Does depression count as a genetic disorder?

I have to do a project on a genetic disorder, but I'm not sure if doctors have proven that it's in genes or not.

Not really per say.. it MAY be gene linked, but its not a sure thing.
I think you'd get a better grade if you talked about Cystic Fibrosis or Phenylketonuria.

I think thats more of what they are looking for..

A genetic disorder is a disease that is caused by an abnormality in an individual's DNA. Abnormalities can range from a small mutation in a single gene to the addition or subtraction of an entire chromosome or set of chromosomes.

Depression doesn't do that. It may be inherited, but its not caused by mutated genes.

depression can run in the family

recent genetic view of the chromasone has shown that markers do seem to be present but more careful longer histories of more then one family have to be done to confirm this.
the current thinking by medical doctors is that there is enough prove as you call it to say then clinical depression does have a genetic component .

yes, depression has been linked to genetics.

I agree with one of the other answerers on here, the teacher is looking for a disease that if you have the genes, you will definitely get the disease. Many diseases have a strong genetic component, but you are not destined to get the disease unless the environment is right (or maybe I should say,wrong!!) Depression is one of those. Bipolar disorder is the most genetically determined of the (so-called) mental illnesses, and I think for identical twins, if one has bipolar the other has an 80% chance of getting it (maybe it wasn't that high- you'd have to look it up. Maybe it was 60%)

Try tye sachs (probalby spelling that wrong), sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, color blindness, etc.

Also, it could be that not all depressions are the same disease. Depression may just be a symptom of many diseases, like diarrhea is a symptom of many things, or a headache. If you're doing some big essay that's several pages long, you can deal with these subtleties and it could be a really great paper, but if you are just doing a two page thing, I'd write about something more straightforward.

MOst of the research about depression does suggest a genetic link. If you have a parent with depression or other mood dysfunction then there is a greater liklihood that you or a sibling will develop it - that is if the depression is the result of a chemical imbalance. I'm not convinced that all depression is an inbalance, however. For example, some people mourn several months after the loss of a loved one even though typical grief reactions are not supposed to be as severe after the course of 3 months. I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes depression is situational in nature - a particular event triggers a depressive response but that does not necessarily mean you have a neurobiological disorder. Divorces, break-ups, being fired from a job, losing a loved one, financial stress can all be situations that trigger depression and anxiety, If these symptoms persist for several months without improvement then I would say it becomes more of a disorder. With situational depression I have seen good outcomes with therapy and exercise, without necessarily having to rely on medication. But, with severe depression that is persistent and disrupts one's life then medication may be the most effective intervention. It depends on the person, their biological make-up, genetic predispositon, and situational factors.