Mood And Stress Disorders - Genetic Or Environmental
Depression is a severe illness affecting the lives of not only the sufferers but also their families.
Anyone can suffer from depression, young or old, male or female.
Most causes of mood and anxiety disorders remain unknown and neuropsychiatric disorders are complex.
But it's known that stress is a risk factor for the onset of many psychiatric disorders.
A strong genetic predisposition is often blamed for mental illnesses as it is seen that depression run in families.
But there is evidence to show that environmental influences can cause increased susceptibility.
For example, stressful situations in early life contribute to major risk factors for the subsequent development of depression.
Stressful events later in life such as family loss, divorce or financial problems can also cause considerable increase in depression.
Ongoing stressful circumstances such HIV patients are more likely to suffer from depression and psychological stress.
The early onset of stress, mood problems and depression also has an inclination to continue throughout adult life.
Therefore stressful and unhappy home environmental in childhood that affect the developing brain are associated with increased risk of depression in later life.
This suggests that a combination of genetics, early life stress, and on-going stress situations cause and determine individuals to respond to stress and become vulnerable to major depression, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
One example of genetic factors of depression is the dysfunctions in neurotransmitter systems such as in the dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline that have been shown to cause several disorders such addiction, bipolar disorder, and depression.
For example, lack of serotonin-1A receptor shows increased depression and anxiety related behaviour but normal behaviour is restored if the receptor is genetically or pharmacologically.
However, in recent years other candidate genes have appeared to be connected with depression in humans.
In recent years compounds or agonists (designed to selectively interact with the serotonin-1A receptor in the brain) that target this receptor have been approved for anxiety and major depression.
Depression like behaviors is seen in organisms artificially manipulated by either environmental stress or through genetic/pharmacological factors.
Therefore these carefully and ethically constructed scientific studies including volumetric brain imaging techniques and genetics; coupled with screening programmes will allow us to understand the complex correlation of nature and nurture in the development of mood disorders.
As depression costs the health service a huge amount of money there is still a great need to understand the disease and identify the "risk gene" of depression.
Its about time researchers discovered a genetic test for depression.
In the meantime, the best way to keep away from stress and depression is to keep physically healthy.
Anyone can suffer from depression, young or old, male or female.
Most causes of mood and anxiety disorders remain unknown and neuropsychiatric disorders are complex.
But it's known that stress is a risk factor for the onset of many psychiatric disorders.
A strong genetic predisposition is often blamed for mental illnesses as it is seen that depression run in families.
But there is evidence to show that environmental influences can cause increased susceptibility.
For example, stressful situations in early life contribute to major risk factors for the subsequent development of depression.
Stressful events later in life such as family loss, divorce or financial problems can also cause considerable increase in depression.
Ongoing stressful circumstances such HIV patients are more likely to suffer from depression and psychological stress.
The early onset of stress, mood problems and depression also has an inclination to continue throughout adult life.
Therefore stressful and unhappy home environmental in childhood that affect the developing brain are associated with increased risk of depression in later life.
This suggests that a combination of genetics, early life stress, and on-going stress situations cause and determine individuals to respond to stress and become vulnerable to major depression, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
One example of genetic factors of depression is the dysfunctions in neurotransmitter systems such as in the dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline that have been shown to cause several disorders such addiction, bipolar disorder, and depression.
For example, lack of serotonin-1A receptor shows increased depression and anxiety related behaviour but normal behaviour is restored if the receptor is genetically or pharmacologically.
However, in recent years other candidate genes have appeared to be connected with depression in humans.
In recent years compounds or agonists (designed to selectively interact with the serotonin-1A receptor in the brain) that target this receptor have been approved for anxiety and major depression.
Depression like behaviors is seen in organisms artificially manipulated by either environmental stress or through genetic/pharmacological factors.
Therefore these carefully and ethically constructed scientific studies including volumetric brain imaging techniques and genetics; coupled with screening programmes will allow us to understand the complex correlation of nature and nurture in the development of mood disorders.
As depression costs the health service a huge amount of money there is still a great need to understand the disease and identify the "risk gene" of depression.
Its about time researchers discovered a genetic test for depression.
In the meantime, the best way to keep away from stress and depression is to keep physically healthy.
Source...