Study Finds Depression Intensifies from One Generation to Next

[HuckleB]

Study Finds Depression Intensifies from One Generation to Next

http://www.physorg.com/news2685.html

"As the medical community continues to more accurately diagnose depression and anxiety disorders, a new study sheds light on how these debilitating phenomena are passed down through the generations -- and may even intensify.

Nearly 60 percent of children whose parents and grandparents suffered from depression have a psychiatric disorder before they reach their early teens, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). This incidence is more than double the number of children (approximately 28 percent) who develop such disorders with no family history of depression.

..."

[TahitiNut]

1. Maybe there's more to be depressed about.

:shrug: I know - depression isn't 'sadness'. As one subject to depression, I know VERY well.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

18. Exactly my 1st thought too.

Times are not getting easier. And I am a diagnosed sufferer myself.

[HuckleB]

27. I dunno.

Sure, the world has some big new problems, but, still, it's always had some very, very ugly problems.

[havocmom]

37. There was a study back in early 90s showing depressed people actually

had a better grasp of reality than those who were generally cheerful. So not only are we depressed AND things are f**ked up, but WE notice more about just how F**ked things are.
What a gift, huh?

[HuckleB]

40. Has this study been repeated?

[havocmom]

41. Dunno. Wish I could recall what institution did it. Memory is shot to hell

:shrug:

[TahitiNut]

50. I remember that.

I don't recall who did it, either. :shrug:

I think it's at least partly a matter of not being shielded by (and not being disinclined to refute) false beliefs ("American" myths).

[Xipe Totec]

2. How does that make you feel?

Let's ask Marvin...

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/~neal/humor/marvin-the-server-404.html

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Good God, I'm DOOMED

Russian Jews on the one side, Irish Catholics on the other.

At least I don't drink. Smack is bad enough.

--p!
We're all looking for a little rebirth.
Display the Eye of Horus in honor of Scott "Khephra" Lowery and affirm his vision of a renewed America.

[Bono71]

13. Lol...I thought the exact same thing. Totally screwed n/t

[Redstone]

25. Jeez, mee too...

Irish Catholics and American Indians...I guess I won't be having that next drink after all.

Redstone

[coloradodem2005]

4. I shouldn't have kids.

I don't want to inflict this on them.

[HuckleB]

5. More News: GPs fail to diagnose depression (Australia)

GPs fail to diagnose depression

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/GPs-fail-to-diagnose-depression/2005/01/14/1105582718314.html?oneclick=true

"Doctors fail to diagnose symptoms of depression in more than 40 per cent of older patients, new research suggests.

A study by the Australian National University's school of medicine found that while 15 per cent of Australians aged over 65 have depression, GPs are not detecting the illness in many of them. Dr Jeff Looi and his team are now looking for older people to take part in a study that aims to find out more about late-life depression.

The illness is thought to have a greater biological basis than depression in younger people, and has been linked to heart disease, stroke and changes in brain structure.

"We are studying both the physical and mental aspects of late-life depression," Dr Looi said. "We need to better understand brain changes that underpin late-life depression as this will tell us about the roles of vascular disease, nutrition and brain ageing."

..."

[SmokingJacket]

6. Being raised by a depressed person

doesn't exactly improve one's capacity for happiness -- even aside from biology.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. I think you're right about that

Looking back, I understand that my mother was suffering from severe depression as I was growing up, and nobody ever diagnosed it.

Such a person is in no position to teach healthy coping or social interaction skills.

[Skittles]

8. exactly

I remember my aunt telling me I had a bad attitude - not long after one of her suicide attempts (I was living with her while my dad was hospitalized for year following a suicide attempt). I told her MAYBE MY ATTITUDE WOULD BE BETTER IF PEOPLE STOPPED TRYING TO DIE AROUND ME. I was 14 years old.

[VegasWolf]

9. "Daddy, I'm scared!" "You should be, the evil world will get you!" n/t

[HuckleB]

11. Indeed. It's difficult to separate enviro from genetic on this.

[Chicago Democrat]

14. It is for adopted kids.

like me


Fascinating to see what things arise that are similar to your birth parents and birth grandparents.... versus those aspects gotten through adopted parents.

I met my birth family in my 30's and the similarities are amazing.

[HuckleB]

26. Yes, genetics are strong.

But twin studies also show that environment plays a very significant factor.

[spunky]

23. that's what I was thinking.

You probably don't get taught good coping skills by depressed parents, thus making life feel more difficult to deal with, especially if you are also genetically predisposed to depression.

[Barrett808]

29. I remember hearing about study comparing depressed mothers...

...with mothers who aren't depressed. It compared vocal intonations and found that depressed mothers don't speak to their babies in high-frequency tones, which apparently caused developmental deficits in the children. Wish I had a citation -- anybody remember that?

