Is depression hereditary if the mother has it?

Depression can make patients feel depressed and affect their sleep quality. Severely ill patients may also experience pain, fatigue, stomach discomfort, loss of appetite and many other symptoms. Depression patients can also affect their parents' quality of life and are prone to suicidal thoughts. So, will depression be inherited if the mother has it? Let's take a look.

First, will depression be inherited if the mother has it? According to research, the probability of inheriting depression is 40%. What does this number mean? Pan Jiyang, director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, explained that although depression is inherited, without the stimulation of major events, children and parents generally will not suffer from depression at the same time. Therefore, even if you suffer from depression, you don't have to worry too much. Avoiding unnecessary blows to your child can help keep him away from depression.

Second, if either parent suffers from depression, it will be passed on to the child, but inheritance does not mean that the child will definitely suffer from depression. A study in the United States recruited thousands of mothers who were depressed during pregnancy and then observed their children's mental health problems when they were 5 to 10 years old. The results showed that if the mother suffers from depression, the child's ability to control negative emotions and interact with others will be relatively weak, but there is no obvious "one-to-one" relationship, that is, if the mother suffers from depression, the child may not also suffer from depression. In addition, the study also found that girls are more likely to be affected by their parents' depression than boys. Depressed parents with daughters should pay special attention to their children's mental health.

Third, there is currently no technology that can detect how depression is inherited. Parents can simply predict their children's risk of depression based on the degree of their own depression. If it is severe depression, one or two stimulations may cause the child to suffer from depression; if it is mild depression, the risk of the child suffering from depression is relatively small.

Will depression be inherited if the mother has it? Everyone is sure that it will be inherited. To prevent children from suffering from depression due to stimulation, a good family environment is the best protection. Dr. Pan pointed out that the following situations are what parents should try to avoid. For example, quarreling in front of children for a long time, liking to complain to children, and often telling them some pessimistic ideas. According to his observation, if the non-depressed spouse of a couple is more optimistic, it will have a positive impact on the children and the possibility of depression will be reduced.