If parents suffer from depression, anxiety, or panic disorders, their children are at risk for multiple anxiety disorders, according to a new study from Harvard University.

Dr. Joseph Biederman, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, compared four groups: children of parents with panic disorder but not depression, children of parents with major depression without panic disorder, children of parents with both maladies, and children of parents with neither one. Parental panic disorder was linked to increased risk for panic disorder and agoraphobia in children, and parental depression was linked to social phobia, depression, disruptive behavior disorders, and poor social functioning in children.

"Recognizing that children at a very young age can be at high- risk for emotional distress can go a long way toward doing something for them in early life," Dr. Biederman said.

This study appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Labels: depression, genetics, mental_health

Gene tests may determine which patients develop suicidal thoughts after taking anti-depressant medicines, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health found that two genetic markers increased a person's chance of developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the first weeks of taking anti-depressant medications.

"In the future we may have the opportunity to use genomic tests to guide personalized care for depression," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Teen suicide is a real and scary issue. Learn more from this article at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: antidepressants, genetics, medictions