Can anxiety be inherited?

[ama]

Hi Guys,

I think the title of this thread says it all really. Can anxiety be inherited? Very interested to hear what peoples views, options and thoughts are of this.

Reason I ask is because I have anxiety and am on a quest to find out the cause. My mum told me that her granddad and another relative of her's, a grandma I think suffered from anxiety and my granddad's anxiety got so bad, he didn't leave his house for 20 years. My mum also suffers from anxiety, thus, can it be inherited?

Thanks in advance for your comments.
ama

[paula lynne]

Hiya, I do believe there is an element of inhereted anxiety.....I have it (diagnosed aged 29), my mum had it (diagnosed aged 60), and my daughter has it (diagnosed aged 19). Lots of interesting articles on genetics and anxiety in the BMJ..British Medical Journal x

[daisycake]

I think all mental health problems are. When I started CBT the first queston they asked was "Does anyone else in your family have mental health difficulties?" - I asked them where they wanted me to start! My sister's autistic with learning difficulties and behavioural difficulties, my mum's got an anxiety disorder with dyslexia and pyschogenic seizures (caused by years of sexual abuse and rape etc), my dad's a very strange man who seems to have no concept of empathy and/or the feelings of other people, my dad's mother commited suicide and was an alcoholic (and they reckon bi-polar too), my my mum's dad is highly agressive and an alcoholic, my mum's mum is an alcoholic and emotionally shut off from everyone, my mum's brother is very OCDish.. My gt granda was a raging alcoholic and my gt gt grandma was locked in Craig Dunain asylum with PND...

I know that's not all strictly anxiety but I have been told it all stems from the same sort of issues. At the same time I thik there's a sort of "teetering effect" whereby we subconsciously pick up aspects of our parents behaviour, who picked it up from their parents etc. I'm always told that I am very like my mum in lots of ways - people say I am the exact double of what she was like at my age.

So yeah, I think it's definitely inheritable.

[oldtime]

It runs in my family. It could in part be inherited, it can also be environmental, eg. if you are brought up by parents that have anxiety then you can learn to behave that way yourself.

[James23]

i think it can be inherited in some ways, but i think your life and what happens in your life can bring it to the surface if things get really bad.

[Groundhog]

Well my mum has anxiety but I’m not totally convinced as to whether it’s inherited or not. I’m of the opinion that sibling’s ape their mentors or pick up on what is happening in their surroundings. Effectively they grow up thinking that anxiety tendencies are the norm.

[harasgenster]

Yup, it was in my case. Like DaisyCake, there is mental health difficulties in all other members of my family on both sides. And oddly, your Dad sounds like mine, DaisyCake! You've got to kind of translate what he's saying as he speaks because he says awful things and can't connect emotionally very well or empathise/read emotions, but his heart's in the right place!

There's some evidence to suggest that it could be genetic, though no hard proof yet, as far as I've heard. There's a big case for nurture over nature, though. If you're parents are anxious or depressed, you will pick up on that. That even happens to dogs! If you're a stressed dog owner your pet will be hyperactive, if you're relaxed, it'll be quieter!

Psychiatric diseases are known to be genetic and certain types of anxiety disorders can be passed down. One of my parents had an eating disorder that I "caught", if you like. The same with friends of mine with ED - their parent had it first. You tend to learn what to fear and what is safe, as well as what is important from your parents at an early age. Your peers definitely have a massive effect as well, though. If your parent's thoughts are skewed, you will take on their beliefs. For example, my parents were big on achievement so I feel like I need to achieve while my brother feels that he can't achieve, because my parents treated us differently according to our academic success. Both me and my bro have anxiety disorders as a result, although in reality (According to IQ tests) there is no difference between our capabilities and he may actually be a lot brighter than me!

So, it's not exactly like blaming the parents, because unless they're seriously abusive then they never mean harm, but they can accidentally pass on their worries and their disorders to their kids, simply because it would be very difficult not to.

And in that way, it can definitely be inherited, but not in all cases!

Interesting debate, though :D

[Rhys1879SAFC]

My Dad and Grandmother suffered badly with it, so yeah I think it could be inherited.