[meppie-meppie not]

39. now I'm really depressed, my great grandmother was depressed every

single day of her life! :shrug:

[IStriker]

55. I wonder if there are any studies on children of depressed...

parent raised by someone else - if they are worse, better, same? Wonder if there are any studies of children of non-depressed parent raised by depressed person?

This is the first study I've seen linking depression. Everything else I've seen has been a genetic link in bi-polar or manic/depressives.

[GAspnes]

10. this helps explain the problems my son is having

Not that it makes me feel any better about it.

[Chicago Democrat]

12. Birth Grandpa was never the same after Iwo Jima...

Birth Mother has never been able to function.



Its genetic.


I know this because I'm adopted.


I have it much worse than both of them, but never met them until my thirties. Thank goddess I never procreated.

[heidler1]

16. It would help a lot if we could pin it down to either genes or environment.

The Republicans blamed welfare moms purely on environment because it ran in families. To me this was just an excuse to cut them off. We are a nation currently calling safety net removal for the troubled a tough love issue. No child left behind is part of this view. It's a misuse of the "all men are created equal", but willfully ignores it's only in the eyes of some God. I see this as a way to justify mistreatment of others. Strange how we tend to donate big time to a natural disaster. Logically if there is a God and this God decided to punish a large number of people with floods or whatever wouldn't this God expect us to let them suffer as he intended? But because we can not agree in our minds that they deserve to suffer so we help them, but a depressed person is apt to be judged as having brought it on themselves so to hell with them.

[bemildred]

15. What's this, a new marketing strategy for tranquilizers? nt

[Megahurtz]

17. Gee I fucking wonder why?

With the way this fucking country has been going in a downhill spiral, who the hell knows how our kids and grandkids are going to be feeling after the whole GOP/Bushitlers era has played out? And is there an end to it?

THAT'S pretty damn depressing.:(

[sonicx]

19. This is why i'm never having kids...

My screwed up genes are stopping right here.

[DeepModem Mom]

20. I'm interested in the connection between high intelligence and creativity

and depression/anxiety, which I think I've read about. Anyone have thoughts, or information, on this?

[ernstbass]

22. There is a correlation between bipolar disorder and creativity

but I don't have any references to quote. If you google bipolar and creativity you can find some excellent articles.

[HuckleB]

36. Links:

http://www.patienthealthinternational.com/features/3118.aspx

http://www.wga.org/health/jamison/touched.html

http://www.mddaboston.org/lect012600.html

[depakid]

42. The 2002 Stanford Bipolar Clinic study

Establishes the link between creative genius and bipolar disorder:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/bipolar.clinic/news/

If you look throughout history at the great artists, writers, composers and even political leaders, you find an exceeedingly high prevalence of symptoms and family histories consistent with bipolar (and some unipolar) disorders.

http://www.pendulum.org/information/information_famous.html

[sweetheart]

21. Nixon->Ford->Carter->Reagan->Bush->Clinton->Bush

Yep, depression intensifies from one generation to the next.

[Megahurtz]

24. Lol!

:D

[JohnOneillsMemory]

33. Correct. Three generations of propaganda's intentional fear-mongering .

Our government and its media hacks have been intentionally messing with our heads for atleast three generations and are finding out that their fascist fear-mongering works...too well now.

They have been stimulating the part of our brain called the amygdala which reacts unthinkingly to survival threats but generates chemicals in our nervous systems that disable us and wear out our bodies.

Now there are 'interesting' side-effects like systemic depression and obesity which are now making us less predictable and a little harder to exploit. This is eating into the profits and even threatening the whole technique of controlling the masses through disinformation.

Democratic Underground as an alternative to official propaganda is a prime example of people going 'off their meds' as they realize they are meant to hurt, not help us like the Matrix Blue Pill.

We are the bear that is waking up from their tranquilizers and they are scrambling to both adjust the dosage and fund lots of research on the brain to be further weaponized against us.

Example: The Orwellian 'New Freedom Initiative' of mandatory psych evaluations of public school kids and the medication that will result. Big Brother and Big Nurse are still figuring out how to control the patient, us.

"Children of parents and grandparents with depression are at extremely high risk for mood and anxiety disorders even when they're very young," Weissman said. "They should be considered for treatment if they develop anxiety disorders, or at least monitored very closely."

Yeah, also people depressed as a result of being raised by parents like mine to think of torture, war, and poverty as something bad.
"Let's drug and monitor them because you'd have to be imbalanced to think the Emperor is a war criminal, right?"

The mental health community needs to recognize that the American government has been intentionally inducing neurosis in the public to make them easier to manipulate in the same manner as Machiavelli, Hitler, Reagan.

Welcome to the American Archipelago or Government By Munchausen Syndrome where they make you sick and then play hero when they pretend to help you in your 'time of need.'

Just the same as building up dictators and playing hero by toppling them and controlling their territory.
Micro-cosm = macro-cosm.

