It Runs in the Family
We often think of physical attributes when we say "It runs in the family". We might be talking about blue eyes, curly hair, big feet or small hands. All of my siblings have curly hair so it's safe to say the trait runs in the family. However, all of my siblings also have some kind of mental health problem.
I have five sisters and one brother. You may have read some of my brother's writing on this blog and you have probably seen his picture on the blog too. He suffers from bipolar disorder. I'm not sure if any of my sisters are bipolar because I haven't been in contact with most of them for some time. I do know that all of them have varying degrees of depression and some have problems with social anxiety. My parents suffered from depression and some of my children struggle with depression.
A loved one sent me the link to a good article from cnnhealth.com titled, "Are you at risk for depression? A quick family history could tell". The article states that family history is a good predictor of who is likely to have mental health issues. The more relatives who have problems, the more likely the patient will also have problems. I think it's important to give our doctors a thorough history of those members of our family who have struggled with mental health issues. In the long run, it will help us to better deal with our problems and thus set a good example for those around us.
I have five sisters and one brother. You may have read some of my brother's writing on this blog and you have probably seen his picture on the blog too. He suffers from bipolar disorder. I'm not sure if any of my sisters are bipolar because I haven't been in contact with most of them for some time. I do know that all of them have varying degrees of depression and some have problems with social anxiety. My parents suffered from depression and some of my children struggle with depression.
A loved one sent me the link to a good article from cnnhealth.com titled, "Are you at risk for depression? A quick family history could tell". The article states that family history is a good predictor of who is likely to have mental health issues. The more relatives who have problems, the more likely the patient will also have problems. I think it's important to give our doctors a thorough history of those members of our family who have struggled with mental health issues. In the long run, it will help us to better deal with our problems and thus set a good example for those around us.
Posted by ozzieblackcat at 7/12/2009 11:45 AM 
Categories: depression,anxiety,bipolar
Tags: depression blog mental health bipolar disorder His and Hers
Categories: depression,anxiety,bipolar
Tags: depression blog mental health bipolar disorder His and Hers
For cases like these, depressed individuals should be accompanied most of the times and should not be left alone.
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When I take a sheet with my family history with me to therapy I always get the same look. Both sides of my family deal with mental illnesses - everything from depression to schizophrenia. On my mom's side there are 4 schizophrenics alone. Knowing your family history is important for both medical and mental health purposes. On the other side of it, my family can all be supportive of each other because we're all going through the same thing. So, I guess in some ways it brings an understanding between family members as well, whereas others who don't have that family history would struggle to find support and other members that understand.
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It's a function of physiology so it is inheritable as well.
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I should say, some are inherited but physiological noise also is a great factor.
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Everyone seeks treatment for imbalances and choosing to live a more balanced lifestyle but improving your health can be frustrating if you don’t know what to do.
It’s true when you have better information, you could have better health.
more...Safe Health Medicine for a safe place to get information about safe health, growth, and medical care.
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