[little kyle]

yeps my mum has it and me aged 17 developed health anxiety after something scared me

[ama]

Very interesting comments guys, thanks very much. :)

I'm a little worried I have to say because I feel like I have inherited my anxiety from my mother and her side of the family. This concerns me as my mothers side of the family is quite strange and I can see myself behaving like my mother and it scares me as she was very, how I can only describe as 'insane'. :weep:

So, I guess my next question would be, how do we stop ourselves from turning into our parents? I'm 27, how do I learn to be an individual?

I'm not sure I've frased this question well or if what I'm asking makes sense but lets see what you all think.

[daybyday]

It can be the learned behavior that we have inherited from others as we were growing up.
We watched parents or guardians respond or react in an anxious, stressful way to situations, and we accept that as right and normal when we are children, and it becomes our behavior.

[haz]

It runs in my family. It could in part be inherited, it can also be environmental, eg. if you are brought up by parents that have anxiety then you can learn to behave that way yourself.

Good answer.It seems to sum me up!

[daybyday]

Me too

[JaneC]

An interesting subject. Personally, I've never been able to separate whether I inherited my issues from my parents or learned them from them.

Oddly enough, my kids are largely fine despite growing up with my PAs, anxiety, depression and phobias :blush:

[johnboy]

Well my mum has anxiety but I’m not totally convinced as to whether it’s inherited or not. I’m of the opinion that sibling’s ape their mentors or pick up on what is happening in their surroundings. Effectively they grow up thinking that anxiety tendencies are the norm.

This is a fair old comment and I tend to agree with the latter part (not all) of your post i.e. I personally dont think that ANXIETY is actually inherited. I think its more likely that its picked up from parental behaviour (as you have stated) - but who knows? As far as I know, none of my ancestors or family ever suffered from ANXIETY, exept (perhaps my mum). Nevertheless, "I" have been an anxious person all my life and have suffered from various types of stress - and How do we define "STRESS? God Bless You friend.

[harasgenster]

Very interesting comments guys, thanks very much. :)

I'm a little worried I have to say because I feel like I have inherited my anxiety from my mother and her side of the family. This concerns me as my mothers side of the family is quite strange and I can see myself behaving like my mother and it scares me as she was very, how I can only describe as 'insane'. :weep:

So, I guess my next question would be, how do we stop ourselves from turning into our parents? I'm 27, how do I learn to be an individual?

I'm not sure I've frased this question well or if what I'm asking makes sense but lets see what you all think.

You're 27. You already are an individual. Your personality was formed by the time you were 7. The important parts of you aren't going to change.

Define insane. What were the problems they had and what are you scared of turning into? Are you talking about specific behaviours? We are all our parents in part. I'm like my Mam in many ways and my Dad in others. I'm pretty much a carbon copy of my brother!

We are all individuals. That doesn't mean we are not similar to our relatives and that we do not share traits. You can't escape influence, but there's no such thing as "fate" when it comes to illnesses like this. There's no reason to expect you will follow the paths your family went down exactly.

So what is it exactly you are worried about turning into?

[sarah1984]

Mental health problems run in my family too - I started experiencing severe anxiety/depression with obsessive tendencies aged 14 in 1999, I'm now 26. My mum suffers from depression and mood swings, my nan had 3 episodes of psychotic depression, her father had depression and we believe his mother did too. Doctors always ask about any family history of mental illness and one psychiatrist told me I had a genetic predisposition to anxiety/depression. However, we have all had very different experiences & symptoms, so I would try not to worry too much about turning out exactly the same as other family members.

I also agree about the influence of parental behaviour. As a little child, my mum was constantly worried and getting agitated about the smallest of things. For example, if she saw a single grey cloud in the sky, it was going to chuck it down, we would catch a chill from getting wet and the washing on the line would be soaked etc. I would very much like to think I'm not the same but unfortunately this tendency to fear the worst has rubbed off on me to a certain extent.

[JessieLouise]

hia i do belive but in rare cases....
i was assulted befor i was i didnt have anexity or panic attacks and since then i dont want to go outside.. so in rare cases i supose:bighug1:

[teez]

i think its inherited ,,my father was of a very nervous disposition,,by his late thirtys he was on valium right up until he died,,when i was 5 he wouldnt go out without taking me along,,his also had trouble with his stomach which looking back i believe it was ibs,,my sister has also had a trouble as have i,,,

[haynsey]

Hi everyone,
Anxiety, depression run both sides of my family. My moms is full of relatives with anxiety and suicides.
My dads side as well - electric shock treatment his sisters had.

Yes I believe it does run in our genes!!