Is neurosis genetic?

Some disorders like bipolar personality disorder ARE genetic. Additionally, some of it might have to do with ones environment and/or how they are raised. For example, one who is raised in an environment which does not nurture his true self (falsification of type) may contribute to PASS (prolonged adaptive stress syndrome) which can cause problems that contribute to a neurotic state.

 

what you said

 

I think the problem is simply that people differ too much for suchh problems to be really classified into "mostly biological" or " mostly enviromental". As I've learnt in my classes, such thing typicall have bio, psycho , social aspects. the extent of which for each person differs too greatly. Thats why the clinical psychologists have a general book but have to look into each case individually.

 

thanks!

could it be that it happens when you're stressed?
seems like it could be it happens when you are under a lot of stress. not just ordinary stress but those type that would blow your mind away type of stress. same for your mum it seems.

 

cool!
I'm having holis too. very long one at that, 6 weeks
back on topic, good point! but i think stress would affect the anxiety ones more but not so much the rest, say..ok I cant think of any. you're right hmm.. just thought of this. could it have something to do with the amygdala?
I mean, it pretty much the main guy when it comes to fear, anxiety and such.

 

Most mental illness is genetic in that there's a predisposition. There's a specific gene for schizophrenia, which can or can not activate (1% of the population gets it, but chances are higher if someone in your family has it). Schizophrenia aside, genes aren't the only thing that factor in. Environment can set off the predisposition, but it can also create various mental illnesses.

 

I'm not entirely sure if the environment alone can induce mental illness, but it has to. Think about it - Every human being has emotions, which can be aroused by certain stimuli. There are situations where you can learn to be anxious, happy, depressed, indifferent, or w/e. This is called conditioning, which is of the behavioral approach to psychology. Now the environment can teach you to have any of these emotions. Say for example, you get hit every see a car (just an absurd example), you will learn to feel very anxious every time you see a car. This would be something like a phobia. This could then lead to not leaving the house, which is agoraphobia because your afraid of seeing those inevitable cars. Also, think about an extreme event. Maybe some people are more predisposed to getting a mental illness like PTSD easier, but if you witness/participate in some sort of horrendous or extremely stressful act, then it's very possible you will have effects from it whether it's long term, short term, psycosis, PTSD or w/e. So I would say that people can be affected by their environment to the point of mental illness, but I think the degree of which they are affected is where the genes lay.

 

cool.
zanshin, I bet you are studying psych or at least majoring in psych haha.
thanatophobia, IMO, is that people see people die/ think about death itself and start to feel afraid. Afraid that they will loose what they have, afraid of the unkown of what comes after death. 'cos honestly, do you know what happens after death? mnay other possibilities such as seeing a painful/ uncomfortable death and such. just a few possibilities IMO.

I also agree with zanshin that conditioning plays a part. the thing is, there is no one perspective that could possibly explain it all in one shot. thats at least to as far as my understanding. but i think that enviroment plays the most major role in all this. thats what i think at least

 

haha ya i am a psych major. Ya, I don't think there's one right or wrong perspective on psychology and mental illness. Each explains things in their own way and each treats illness in their own way. Some statistically work better than others, but what treatment works for one person may not work for another.

The thing with phobias is they are by definition irrational. So I suppose getting stung by a bee would just create a fear, unless the fear was really intense and you wont even go outside or look at a bee. Then it could, I think, be called a phobia. Also, if you had no prior experience with bees that you can remember and you have an intense fear of them, then it would be a phobia. So, to correct my example with the cars above, if you got hit with a car once and developed an intense fear of cars, then you would have whatever-a-phobia( for cars). This would be irrational because it's very unlikely you will get hit by a car again. This could develop into agoraphobia, which would confine you to your house because your afraid or being hit by a car, which is again, irrational. Now, I'm not sure if this could be described as being conditioned to have a fear of cars because a car may not be a neutral stimulus to begin with. It's kind of a fine line it seems, one of which I'm not entirely clear on, but that's my knowledge on phobias.

 

Oh cool. Glad to see another interested in psychology. I think that you would have to get a Bachelor degree (probably a bachelor of science) to get the general background first. It's possible depending on the program your in to do a concentration or a track with medications (psychopharmicology maybe?) For me, I'm in the counseling track. But for psychology in general you typically need a masters to do anything.

 

evidence via antedote:

both of my parents have major depression. my dad also has anxiety.

i have anxiety, definitely. also, i occasionally have fits of depression (usually with causes... and fester in the winter)

my sister has depression, no anxiety.

no other real mental issues. these, for my family at least, seem to be somewhat genetic, as we all have similar issues.