There is a lot of back and forth about whether or not mental health issues can be considered hereditary. My own opinion on the matter is yes, some mental health issues have a genetic cause. But that shouldn't be considered the ONLY cause. Many other factors are at play. Usually if an issue runs in your family, it can mean that you have a greater predisposition to it, but you may not see any symptoms until something triggering happens in your life.
When I was growing up my mom never mentioned her battles with depression or her father's battle. When she finally did tell me about it she said, "I didn't want you guys to inherit my bad genes." That was hard to hear because she shouldn't have had to feel that way. I think she knows now that it's okay to talk about her struggles. But her fear of talking to my sister and I is what started to raise my awareness of the stigma around the topic.
If you are a parent, I want you to know that it is okay to talk to your kids about mental health and you shouldn't feel like you have let them down by passing on your genes. Everyone's chemical makeup is different and they are going to have their own experiences with it and the more you talk about it the less taboo it becomes for them and the younger generation as a whole.
This is so true. A mental illness can develop later in life, depending on what experiences that person may have had (PTSD for example), and other times, the person could have had a mental illness from day 1, but depending on how that mental illness is treated, it could be reduced or exacerbated. I think for the most part, mental illness isn't a nature OR nurture thing, but nature AND nurture.
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