Understanding the Influence of Genetic Factors on Mental Health Disorders
Understanding how genetics can play a role in mental health is a vital part of providing the support necessary and intervening when needed. Research has shown that certain disorders are common among family members indicating that genetics could contribute to them. A few of these include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and, ADHD. One of the most common examples of the role of genetic factors is in people with bipolar disorder, recent studies displayed that a child/teenager with a first-degree relative (e.g. parents, offspring, and siblings) has an estimated 10-25% more chance of also having bipolar disorder which is significantly higher compared to the population’s risk which is 1-2%. It is also extremely important to acknowledge the fact that it is not just genetic factors that play a role in mental health disorders. Still, there are several other underlying factors such as their environment, upbringing, individual experiences, and other social experiences that can also affect them.
How Family History Can Impact Mental Health
One of the crucial parts of understanding how genetics can affect mental health is recognizing and understanding family history patterns. Family histories can display the varying patterns of mental health disorders over a long period of time; identifying and understanding these certain patterns can help gain a better understanding of how hereditary a disorder may be. Knowledge of past family history can also be helpful when a healthcare professional is in the process of evaluating your child/teenager; it can help them be aware of potential signs that they need to look out for. Oftentimes, it can be helpful to seek genetic counseling when there is a significant family history of mental health disorders. Genetic counselors aid in assessing and identifying the different hereditary risks through genetic studies; they can provide more information about the risks, and testing options as well as alleviate the risks. It is vital to acknowledge the fact that regardless of risk assessments and genetic counselors being extremely helpful, it does not completely guarantee that your teenager/child will or will not develop a mental health disorder common to your family; as mentioned above, several other factors play a role on mental health. Therefore, having regular check-ins with your healthcare provider, being able to identify the signs of mental disorders, and having a supportive environment are essential.
The Correlations Between Genetic and Environmental Factors
The interactions between genetics and environmental factors are another key component of understanding how genetics can affect children’s and teenager’s mental health. One way to think of it is that rather than focusing on the specific genes that were inherited, it is important to also think of how those genes interact with the varying environmental factors. Their interactions can decide whether a genetic predisposition stays dormant or stays active; a widely used example of this is if a child has a genetic predisposition to certain anxiety disorders or stress disorders and the environment they are brought up in is secure and calm, causing the predisposition not to be stimulated in turn, they might not develop anxiety or the severity of it can go down significantly. One thing that is not as frequently discussed is the fact that the interactions between genes and environmental factors do not inherently have to be negative, they can also be positive aiding in lowering the severity of the development of certain mental health disorders.
