Scientists make genetic discovery

WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI) -- Scientists have found variations of the same gene can determine whether people develop depression after a traumatic event or escape unscathed.

Leaders in the field say those with a genetic vulnerability to stress are more than twice as likely to go into depression after a traumatic happening, such as a divorce or death in the family, according to the Washington Post.

It is the first time that scientists have traced the roots of a complex mental disorder to a specific interaction of genes and the environment.

"Nature works via nurture," said Terrie Moffitt, a psychologist at King's College in London and the University of Wisconsin who conducted the study with a team of researchers.

Moffitt's study helps explain why only a minority of people who go through emotional crises develop depression -- a disorder defined by long periods of sadness, impaired work performance and personal relationships, feelings of hopelessness and lassitude, and even suicidal behavior.