Depression: A Family Affair

Depression is a common factor in my family, and I am not just talking about immediate family I am talking about great-grand parents, grandparent , parent, aunts, uncle and cousins. Going through a little of my family history on my mothers side my great grandfather was a minister and an all around liked man, he was known for his good deeds. He suffered a nervous breakdown in his mid 60's and then various health problems too, my great-grandmother his wife also suffered 2 or 3 breakdowns and at one point was hospitalized in a mental help center. In that time treatment was rarely talked about and people were embarrassed to have the condition so it usually went untreated and family and friends were the ones that suffered. My grandmother suffered from depression she had bad nerves growing up, but then look at her parents both were suffering from depression so you know that has an impact on a child. My grandmother progressively got worse throughout the years, she had five children. Each of the five children suffer from depression and are on medication to help combat it. most of my cousins suffer from depression problems and myself, my brother and my one cousin Teresa are the only ones not ate up with this problem.

Depression is an illness and it does often affect numerous people in the same family and is passed throughout generations, luckily more research is being done to help combat the problems. It does take an emotional toll on family members trying to deal with their own depression and then the depression of others as well. There are ways to deal with the problems and tips to make things easier on everyone involved.

Educate yourself and your family-

If you suffer from depression or someone you love does research the condition, The more you know the more you can help your self and the people you love.

Signs of Depression:

Exhaustion even after waking

Not being active in your areas of interest

Difficulty in concentrating

Worrying all the time, and having unsettling thoughts

Emotional moments for no reason

Irritable, worse temper than usual for no reason

anytime you feel like less than normal, for an extended period of time it could be signs of depression.

Depression is very common and occurs in all groups of people, it is more prevalent in women, but more than 18 million people suffer from depression annually.

Is depression hereditary? There are conflicting reports on this one, Doctors have a hard time saying depression is genetic because depression is not a single illness. So its safer to say that depression has multiple causes.

Odds are if raised in a depressed family, and witnessing your family members suffer then it will have some bearing on you too, Now this is not true in all cases. But it does happen and thats why its hard to determine for sure that it is hereditary.

You do not have to go through this alone, there are organizations that can help you.

You have a lot of choices available to you now that were not available before, and maybe with proper treatment we wont continue to see this chain of depression running in family's like mine. If you seek the help that you need now maybe you will be the one to break the chain.