occurs when an indivi dual has gone through a traumatic event such as war, assault, and accident, or a disaster.† Although PTSD victims can experience depression, this disorder is not genetically inherited. It has been known that depressive illnesses can run in families, but until fairly recently, it was not fully known whether people inherit a susceptibility to these illnesses, or if something else such as the environment they’re exposed to, is the true cause. Those who research depression and what causes it, have been able to determine that to some extent that depressive illnesses, can be inherited. But that theory can be incorrect. What appear to be inherited, can really be a vulnerability to depression. Meaning that if we have close relatives who suffer from clinical depression, we may inherit a tendency to develop this illness. It does not mean we are all destined to become depressed. Goodwin 3 Genes that we inherit from our parents determine many things about us such as our gender and the color of our eyes or our hair. Our genes