Is Depression Hereditary (Genetic)?

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What is the Frequency of Depression?
Depression is one of the most common diseases in the world. One in six people suffer from depression at least once in their lives. In other words, one billion people in the world have experienced depression at least once. The World Health Organization records depression as the biggest health problem seen under the age of 40. The organization uses the following two measures to calculate the extent of health problems:

The ‘years of life lost’ caused by the disease due to death or disability. In other words, diseases that occur at a young age are a greater health problem because they cause more lost years. For example, stroke is a very serious disease that causes death or disability, but since it is usually seen in old age, it does not shorten life - as much as, say, traffic accidents. Of course, let’s emphasize that not only death but also diseases that cause disability are considered important health problems. For example, blindness does not kill, but it is a significant health problem.
The frequency of the disease. Of course, each person's own disease is important. But for the world as a whole, common diseases are a bigger health problem.
Depression is considered the biggest health problem seen in people under the age of forty, as it is a disease that is both common in early ages and can lead to death and disability. The first episode of depression usually occurs in the twenties or thirties. However, cases of depression in children are not uncommon. In addition, depression is also common in old age. Suicide attempts due to depression neither decrease nor increase in old age (perhaps increase slightly). However, it has been determined that suicide-related deaths increase four or five times in old age, as the body becomes more fragile.

Depression is about twice as common in women as in men. Hormonal differences play a role in this, but depression is also common before puberty. The fact that girls are raised under more pressure from a young age, that they are 'intimidated' even though they are loved by their parents, and that even female teachers in schools show more preference for male students, reduces girls' self-confidence and makes them more psychologically sensitive.

We can summarize other people at risk of depression as follows:

Divorced, widows
Those who lost their mother or father before the age of ten
Those who do not have a trusted relative (especially women)
City dwellers
It is accepted that there are genetic predispositions to depression. When WhatsApp Number List studies on genetics are examined, especially in studies on identical twins, it has been found that if one twin has depression, the probability of the other twin having depression is 50%. In family studies, depression is seen 3-4 times more frequently in first-degree relatives of people with depression than in the general population.



Depression is "partly" a hereditary disease and it does occur more commonly in some families. But in most cases, the person who becomes depressed is the first person to suffer from depression in that family. Even if depression occurs in a family, it is not at a higher rate than in other families. The only reason why depression occurs more in some families is not heredity, that is, heredity. Heredity undoubtedly has an effect on this; but some disasters experienced in the family and the educational mistakes made by the family without realizing it are also important factors that make the child's spiritual world prone to depression.

In short; if someone in your family has had depression, your risk of becoming depressed increases slightly. But it is also possible to never be depressed throughout your life.