Could MDD be hereditary?

[Hilary]

Hello, I'm new to the group! This is my "coming out" to someone somewhere I guess. I've been thinking about my problem a lot lately and it has me worried that MDD is something hereditary. I have a 1 1/2 year old son and I find myself constantly wondering how in the hell my mind became so different from the average persons mind and if it was hereditary could it affect my son?

It scares me a little. Every parent wants their child to be normal. So is this MDD something hereditary or somewhere along the way did something really affect us all that we became this way?

I've read a lot of people confessing that their parents were neglectful and mentally unstable themselves, some even saying they grew up in abusive homes. And I know for certain that my parents were just completely unattached and neglectful of me during my childhood. IDK any thoughts?

Is anyone else wondering how they became this way?  

[The1andonlyAbber]

I'm not sure if it's hereditary or not. I know for a fact my mother doesn't daydream at all. I think my dad daydreams a little, but I don't think it's to the point where it would be considered MD. I think that certain people might be genetically predisposed to MD, but a lot of people develop it later in life, so you're not always born with it.

Don't worry about it TOO much. It's normal for small children to spend a lot of time using their imagination. If your son does develop MD, he'll be fine if it's dealt with before it becomes too serious. Lots of people with MD are still able to live normal lives.

[S.D.]

I do believe it can run in families.  I grew up with very neglectful, emotionally and and physically (no hugs/attention) parents and I have had maladaptive daydreaming since I was 8 or 9. My sister also daydreams quite a bit (not to my extent) but enough to be considered maladaptive daydreaming. My mom is a bit of a daydreamer as well and also grew up with neglectful parents. I do believe the combination of the neglectfulness of my parents, the difficulty in forming friendships I had as a child and throughout my whole life along with other tragic events have caused me to have maladaptive daydreaming. That is not to say that everyone who is abused gets this or that abuse is the only cause of this but that argument can be made for anything, not everyone who was abused becomes depressed but regardless the abuse that took place is wrong and no one is really ok after being abused.  I daydream mostly about having father figures due to my fathers lack on involvement in my life and I do believe that is directly connected. I think it can be passed down to family members and it can also be caused by something that happened in life, if your son happens to be a maladaptive daydreamer that doesn't necessarily mean he is broken or not normal, yes it is more difficult to live with this than a "normal" person but making him feel abnormal because his mind is more creative than others would be wrong. Just do your best do do things differently than your parents did for you and if he still happens to have maladaptive daydreaming than you can help him deal with it then, he would appreciate having someone to relate to.

[Alex]

I don't know if MDD specifically, but mental illness is definitely hereditary and MDD can often accompany that. My mom is bipolar and we think my grandmother was as well, so third gen. She also handed down SAD and GAD to me.

I'd imagine hugely environmentally-influenced though. I can see how neglect and abuse could definitely do that, as that's a huge risk factor for DID too though obviously MDD isn't quite as... problematic? (right word? cause of DID being characterized by psychosis). The only brief conversation I had with my mother after she learned in our therapy session some very shallow details about my MDD, she asked if my father abused me (which was odd because he's a great guy, they've been happily married for 24 years). I know for me, my MDD is influenced by what I lack. My parents are great, but the holes in their parenting were filled by my perfect daydream parents. A lack of understanding and feeling like an outsider leads to awesome daydream friends who love and support you no matter what, who I relate to a lot and are loyal and give as much as I give them. My younger sister got replaced with an older daydream sister, and I gained two younger daydream siblings who were much younger as mine is pretty close to my age so we don't get along at all. They're adorable and love to spend time with me.

[Hilary]

Thanks for replying guys!
I really wish more doctors and scientists would look into this illness (or whatever it may be called) more. There's such light research on it. But, I guess all I can do for now is try to improve my own MDD and do my best to be so loving and nurturing that my son would never need to escape to another world.