Just needed to be heard for a little while

Waves_and_Smiles

I would say it most definitely does run in families. My mother was schizophrenic, my uncle was something undiagnosed but there was definitely 'something' and the same with my grandmother. On my dad's side of my family his mother had several breakdowns, my aunt suffered with anorexia and severe depression all of her life and her son sadly took his own life at 27 due to depression. Most professionals ask me a lot about my family history and connect it to my own illnesses. I do believe something is/was very wrong genetically with all of us and it was my major reason for making the decision not to have children.

I am glad to hear that you are ok at the moment, depression is horrid.

Oyster, funnily enough I am the same. If I have appointments I get more done, on usual days I put everything off and achieve very little. Good luck helping your friend today, how kind of you.

Sadly, HBS there is probably no funding available these days to supply the treatment I had. Even then my psychiatrist had to keep applying for further funding for me. I really was extremely lucky but it does make me sadly wonder how many other people with complex mental conditions could be living independently if the resources I had were available to them. Many day centres have been closed now which is terrible, they are hugely helpful for those transitioning between hospital care and independent/semi independent living.

It was fortunate that physical illness connected to mental illness was my psychiatrists area of study, he was able to get further funding for me through several unconventional ways as I was more of a research project in the eyes of the people who held the money. There is a huge paper he wrote all about my treatment out there, I really hope it went on to help other psychiatrists because I don't have a doubt in my mind that what he did worked.

dibuzz

I think it must do Geminilady.
My dad's mother was put into an institution because of depression and 2 of her children also had treatment there.

Waves_and_Smiles

I am sorry to hear that, dibuzz. I honestly believe that there is a huge link and there needs to be a lot more study into it. In my case the fact that I inherited all but one (so far) of my parents physical illnesses makes me believe that even more, if physical illness could be passed down then it makes sense that biochemical mental illnesses would be as well. Certainly on both sides of my family there are various mental illnesses going back for generations.

whitewing

There must be some kind of evolutionary advantage too associated with it or surely it would naturaly have died out.

Waves_and_Smiles

That's a really interesting point, whitewing! I wonder what that could be? Of course, not everyone with psychiatric illness in their family goes onto develop it themselves. There are other factors involved like environmental and social influences which lead to it. In my case it was almost certain because I had the genetic predisposition, a dysfunctional childhood and little socialisation, all three combined were always going to result in something going wrong. I have known lots of people with no mental illness who do have the genetic links, but they often had childhoods that weren't dysfunctional and no major traumas. I think it takes other influences to trigger a genetic predisposition in some cases, although in the psychotic illnesses sadly a chemical imbalance is often enough alone.

Pyxis

Evolutionary advantages.....
Genius . (Scientific, artistic. I bet the person who invented the wheel was bipolar!)

Imagination....... Just think how many literary, musical or artistic people had a mental illness. Imagination enables you to think of new ways of evading predators/enemies and catching prey.

Warriors. We've spoken before about how worriers are survivors as they anticipate danger and take/invent steps to avoid it.

Solarjunkie

This may be of interest to some 9pm BBC 4 Nigel Slater's Icing on the Cake - A historical and cultural analysis of cake: why hasn't anyone thought of this before?


Fascinating insight, WaS.

Waves_and_Smiles

I have cake! WaSp came home with a giant chocolate cupcake for me to eat tomorrow. I may have to try some at midnight...

whitewing

Definitely, WaS. I wish I had chocolate cake. Actually I would settle for a huge black forest gateau all to myself.

Pyxis

Haha! Talking of cupcakes, here's a pugcake!