[MatrixEscape]

46. Well put! Thanks ... n/t

[98geoduck]

49. Really Well Put!

You pretty much have to be an IDIOT to not be depressed about what is taking place in this world...or seriously addicted to religion or any other form of drugs.

[reprobate]

54. Not laughing. It's far too true.

[ally_sc]

28. not surprising...

generations of alcoholics start younger and progression of disease is worse...http://www.nattc.org/asme/details.asp?ID=9912d

[skygazer]

30. I think I already knew this

I carry a very heavy load of guilt around because my 22 year old daughter is bipolar and I figure she gets it from me. I'm bipolar and have depression and other psychological problems on both sides of my family (my mother's father died in a mental institution and two of my aunts on my father's side are depressives as well as some of my siblings).

Guilt on top of bipolar is like the icing on the cake....

[cap]

31. dont blame yourself, dear...

you are no more to blame for your kid's depression than your family is for yours...

Take it easy on yourself...

Maybe one day there will be a way to re-engineer our genes out of what we inherited.

Peace.

[SoCalDem]

45. and, as long as there have been people, there has been depression

the techniques of diagnosis have improved over time, so doctors know what to call it now..

And there is more and more to be depressed about :(

[sandnsea]

32. Genetics are genetics

You're no more responsible for bipolar disorder then my dad's family is responsible for the heart disease that runs in our family. Just is. Of course, stop feeling guilty is easier said than done, I realize. (still, you should)

[HuckleB]

34. Exactly!

[Old Mouse]

35. The guilt you feel

can also be from your depression. Even if it is not entirely a bipolar manifestation, I'm sure your depression is adding and strengthening your feelings of guilt. You are not to blame for anything.

[depakid]

43. Chances are that there are genetic influences on both sides

Mood disorders (other than bipolar I, which many researchers believe is a separate and distinct condition) have extremely complex inheritance patterns. Genes on one side of the family may not be enough to cause symptoms in one's children- it often takes a mix from both sides.

Whether that eases the guilt for you or not, I can't say.

What you expressed is very common among parents in the bipolar community, but interestingly enough, I don't think I've ever heard anyone with BP blame their parents for being this way.

[HuckleB]

51. Are there studies that shows this?

I've never seen one showing that both parents usually need to have the genetics to pass the traits along.

[kineneb]

52. Does not need to be on both sides

Nature: My crude understanding of genetics leads me to think that mental illnesses only needs to be passed on from one parent.

Nurture: Depressives, like other "likes" sometimes marry each other...after all, if you are depressed, why would you hang out with someone who is has no understanding of the feeling and is constantly cheery all the time?

[HuckleB]

59. Sometimes is the key...

Everything happens sometimes, like two depressives getting married. But, from the studies I've read about the possibility of increasing severity and earlier onset of depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (the last two which may be old definitions of a single spectrum disorder, in reality), show no need for having genes of predisposition coming from both parents. That's why I asked if someone else has come across information that I have not.

[davidinalameda]

38. good thing I'll never have kids then huh

[kineneb]

44. Doesn't surprise me

Let's see...
great-grandmother- suicide
grandmother-spent last 10 years of life w/severe depression/psycosis
mom- work-a-holic in denial
me - first bout of depression around 8 years old; at last count 5 episodes of severe depression, now on meds for rest of life

well duh! I didn't need a study to tell me that!

And, no, I don't have kids...wouldn't wish such a history on them.
:grouphug: to all my fellow "depressives", we need hugs!

[lavenderdiva]

47. Don't know about my grandmother, but my mother and father

were both definitely depressed. Not diagnosed, but now that I personally know about the disease, and have been diagnosed with major depression myself, I think both were depressed for a long time. No kids for me either.

Along with kineneb, sending out group hugs to fellow sufferers:

:grouphug:

[kineneb]

53. Hugs to you and all DUers

who "live" with depression or bipolar disease!

The more we understand about the mechanism of mental illness, the less we will blame ourselves. It Isn't Our Fault! Any more than diabetes is anyone's fault (esp. type 1). It is the way we were born and knowledge allows us to live a decent life. It isn't always pleasant, and we all know the way out, but choose not to exercise it.

[98geoduck]

48. Bush On The Couch is an EXCELLENT read!!!

The BUSHIES have definitly got some unresolved issues...

And I don't believe you can blame it all on that inbreeding in the royal family.

To think that these people are leading the world...Yikes!!!

[Gloria]

56. Higher and higher stress levels have anything to do with it?

Isn't stress a factor in triggering certain disorders in people who may have a genetic dispostion?

[HuckleB]

58. Yes, stress is a big factor in triggering genetically predisposed..

folks. As for the question about whether life is really more stressful today than in the past, I think that's highly debatable.

[jpgray]

57. Hmm. There are also more drugs to sell.

Just sayin.