Can neurosis be inherited?

If a father or mother has a mental illness, will there be a child with the disease? This is also a question that many people worry about, whether mental illness can be inherited. In fact, there are many kinds of mental illnesses. Some are highly hereditary, but some are not hereditary and are caused by various acquired factors. Therefore, couples with neurological diseases must consult a doctor before making any decision.

Is mental illness hereditary?

There are many types of mental illness. Except for a small number of temperamental mental illnesses and mental retardation that have clear genetic conditions, the rest are caused by multiple factors such as physical, psychological and environmental factors. Research has shown that the proportion of the general population suffering from schizophrenia is 0.3%, and the blood relatives of schizophrenia patients are more likely to suffer from the disease than the general population. According to current research results, the incidence rate of schizophrenia among siblings of patients with schizophrenia is 7%-15%. If one parent is ill, the incidence rate of their children increases to 16%. If both parents suffer from the disease, the incidence rate of their children is 40%-68%. As for periodic bipolar disorder, the incidence rate for the general population is about 0.4%, the incidence rate for fraternal twins is 26.3%, and the incidence rate for identical twins is 95.7%. So we have to take genetic influence into account.

Although heredity plays an important role in the cause of mental illness, it is not an absolute factor. That is, children with genetic influences will not necessarily develop the disease. We cannot ignore the factors of the acquired living environment.

Is acquired mental illness hereditary?

Mental illness can be divided into congenital mental illness and acquired mental illness. The former has a very high heritability, but is acquired mental illness also hereditary?

The scope of mental illness is very broad, and it is impossible to say in general whether it is a hereditary disease or not. According to clinical research data, some mental illnesses are hereditary. For example, phenylketonuria, Down syndrome and mental retardation, their basic causes are genetic factors. Their inheritance is caused by chromosomal aberrations or hereditary metabolic defects.

According to statistics, the vast majority of mental illness patients do not have genetic factors. At the same time, the inheritance of schizophrenia is not absolute. So we have to take genetic influence into account. Although heredity plays an important role in the cause of mental illness, it is not an absolute factor. That is, children with genetic influences will not necessarily develop the disease. We cannot ignore the factors of the acquired living environment.

In fact, each of us may develop mental illness in life. It all depends on our mentality and whether we have scientific and reasonable living habits. Therefore, as a patient with acquired mental illness, you should not worry too much about whether you will inherit the disease. Actively treating the mental illness is the key.