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Specificity of psychosis, mania and major depression in a contemporary family study

Molecular Psychiatry volume 19, pages 209–213 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

There has been increasing attention to the subgroups of mood disorders and their boundaries with other mental disorders, particularly psychoses. The goals of the present paper were (1) to assess the familial aggregation and co-aggregation patterns of the full spectrum of mood disorders (that is, bipolar, schizoaffective (SAF), major depression) based on contemporary diagnostic criteria; and (2) to evaluate the familial specificity of the major subgroups of mood disorders, including psychotic, manic and major depressive episodes (MDEs). The sample included 293 patients with a lifetime diagnosis of SAF disorder, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD), 110 orthopedic controls, and 1734 adult first-degree relatives. The diagnostic assignment was based on all available information, including direct diagnostic interviews, family history reports and medical records. Our findings revealed specificity of the familial aggregation of psychosis (odds ratio (OR)=2.9, confidence interval (CI): 1.1–7.7), mania (OR=6.4, CI: 2.2–18.7) and MDEs (OR=2.0, CI: 1.5–2.7) but not hypomania (OR=1.3, CI: 0.5–3.6). There was no evidence for cross-transmission of mania and MDEs (OR=.7, CI:.5–1.1), psychosis and mania (OR=1.0, CI:.4–2.7) or psychosis and MDEs (OR=1.0, CI:.7–1.4). The strong familial specificity of psychotic, manic and MDEs in this largest controlled contemporary family study challenges the growing assertion that the major types of mood disorders are manifestations of a common underlying diathesis.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by five grants from the Swiss National Foundation (SNF: No.3200-040677, No.32003B-105969 and No.32003B-118326 to FF; No.3200-049746 and No.3200-061974 to MP), and a grant from GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Genetics. The funders had no involvement in any aspect of this study. We thank the participants and the collaborators who contributed to the coordination of the study and the collection of data. Special thanks to Professor Pierre-François Leyvraz, Dr Nicolas Favarger and Professor Daniel Egloff from the Orthopedic Department in Lausanne as well as to Professor Pierre Hoffmeyer from the Orthopedic Department in Geneva for their help with the recruitment of the comparison subjects of this study. The National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program also contributed to this study. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not represent those of the US federal government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Lausanne, Prilly, Switzerland

    C L Vandeleur, M-P F Strippoli, E Castelao & M Preisig

  2. Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    K R Merikangas

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  1. C L Vandeleur
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Correspondence to C L Vandeleur.

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Vandeleur, C., Merikangas, K., Strippoli, MP. et al. Specificity of psychosis, mania and major depression in a contemporary family study. Mol Psychiatry 19, 209–213 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2013.132

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