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Family history can predict frequency and severity of mental illness

Although mental illness is known to be herediatry, doctors don't always ask questions about it when they talk to a patient. But researchers say knowing about the relatives may help predict who is at risk for serious mental health problems.

People with a family history of depression, anxiety and other problems suffer more episodes of these disorders compared to those with no family history. Taking a family history is common practice to identify who is at risk from heart disease, cancer or other physical illnesses. But a history of mental illness is not always a question asked.

The study focused on a group of nearly a thousand people born between 1972 and '73 at a hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. Researchers followed them into adulthood and asked questions about their family history. The study found that people with a family history of depression, anxiety, alcoholism or drug dependence had more episodes of these disorders themselves, and had more severe episodes, compared to those without a family history.

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