Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and apathy. This is also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression.

It affects more than 16.1 million American adults or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, according to Anxiety and Depression Association of America statistics.

Major depressive disorder affects how one person feels, thinks, and behaves. This can result in different emotional and physical problems that tend to affect normal daily activities.

Can It Be Inherited?

You could be asking if major depressive disorder can be inherited, especially if you know one of your family members to have it. Watching someone close to you deal with depression may be hard, especially if they are not getting the proper support for it.

Major depressive disorder can be inherited, especially if you have a relative who suffers from depression, according to experts.

You are also almost five times as likely to develop clinical depression. Researchers have also delved in the possibility of a connection between genes and depression.

A British research team conducted a study with multiple family members with depression. They believe that as much as 40 percent of those with depression can be linked to genes. However, there is still no known specific gene to cause major depression.

"We know that there are genetic factors, it seems to be heritable, but we also know there are a lot of other factors involved," Renee Witlen, MD, a psychiatrist in Portland, Maine, was quoted in a report.

Other Factors

Environmental and lifestyle factors can play a role too. Witlen said trauma, substance abuse, social isolation, and financial concern can also contribute to depression.

A 2015 study focused on how trauma can contribute to depression with 349 chronically depressed patients. The study found that reported childhood trauma such as sexual, physical, and emotional abuse can be a factor.

A 2017 study published in the Public Library of Science found that those who felt more socially isolated were also more depressed. Women who just gave birth can also have postpartum depression.

CDC said that one in nine women will experience postpartum depression. Researchers suggest that changes in hormone levels after pregnancy may contribute to postpartum depression.

Hispanic Communities and Depression

There are also common health disorders among Latinos such as generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcoholism. However, only one in five Latinos with symptoms of psychological disorder approach a doctor. Also, only one in 10 Latinos approach a mental health professional.

The Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey said around 28 percent of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. had depression symptoms. Thirteen percent for Mexican Americans and 10 percent of Cuban Americans.

There is a barrier in the mental disorder treatment in the Latino community. This could be contributed to culture, wherein talking about emotions is not part of it. Treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy alone will not be effective.

Psychiatrist Diana Lorenzo, MD, of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Behavioral Health, said mental health issues have a stigma in the Latino Community.

"Many Latinos would prefer to ignore these conditions over talking about them openly," Lorenzo was quoted in a report. 

Lorenzo cited five solutions that could help improve Latinos' access to mental health care. These are removing the language barrier, collaborating with primary care physicians, encouraging family involvement, offering sensitive and culturally competent treatment, and educating about the physiologic roots of mental illness.

"When they understand that chemicals in the brain play a primary role, they view the diseases differently," Lorenzo said.

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