Editor's Blog0 min ago
Social Genetics
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I think social genetics may be a bit misleading but wasn't sure how else to phrase so as always, please bear with me...
I was doing a sort of genology, family tree type thing today but looking at mental illness and addictions and I remembered reading once that scientists were looking in to whether it was possible genetically to be more prone to addicitions or mental illness. Did they every come up with a solid answer to that or they still looking in to it? Or was it actually just rubbish and it goes back to nature/nurture arguments?
Personally, I can see patterns on both sides of my family and I can't believe it's all just nurture, it just doesn't seem random enough.
Cheers
China
I was doing a sort of genology, family tree type thing today but looking at mental illness and addictions and I remembered reading once that scientists were looking in to whether it was possible genetically to be more prone to addicitions or mental illness. Did they every come up with a solid answer to that or they still looking in to it? Or was it actually just rubbish and it goes back to nature/nurture arguments?
Personally, I can see patterns on both sides of my family and I can't believe it's all just nurture, it just doesn't seem random enough.
Cheers
China
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I've been told that there are genetic links with depression. Your never certain to get it but if you have these genes , you are more at risk.
In fact I suffered from depression and was recieving therapy last year. When I told the psychiatrist that both my mother and my sister had suffered from post natal depression, he told me that when/if I become pregnant I should go to my GP and ask for advice on how to notice signs of it as it is more than likely that I will get it.
I see similar links in my family as yours, there seems to be quite a high occurence pf depression throughout my family. I'm not sure about addiction but they are probably the same as it is thought that addictions stem from the same problems such as depression and anxiety.
xx
In fact I suffered from depression and was recieving therapy last year. When I told the psychiatrist that both my mother and my sister had suffered from post natal depression, he told me that when/if I become pregnant I should go to my GP and ask for advice on how to notice signs of it as it is more than likely that I will get it.
I see similar links in my family as yours, there seems to be quite a high occurence pf depression throughout my family. I'm not sure about addiction but they are probably the same as it is thought that addictions stem from the same problems such as depression and anxiety.
xx
'Most mental health disorders are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors have been found to play a role in the development of depression for both men and women. This new study suggests that genetic factors may play a larger role for women than for men'.
The above piece was from about.com but there are loads of opinions out there.
Did you find a gender difference?
The above piece was from about.com but there are loads of opinions out there.
Did you find a gender difference?
Thanks baby, I've heard that about post-natal depression before.
Hi Quoi, back at work day going well for you? Do you have a link to where you got that from? As to gender pattern... well most of the addictions (alcohol mainly) are men, there's a couple of heavy drinking women but not so much. There's history of depression all over the place but the ones with the really nasty forms/other mental illnesses are also men. (Most of the women are in or have been in some 'interesting' relationships so I'm seeing some self esteem problems but I'm not sure that can be put down to genetics!)
Hi Quoi, back at work day going well for you? Do you have a link to where you got that from? As to gender pattern... well most of the addictions (alcohol mainly) are men, there's a couple of heavy drinking women but not so much. There's history of depression all over the place but the ones with the really nasty forms/other mental illnesses are also men. (Most of the women are in or have been in some 'interesting' relationships so I'm seeing some self esteem problems but I'm not sure that can be put down to genetics!)
Happy new year China!
I'm pretty certain that some mental issues like bipolarity are quite highly inherited - in fact a claim to have identified the gene responsible was made a couple of years back:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/01/ 19/bipolar-gene-discovered/
One of the most interesting pieces of work I remember on addiction was done with rats.
They put a bunch of rats in a cage but with diluted ethaonl rather than water (rat vodka you might say). After a few weeks they added a water bottle. Most rats never touched the booze again, but a few did.
The rats that preferred the booze were bred with each other and the experiment perfomed again. A much higher proportion of those preferred the alcohol when a choice was given.
I'm pretty certain that some mental issues like bipolarity are quite highly inherited - in fact a claim to have identified the gene responsible was made a couple of years back:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/01/ 19/bipolar-gene-discovered/
One of the most interesting pieces of work I remember on addiction was done with rats.
They put a bunch of rats in a cage but with diluted ethaonl rather than water (rat vodka you might say). After a few weeks they added a water bottle. Most rats never touched the booze again, but a few did.
The rats that preferred the booze were bred with each other and the experiment perfomed again. A much higher proportion of those preferred the alcohol when a choice was given.
It is true in most common psychiatric disorders and addictions. Dementia, bipolar, PND and Schizophrenia seem to have unrefutable research that there are genes that help to influence your liabilty to suffer with them.
I think environment goes some way but just in my family for example, genes have to some sort of influence. I have two schizophrenic cousins and yet their other brother is fine.
My nan is an absolute nutjob but that's definitely through the environmental factor of her paedo father but then she raised 6 children, really, really badly and half are alcoholics, and 2 of those have othe psychiatric disorders. My aunt definitely suffers with psychosis and my uncle is bipolar and yet my dad and two of his brothers are just fine. All joking aside, I have terrible problems with addiction issues and I am almost certain I have some sort of borderline personailty disorder and all of my family on both sides go senile. I have already asked my brother to smother me when I start accusing everyone of stealing my things because hey all seem to get a bit nasty with it.
I think environment goes some way but just in my family for example, genes have to some sort of influence. I have two schizophrenic cousins and yet their other brother is fine.
My nan is an absolute nutjob but that's definitely through the environmental factor of her paedo father but then she raised 6 children, really, really badly and half are alcoholics, and 2 of those have othe psychiatric disorders. My aunt definitely suffers with psychosis and my uncle is bipolar and yet my dad and two of his brothers are just fine. All joking aside, I have terrible problems with addiction issues and I am almost certain I have some sort of borderline personailty disorder and all of my family on both sides go senile. I have already asked my brother to smother me when I start accusing everyone of stealing my things because hey all seem to get a bit nasty with it.
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