Familial Variation in Episode Frequency in Bipolar Affective Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar affective disorder is a familial illness characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression, but little is known about the familial nature of episode recurrence or its associated clinical features. The authors analyzed the recurrence frequency of affective episodes (episo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of psychiatry 2005-07, Vol.162 (7), p.1266-1272
Main Authors: Fisfalen, Maria E., Schulze, Thomas G., DePaulo, J. Raymond, DeGroot, Leslie J., Badner, Judith A., McMahon, Francis J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age of Onset
Biological and medical sciences
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar Disorder - diagnosis
Bipolar Disorder - genetics
Bipolar Disorder - psychology
Bipolar disorders
Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis
Depressive Disorder, Major - genetics
Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Families & family life
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics
Genetic Variation
Genetics
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Pedigree
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis
Psychotic Disorders - genetics
Psychotic Disorders - psychology
Recurrence
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Factors
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Summary:OBJECTIVE: Bipolar affective disorder is a familial illness characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression, but little is known about the familial nature of episode recurrence or its associated clinical features. The authors analyzed the recurrence frequency of affective episodes (episode frequency), along with associated clinical and demographic variables, in families with at least three members with a major affective disorder. METHOD: Members of 86 families ascertained through probands with bipolar affective disorder who had two or more first-degree relatives with a major affective disorder were interviewed by psychiatrists and assigned an all-sources diagnosis. Data for 407 subjects with a major affective disorder were analyzed. Episode frequency was estimated as the number of episodes of major depression, mania, and hypomania per year of illness. RESULTS: Episode frequency was smoothly distributed over the range of 0.02-20.2 episodes year. Episode frequency was significantly correlated among relatives (r=0.56, p
ISSN:0002-953X
1535-7228
DOI:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.7.1266