Can Stressed Kids Become Happier Adults?
February 11, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Abuse during childhood is traumatic for kids and could cause lifelong psychological damage. However, a new study finds certain gene variations may help children who were abused during childhood avoid developing depression as adults.
According to a new study by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), adults abused in childhood without this protective CRHR1 gene variation were twice as likely to have moderate or severe symptoms of depression compared to those with the variation.
The CRHR1 gene variation makes a receptor for a corticotrophin-releasing hormone that is part of a larger hormone systems that regulates the body’s response to stress. Extreme stresses in childhood, such as abuse, can hyper activate the system, increasing the risk of depression in adulthood. But having this gene variation seemed to reduce that response.
“People’s biological variations set the stage for how they respond to different environmental factors, like stress, that can lead to depression,” said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. “Knowing what those variations are eventually could help clinicians individualize care for their patients by predicting who may be at risk or suggesting more precise avenues for treatment.”
The results of this study adds to evidence that a combination of gene variations and life experiences promote depression in some and protect others from it.
Almost 15 million adults in the United States suffer from major depression.
SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, 2008;65:190-200
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