How does family history affect crazzzziness?

Question

1. How much does it matter (does being related to crazys realy make you more likely to get the crazy?)

2. Does it matter what side of the family the crazys are on (are you more likely to get it from you're mother's side of the family, or you're father's side of the family)

3. If you inherit the crazy will it be the same kind of crazy?

my spelling and grammer is like that on perpose so dont comment about it

Answer 1

Well, when you say "crazy", what exactly do you mean? There are more well-defined terms, you know. :)

I'm going to assume you mean mental illnesses in general, especially those with psychotic symptoms (psychotic = losing touch with reality).

Mental illness is still a very broad category, so let's look at one of the most severe of the mental illnesses, and probably the one everyone thinks of when they think "crazy": Schizophrenia.

Basically, a person with schizphrenia may have delusions, hallucinations, mania, catatonia, and other problems such as paranoia or unstable emotions... The illness is treatable, but the process is often a difficult search for the right drug and dosage.

In any case, if that's the sort of "crazy" you mean, then yes, genetics have a big part to play. If your identical twin or both your parents have schizophrenia, you have a 50% chance of getting it yourself... The chance decreases rapidly if you're any less related than that--about 10% for one schizphrenic parent (it doesn't matter which), ten to twenty times the risk that the general population has.

If you're asking about all mental illness, though, I really can't give specific answers. There are mental illnesses like depression, which are very common and often environment-related; there are developmental disorders like mental retardation; there are neurological conditions like autism and ADHD... All of those could, technically, be called "being crazy".

So, for all sorts of "crazy":

1. You're pretty likely to get some sort of "crazy" during your lifetime, even if it's just ADHD or depression--things like that are quite common. Having someone in the family who is "crazy" is so very common--most families have someone like that, most probably more than one--that you don't have any more risk than anyone else.

2. It can matter, depending on the sort of illness/condition/etc.; some mental illnesses are passed through the same X and Y chromosomes that determine your gender. However, whether you get a mental illness depends more on your own gender, than on which parent the bad genetics came from: You're more likely to have mental retardation or autism if you're male, for example (but you're also more likely to be a genius); other conditions (borderline personality, dissociative identity disorder) are more likely if you are female.

3. If you inherit a specific condition, then yes, it will be the same condition. However, it may express itself more or less strongly--a parent with autism, for example, may have a child with Asperger Syndrome (a mild form of autism).

However, what complicates this is that you can also inherit personality characteristics. You could, for example, inherit a tendency to be anxious--something that isn't a mental illness, but can express itself in many different ways: Phobias, anxiety disorder, depression, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks... So your parent could have a phobia of dogs, pass on the genes for anxiety, and you might end up with OCD.

And of course all these things combine with your environment--so you could inherit a gene for anxiety, survive some sort of trauma, and end up with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Or you could inherit that same gene, experience a period of disappointment, and end up with depression.

In any case, the bottom line is: Yes, you can inherit "crazy". But there's so much "crazy" around that chances are you'll experience some of it during your lifetime, whether it's in your family or not. The best you can do is to keep yourself emotionally healthy: Do things you enjoy; know your own emotions, thoughts, and responses to your environment; have a solid foundation of beliefs and values on which you base your life; and forgive rather than hating someone who harms you (staying away from them if necessary, so that they do not harm you again). If you do those things, you'll avoid a lot of craziness; and if you don't avoid it, you'll be able to handle it much more easily.

Answer 2

Would it be great if everyone's family was normal. Fact is that craziness is often a matter of perspective. Particularly in a family. Not twenty years ago, everyone thought that their family was dysfunctional.

Now here are a couple facts:

1. Some types of mental illness runs in families. Bipolar disorders and some types of schizophrenia. There is some thought that depression may run in families. Alcoholism can certainly run in families.
2. Just because it runs in your family doesn't mean that you will get it. A person is thought to be affected 50% by genetics and 50% by environment. This does not mean that you have a 50% chance of getting something.
3. Often craziness is a direct product of the way the family chooses to deal with the illness. If you see a problem and actively treat it before it gets out of hand, you may prevent a problem.
4. If you do inherit a mental illness or "craziness", it may not be the same kind of crazy. Often, illnesses are clustered in a certain
range of behaviors (mood disorders for example). This could mean that your mom could have an anxiety disorder like panic attacks and you could inherit a tendency toward obsessive compulsive disorders.

I don't want to be too technical. But it is better to think of illnesses in a range or spectrum instead of crazy or not crazy. Often illnesses are not illnesses until they go out of control or can not be managed. The best thing you can do is help yourself to avoid situations that cause illnesses to exacerbate.

If you see a problem in your relative try to manage your feelings and help them if it is possible. But don't assume you will get it too. If you do see some trait that you think is crazy in yourself...just actively seek help from someone you trust.

Tendencies are just that, a tendency. Do what you can for yourself and you will be fine. Try not to let the crazy relatives get you down or crazy!

Answer 3

You asked a very good question. The term craziness leave me a lot of room to speculate so let me give you examples. I worked with two sisters who came from a family that was chronically depressed and I eventually met them all and all of them were very depressed and were on medication because depression in this family was very common among the children and the father's family and the mother's family.

That is an easy example. To answer your question about inheriting the same kind of crazy, it would help me to know exactly what you are talking about, but generally there is a greater chance for you to inherit "crazy" than a child that does not have the same parents as you do.

Hope that answers your crazy question.

Answer 4

IQ and EQ are inheritable (emotinal and intelligence), and i don't know if the "craziness" you mention is actually a genetic factor, perhaps some undiagnosed illness or choromosone/hormone thing? I doubt it will matter which side of the family it is on. Or if it's just an acceptance and excuse for irrational behaviour, as things like abuse and violence get passed on from one generation to the next because people growing up in such a household believe it to be "normal" and seek out like relationships for themselves. You can be anything you put your mind to, if you need help, therapy, just someone to talk to, medical treatment or behavioral modifying drugs, are out there. People usually adapt to their enviroment, so often old customs, practices or habits that have been in a family for generations are hard to shake loose of in a new place, and get people labeled as "crazy" sometimes. However I would say it's a positive step if you are concerned and are looking to get help in case you do need it. You need to know what exactly it is, and look into steps for treatment or prevention, things like dementia can be combatted now with exercise, medicines and diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Answer 5

There are genetic links with certain mental illnesses. That doesn't mean you are predisposed to manifestation of it. However, a tramatic event may "trigger" it.

Answer 6

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