The University of Queensland (UQ) conducted a study which has revealed that heredities may have some effect on anxiety and depression.
Researchers looked at childhood anxiety and depression which was still prevalent later in adulthood and found that the reason was partly due to genetics. Around 40 per cent was linked to genetics while the remaining 60 per cent was due to environmental factors.
The genetics of over 64,000 children between the age of three and 18 were studied from around the globe. UQ researcher Professor Christel Middeldorp said that the findings will go a long way in helping children and adults dealing with these troubles while also mentioning other connections were also established.
“These findings are important because they help identify people most at risk of symptoms continuing across the lifespan, so intense treatment can be provided where needed,” Professor Middeldorp said.
“Mental health symptoms often come together, so those who experience anxiety or depression have a greater risk of disorders such as ADHD, aggressive behaviour.
“We found that this co-occurrence is also due to genetic variants.”
Professor Middeldorp also said that while everyone, at some point, will experience moments of anxiety and depression, that those with the disorder deal with things differently, with part of their response to stress determined by genetics. UQ says that they will now study environmental effects to then compare against genetics in the hopes of having a deep and rounded understanding on how to treat these issues.
According to Beyond Blue over 45 per cent of Australians will experience a mental health condition while 2 million Aussies have anxiety, and 1 million adults have depression. A 2016 study by the Black Dog Institute showed that 14 per cent of four to 17-year-olds experienced some form of mental illness with 112,000 of that percentage having been diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
